What is Nutsedge?

Nutsedges compete against healthy plants for essential nutrients and water. Unfortunately, these weeds can be difficult to identify because they bear a resemblance to regular grass. To differentiate between these plants, you’ll need to look closely at their stems. While nutsedges have triangular stems, regular grasses possess round ones. Yellow and purple nutsedges are the most common species of nutsedge. Although these typically grow together, they may require different herbicide treatments. Consult a lawn care expert in your area if have difficulty identifying nutsedge or cannot determine what herbicide is needed to treat it.

Nutsedge Control

Nutsedges usually emerge from overwatered lawns. Although these weeds thrive best in overly saturated soils, they can also live in other soil conditions once they establish themselves. Nutsedge spreads easily, so if you’ve used a piece of equipment in a contaminated area, you’ll need to clean it thoroughly before using it in an area that’s not infested.

You can fend off nutsedge by regularly performing lawn maintenance, including mowing at the correct height for your grass type, applying the appropriate amount of fertilizer, and properly watering your lawn. Practicing lawn care on a regular basis is instrumental in preventing nutsedge from spreading. This is especially important because these weeds are difficult to get rid of once they mature.

If the infestation is small, you can dig up the weed. To eliminate the chance of spreading, it’s important to also dig up the area surrounding the weed. Although mechanical methods can work, the most effective form of weed control is the use of post-emergent herbicides. When using post-emergent herbicides, keep in mind that they’re less potent when applied during dry conditions.

Lawn care experts also recommend homeowners refrain from mowing before applying herbicides because this can reduce their effectiveness. You may also want to wait to use a herbicide if rain is expected within eight hours after application.

Nutsedge Herbicides

Halosulfuro. This herbicide works on both yellow and purple nutsedges. When using this ingredient, you’ll also need to use a nonionic surfactant, which acts as a wetting agent. You may need to reapply halosulfuro every three to four weeks for continued control. Exercise caution when using this herbicide because it can damage healthy plants.

Bentazon. You can spot spray yellow nutsedge using this herbicide. While this herbicide can damage rhododendron and sycamore roots, it can be applied over other plants. To ensure that bentazon won’t harm your plants, check the label.

Glyphosate. This a nonselective herbicide, meaning it kills any plant that it comes into contact with, regardless of whether it’s a weed or not. Although this herbicide can’t eliminate nutsedge, it can prevent it from spreading. It’s important to apply post-emergent herbicides when the plant is growing. This is because using a herbicide before nutsedge is fully developed will fail to remove it from one’s lawn.

Even when using herbicides, nutsedge can be incredibly difficult to get rid of once in your lawn. For this reason, it may be beneficial to hire a professional lawn care company. Not only are they equipped to handle repeated applications, they can prevent this weed from spreading to other areas of your lawn. Reach out to us here at LawnCare.Net to get connected with local lawn care professionals that can provide lawn care plans and other services to maintain your yard.