Hairy Cats-ear (Hypochaeris radicata) vs THE LAWN

A year later, no Hypochaeris

 I am not big on keeping a highly manicured lawn.  By summer, the only reason a lawn calls for mowing, (at least by my standards) is the presence of hairy cat-ear, (Hypochaeris radicata).  No cat-ear, no mowing.  July vacation plans last year pushed me into action.  Could I eliminate it and would it be worth the effort?  It seemed like doing so would be a good idea -- provided I could do it poison free. 

Hypochaeris (aka Hairy Cat-Ear) in summer bloom

Here is a report of that successful effort, preceded by a description of the rascal.
This plant has earned many names, including flatweed and false dandelion.  By my unimaginative eye its leaves do not seem very cat like, but hairy cats-ear has stuck and I will use it here.

In the spring when the lawn explodes with vigor, rosettes of sturdy cats-ear leaves pockmark the terrain -- flat green craters in an otherwise cooperative blend of grasses and mosses and other more civilized weeds.  Hugging the ground and able to escape the whirring mower blades, by June it begins to dominate casual lawnscapes.  With summer drought, green craters turn to green saucers on a now brown background, and from these green saucers push up wirey flower-stems.  Dozen upon dozen of small yellow flowers are instantly followed by charmless tufts of seeds ready to scatter on the wind like a bad rumor.

Healthy and happy Hypochaeris (for now)

Individually the plant is almost attractive with its wavy semi-glossy leaves and small bright yellow flowers; aside from the fuzzy prickliness of the leaves it is quite edible.  This plant flourishes with deficiency and neglect.  Curiously, it exudes plant chemicals that inhibit growth under its leaves, and it even discourages its own kind from cuddling too close; you never find Hypochaeris wall-to-wall. Whatever its (limited) private charms, in its typical display, a massed lawn takeover, it is unquestionably ugly.

Severed at the root, (no divots)

Defiant Hypochaeris in a scalped, moss-killed lawn

So early spring and vacation deadline looming, I began my assault, determined to get all the defiant Hypochaeris out of our lawn.  For years I have used “Grandpa’s Weeder” a weed popper unchanged in design for a hundred years.  As a tool it is effective but somewhat slow, requiring constant clearing of the weeding teeth, and leaves some unattractive divots. There had to be a better way.  After some tests, I settled on this: I plopped down onto the lawn with an asparagus knife (a curved serrated knife) and I cut each weed off just below the crown.  I made no effort to grub, just cut, cut, cut fast as I could, sometimes from my knees, sometimes from my posterior.  No divots, leave the taproot, and see what happens.

Over several weeks I cut probably over a thousand plants, one or two hours at a time, (and listened to a mix of recordings as I went).  By vacation time all the cats-ear had been cut out, with only some bald patches where The Weed had been!

Grass and moss thickly coexisting

While confident that this fix would last at least until fall, I was unsure of my long-term results.  What happened exceeded my wildest hopes.  Over the past year the hundreds of bald patches have become a mixed carpet of grasses and mosses and forbs in a pleasant disorder.  Almost no cat-ear has returned — a few small patches requiring attention — and, I remain on vigilant watch.  I don't worry about moss (it is green after all) or other forbs.  My lawn grows thick and mixed and healthy, and maybe 3 inches tall.  This green sward needs a few cuttings spring and fall, and from time to time I edge the lawn before it invades the flower beds.  This summer the lawn looked excellent.  Success!

Glen