bad weed: small flowered touch me not

In the shady nooks under the trees in my backyard are hundreds and thousands of these plants - called small flowered touch-me-not.

The plants are happily growing right through many inches of pine needles.

Also known as small-flowered jewelweed, is an annual flowering plant originally from Asia. It grows up to 60 cm in height, and has a shallow root system with translucent stems.

It has very small pale yellow flowers.  But they pack quite a punch.  

Touch-me-nots earn their name from ejecting their seeds from their seedpods when ripe. If left to ripen, the seeds explode in all directions, and next year there will be hundreds and thousands, like there are in my back yard.

This plant is typically found in forestlands and forest edges. It invades forest edges, disturbed sites, edges of waterways, and prefers moist soil. Because of its small and inconspicuous form it has gone unnoticed and is much more widespread than thought. Touch-me-nots can quickly disperse across the forest floor. This can effect forest regeneration. It crowds out native species and ultimately reduces biodiversity. 

hundreds of pulled touch-me-nots, with thousands still standing

one of many wheelbarrows full of pulled touch-me-nots

The thin filaments are pods starting to ripen. 
Once they do, the seeds shoot out after the least disturbance.

Controlling this thug

• the good news:  since these plants have shallow root systems, they are fairly easy to hand pull. Pull when soil is damp so roots will be removed as well. 
• Avoid disturbing the plants when the seeds are ripe. Any disruptions may cause seeds to shoot out further around the site. 
• Do not compost; dispose the plant properly at the landfill.  Well, I don't have that option - I'm piling them in a spot in the back with their roots up in the air.  Hope they don't reproduce from there.

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  these weeds can grow right through hosta