Hairy Bittercress - Ask Extension
Hello,
I have tall fescue grass. I have an invasion of what I think is hairy bittercress? (Photos attached) What would you recommend, I use to get r...
Knowledgebase
Hairy Bittercress #925786
Asked March 10, 2026, 2:24 PM EDT
Hello,
I have tall fescue grass. I have an invasion of what I think is hairy bittercress? (Photos attached) What would you recommend, I use to get rid of it?
Thank you
Prince George's County Maryland
Expert Response
It's hard to see each weed's features clearly, but yes, Hairy Bittercress is a very common lawn and garden weed, and the white-flowered plants pictured do resemble that species. The blue flowers are a type of Speedwell (Veronica species), and the other weeds are Purple Deadnettle, both also very common.
All three of the above are annuals (a few Veronica species are perennials) and they will be gone from the lawn by late spring or early summer, having died off on their own after they flowered in spring. You can skip using herbicide and instead focus on overseeding the lawn this coming autumn and taking other vigor-boosting lawn care measures (which we recommend), but if you need to use chemicals, examples of the active ingredients to look for in a weed killer product are noted in the pages linked above.
Miri
All three of the above are annuals (a few Veronica species are perennials) and they will be gone from the lawn by late spring or early summer, having died off on their own after they flowered in spring. You can skip using herbicide and instead focus on overseeding the lawn this coming autumn and taking other vigor-boosting lawn care measures (which we recommend), but if you need to use chemicals, examples of the active ingredients to look for in a weed killer product are noted in the pages linked above.
Miri
