Nutsedge Driving You NUTS?

How do I Identify Nutsedge?

Nutsedge, also known as nutgrass is an extremely aggressive perennial weed, fighting for residence within your turf. Its long grasslike blade is a yellow-green which can produce a purple or yellow spikey head. These triangular shaped leaves are commonly about 1/2 inch thick and can grow up to 30 inches tall. At the root of this system, it produces many nut shaped tubers which act as underground food storage.

Why is Nutsedge so hard to Kill?

Due to the anatomy of this plant, it can be a headache to kill. The tubers found within the root system can all germinate and produce new plants. A single plant can form several thousand tubers per season. Each new plant also produces rhizomes which allow for adding new plants. Hand pulling weeds is typically the first response, but this will only further embed Nutsedge into your landscape.

How do I control Nutsedge?

First and foremost, the best way to keep out any type of weed is to have a thick healthy lawn. Applications of fertilizer and weed pre-emergents/killers throughout the seasons will help boost growth, deepen roots, and promote an ideal lawn. Mowing properly will also help produce a nice thick turf, making it hard for weeds to find a place to grow in. You should be mowing to leave 3 inches or higher of grass growth creating a tough environment for weeds to grow. In the event that you are losing the battle to Nutsedge, you might want to step up your game with a lawn herbicide. At Bluegrass, we typically turn to “SEDGEHAMMER TURF HERBICIDE”. This is a post-emergent control of sedges which are already established in lawns. Sedgehammer is simply mixed with water and sprayed on the affected area. It controls nutsedge by moving through the plan and affecting the underground growing points (Rhizomes and Tubers). It is considered a “gentle to turfgrass” product.

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