How to get rid of bindii before it seeds

Right now, in the middle of winter, is the best time to deal with bindii — while the rosettes are small, soft and actively growing, and well before they flower and set the hard, spiky seeds that make a lawn painful to walk on. Hand-pull small patches after rain, or spray a selective broadleaf herbicide matched to your grass type. Wait until spring, once flowering starts, and you've missed the window: the plant is harder to kill and the spikes it drops will still be in the ground for months to come.

Bindii (Soliva sessilis, also called bindi-eye, jo-jo or onehunga weed) germinates through autumn, sits low and inconspicuous over winter, then flowers and sets seed from early-to-mid spring in most of Victoria. That gap between germination and flowering is the only real control window in the whole year, which is why so many people only notice bindii once it's already too late to stop that season's seed drop.

How to identify bindii before it's a problem

Bindii grows as a flat rosette of fine, feathery, fern-like leaves pressed close to the ground, usually only a few centimetres across at this early stage. There's no flower and no spike yet — it just looks like a slightly different, softer patch of green low in the lawn, which is exactly why it gets ignored. It tends to show up first in thin, bare or compacted areas: worn tracks across the lawn, the edge of the driveway, or patches that struggled through summer.

By early-to-mid spring the rosette sends up tiny greenish-yellow flowers only a few millimetres across, easy to miss. Those flowers mature into the seed everyone recognises — a hard, flattened seed case with one sharp, barbed spine, dropped in late spring and through summer. It's that spine, not the plant itself, that punctures bare feet, bike tyres and dog paws, and it can sit viable in the soil for a full season, ready to germinate again the following autumn.

Getting rid of it now, while it's still small

Hand-pulling

For a handful of patches, pulling is genuinely effective, especially straight after rain when the soil is soft enough that the whole rosette and root come out cleanly. Bag it and bin it rather than leaving it on the lawn, since a pulled rosette that's already close to flowering can still finish setting seed on the ground. Hand-pulling doesn't scale well to a full lawn infestation — it's a job for isolated patches, not the whole yard.

Selective herbicide, matched to your grass

For anything beyond a few patches, a selective broadleaf herbicide applied now, while plants are small and actively growing, is the most reliable option. The active ingredient matters more than the brand name, because some common actives will damage buffalo grass:

Lawn type	Generally safe	Avoid or use with care
Buffalo (incl. Sir Walter)	Bromoxynil + MCPA combinations	Dicamba — can yellow, distort or kill buffalo
Kikuyu	Bromoxynil + MCPA, or dicamba-based combinations	—
Couch	Bromoxynil + MCPA, or dicamba-based combinations	—
Tall fescue	Bromoxynil + MCPA (check label rate)	Some dicamba blends — check label

Read the label every time rather than relying on memory or a product name — formulations and buffalo-safety statements do change between seasons and brands. Products sold at Bunnings and produce stores as hose-on or concentrate lawn weedkillers labelled for bindii, clover and other broadleaf weeds are what to look for; several are specifically labelled safe for buffalo lawns at the stated rate, and it's worth checking that label claim before you spray rather than after.

Whatever product you use, spray on a still, dry day, avoid mowing for a day or two either side of application so the leaf has time to take up the chemical, and don't water it in — rain or irrigation within a few hours will wash it off before it works. If you'd rather not handle chemicals yourself, this is exactly the kind of job we fold into a routine weeding visit alongside your regular mow.

What if you've already missed the window?

If it's already spring and the spikes have formed, herbicide is far less useful — it can still kill the plant, but it won't remove seed that's already dropped. At that point the practical options are mowing tight and often to limit how many plants get to flower, hand- pulling anything you can before it seeds, and accepting that this season's seed bank means a repeat problem next autumn unless you get in early. Wearing shoes on the lawn until the worst of it dies back over summer is the honest short-term fix.

Stopping bindii coming back next year

Bindii is an opportunist — it establishes fastest in thin, bare or compacted turf, which is why the same patch tends to flare up year after year if nothing else changes. A few things make a real difference over a season or two:

• Mow at the right height for your grass type rather than scalping it — a thicker canopy shades out germinating weed seedlings. See our mowing height guide for exact settings by grass type.
• Fix bare and compacted patches with topdressing or light aeration and overseeding or runners, since bare soil is where bindii gets its foothold.
• Feed the lawn on a proper autumn and spring schedule — a lawn that's actively growing and dense out-competes weeds far better than a stressed one. Our Victorian lawn care calendar sets out the full month-by-month timing for fertilising, mowing and weed control.
• Keep mowing regularly through the growing season rather than letting the lawn get away between cuts — see how often to mow by season and grass type.

None of this removes the need for the winter spray or hand-pull in a bad year, but it steadily shrinks the problem, and most lawns that get a proper feeding and mowing routine for a couple of seasons see noticeably less bindii each year after.

Frequently asked questions

What does bindii look like before it flowers?

A low, flat rosette of fine, feathery, fern-like leaves, usually only a few centimetres across, pressed close to the ground. At this stage it has no flowers and no spikes — it's easy to mistake for a harmless low-growing weed, which is exactly why it gets left alone until it's too late.

Is dicamba safe on buffalo lawns for bindii control?

No, as a general rule. Buffalo grasses, including Sir Walter, are sensitive to dicamba and can yellow, distort or die back from it. Bromoxynil plus MCPA combinations are the standard buffalo-safe alternative, but always check the specific product label, since buffalo-safety claims vary by brand and formulation.

When is the best time to spray bindii in Victoria?

From when the rosettes are clearly visible in early winter through to when flowering starts, roughly June to August for most of Victoria. Spraying earlier, while the plant is small and actively growing, gives the most reliable kill.

Can you pull bindii out by hand?

Yes, and it works well on small infestations, especially after rain when the whole rosette and root come out together. It's slow on a large lawn, so it suits a handful of patches rather than a full-lawn infestation.

Does mowing spread bindii seeds?

It can. Mowing over a lawn with mature seed heads can catch seed in the mower and clippings and spread it to other parts of the lawn, or into garden beds if clippings are used as mulch — another reason to treat it before it seeds rather than after.