To get control of filaree (storks bill), keep them from releasing their seeds and keep last year’s seed bank buried. To do that, use a combination of well-timed and effective control steps that minimize harm to people, pets, and the environment. Here’s how:

Remove them when they’re young - it’s easier! Seedlings emerge after the first fall rains (photo 1). At this point, hand weeding is easy thanks to tender stems, shallow roots, and moist soils. Shallow (< 1”) hoeing and tilling can be effective when soils are a bit drier. Mowing rosettes doesn’t work well because they’re too low to the ground.

Get rid of them before they release their seeds - this keeps awns (In botany, an awn is either a hair-like or bristle-like appendage structure) away from your pets and saves you a lot of work in the future! If you missed the rosettes, flowers and green fruit (photo 2) are easy to spot in spring. Hand weeding and hoeing are still great options but expect stronger roots and drier soil. You can cut off flower heads and green fruit to give yourself more time before they dry out but aim to remove the entire taproot to prevent new stalks. All plant material should be placed in municipal green recycling and not home compost.

Minimize soil disturbance - digging and cultivating can bring up buried seeds from last year. When weeding, use a sharp, narrow tool (a hori hori knife, an old steak knife) - you’ll get the root without excess soil. When hoeing, try not to dig too deep - just deep enough (< 1”) to cut the root below the soil surface.

Mulch your landscape including areas where you just weeded. Thick mulch (2-3”) smothers the upstarts by keeping sunlight and warmth from reaching seeds and young seedlings.

Avoid the void - cover bare patches of soil in your yard. Mulching, replanting, reseeding, or using cover crops will improve the quality of your soil and reduce weeds. Closely spaced plantings can also help shade soil surfaces and choke weeds out.

Take a regular walk around your yard. Depending on temperature and rainfall, filaree seeds can germinate at different times. A stroll through the garden is one of life’s pleasures and will give you the chance to spot and remove new filaree when they’re young.

Here is some information on chemical controls:

https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_E/Erodium.pdf