How to Control Cinderella Weed in Your Lawn
With warmer temperatures and favourable growing conditions throughout Spring and Summer, expect to see invasive weeds trying their hardest to share the soil with your lawn. ...
The battle for a weed-free lawn is one that most home lawn lovers battle year-round, and with the sheer number of invasive weeds looking to share the space with your lawn, identifying weeds outside of your common broadleaf varieties like Clover, Oxalis and Bindii can be tough.
One that’s often overlooked is Flick Weed – a fast-spreading broadleaf weed that germinates quickly and can overrun a lawn if left unchecked.
Luckily, Flick Weed can be controlled with easily accessible herbicides, and its germination suppressed with the kind of pre-emergent herbicides that many homeowners use as part of their annual lawn maintenance program.
Flick Weed (Cardamine hirsuta) is a member of the mustard family and is commonly identified by its small, green, lobed leaves that stem outwards from a central origin point, from which it will sprout small white flowers and slender seed pods. These seed pods are sensitive to touch and will explode, spreading seeds, hence the ‘Flick Weed’ name.
Flick Weed can be found in cool season grasses like Rye, Fescue and Bluegrass, as well as more common warm season grasses like Bermuda, Couch, Buffalo and Kikuyu.
Flick Weed can be found all over Australia as it thrives in temperate conditions, particularly areas that experience mild winters and relative humidity, which create the ideal growing conditions for Flick Weed.
Flick Weed thrives in nutrient rich soils and is most likely to gravitate towards shaded and damp areas of the lawn, making it a problem for home lawn lovers that are trying to do the right thing by their grass by feeding and watering it.
The seeds ejected from the weed’s seed pods germinate quickly, allowing Flick Weed to spread rapidly during Spring and Summer. It’s particularly prevalent in areas where the explosive seed dispersal can be easily disrupted – areas with high foot traffic, frequent mowing or soil disruption.
Homeowners who experience a Flick Weed outbreak often struggle with rapid lawn thinning, increased competition for nutrients and an unsightly patchy appearance that can be difficult to restore.
With its unique seed distribution, Flick Weed can be especially problematic for those looking to control an outbreak without using herbicides.
Hand-pulling Flick Weed can be an effective short-term solution if the outbreak is only minor. The entire plant, including the shallow root system, must be removed before it sets seed to prevent further spread.
However, due to its rapid growth and explosive seed dispersal, this method is often labour-intensive and only provides temporary relief.
Regular monitoring and prompt removal of new plants are necessary to prevent reinfestation.
For larger infestations, selective herbicides are the most effective option. Broadleaf herbicides containing active ingredients such as MCPA, dicamba, or clopyralid such as Bow and Arrow, Broadforce or Contra M Duo (though Contra is not safe for Buffalo lawns) are commonly used to control Flick Weed that has already sprouted.
It’s essential to choose a product that is safe for your specific grass type and to follow the label instructions carefully to avoid damaging your lawn, as some active ingredients aren’t compatible with some grass types, and application rates have been pre-determined by the manufacturer to kills weeds whilst inflicting minimal stress on the healthy lawn.
Most broadleaf weed killers will show efficacy within a week of application, however repeated applications may be necessary for more established plants, or as new seeds germinate.
Once the outbreak is controlled you can look to a pre-emergent herbicide like Spartan, Barricade or Onset GR which will neutralise any seeds in the soil before they germinate, stopping Flick Weed and any other foreign weeds from ruining your perfect lawn.
Most pre-emergents will want to be watered into the soil layer and will provide enduring protection for up to six months, depending on rainfall levels and the climate in your region.
Pre-emergent herbicides are typically applied in Spring to protect your lawn through Spring and Summer, then again at the start of Autumn to protect through Autumn and Winter.
By combining manual removal, targeted herbicide use, and preventative cultural practices, Australian lawn lovers can effectively control Flick Weed and maintain a lush, weed-free lawn year-round. Visit the myhomeTURF online store for a wide variety of herbicides suitable for controlling Flick Weed.