Controlling Nutsedge

What Is This Weed?

Nutsedge is a weed that can be found in lawns, flower beds and landscapes nationwide. Although it prefers moist, poorly drained soils, this weed is notorious for its ability to thrive and spread in all kinds of environments, including drier sites. It grows in full sun and moderate shade. Sometimes called nutgrass or watergrass, it’s actually not a grass at all, it’s a sedge. It spreads through underground tubers and rhizomes (stems that run horizontally in the soil) making it challenging to control.

Identification

The two nutsedge species most commonly found in residential lawns are yellow and purple. Both are perennial and grow quickly, making these weeds easy to notice when they outgrow the surrounding grass. Although they look like grass, sedges have three-sided or triangular stems, while grass stems are round. You can feel the triangular shape by holding and turning the stem base between your thumb and index finger.

Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is an aggressive weed that gets its name from its yellowish-brown or straw-colored seedhead. It spreads via underground stems and tubers at the tips of rhizomes. The leaves are bright yellow-green and have a waxy appearance. It will also remain a bright green in summer when surrounding lawn grass may be a lighter green.

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is similar but tends to have darker green leaves and produces a characteristic reddish-purple seedhead. The leaf tips of purple nutsedge tend to be blunter than those of yellow. Instead of tubers at the tips of rhizomes, purple nutsedge produces tubers in chains connected by rhizomes. It spreads just as easily as yellow.

Where Is Nutsedge Found?

Yellow nutsedge is a native perennial found throughout North America and southern Canada. It’s one of the more cold-tolerant sedge species. Purple nutsedge is more often found in warmer, sub-tropical and tropical climates, like the Southeast.

Tips For Prevention

A dense, well-tended lawn is a good starting point, but these may not be enough once nutsedge becomes established

How To Control Nutsedge

If only a few nutsedge plants are in your lawn, you can try removing them by hand pulling soon after leaf emergence in spring. Tubers form later in the growing season. Try to remove as much of the below-ground portion of the plants as possible, as broken bits of rhizomes and leftover tubers can give rise to new plants. Unfortunately, the underground tubers or nutlets can remain dormant in the ground for several years. So even when you think you have this weed under control, it can pop up again.

The best course of action is to use a herbicide specifically labeled to control this rapidly growing weed, like BioAdvanced Season Long Weed Killer. Just one application kills nutsedge, including the root, rhizomes and tubers hidden under the ground. Best of all, Season Long Weed Killer prevents new listed weeds from sprouting for up to four months, including crabgrass, dandelions and any nutsedge rhizomes or tubers you might have missed. It takes the guesswork out of controlling this aggressive weed.

Sources: