Nutsedge

posted in: Weed-i-pedia | 15

Nutsedge is a perennial weed that infests lawns and causes general despair throughout the US.  Yellow nutsedge(Cyperus esculentus) and Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus ) colonize in thick, dense groves and can seriously reduce your turf production.  Nutsedge is particularly hard to eliminate because it grows via tubers that form and run underground. These creeping subterranean stems are called rhizomes and young nutsedge plants sprout throughout the growing season. Nutsedge leaves are straight and smooth and resemble grass although they are generally thicker. An obvious identifier for nutsedge is the triangular stem.  Unchecked, yellow nutsedge will grow up to three feet with pointed, light green tips and spikelets that are….as you might guess…..yellow.   Purple nutsedge will rise to one foot and sports rounded, dark green tips and dark purple spikelets.

What does nutsedge look like?

Nutsedge is distinctive and easy to spot by its erect, triangular-shaped stems.  Yellow nutsedge casts a yellow hue, while purple nutsedge is more…you guessed it…lavendar.  The leaves are up to .5 inches wide with a thick vein and a waxy covering. The root system is shallow and fibrous and produces a plethera of nut-like tubers, which serve as underground food storage stations. The tubers germinate and produce new plants which spawn rhizomes that increase their nefarious tribe even more.  Very hearty stuff. Nutsedge is a warm season perennial plant. While the above-ground portion of nutsedge rarely survives the winter months, the subteranian tubers certainly do. With Spring comes a whole new crop. By late Spring and early summer, you can have heavy infestations of nutsedge and the enjoyment of your beautiful lawn will be severely compromised. Egads!

Enough already. How do I get rid of nutsedge?

Both yellow and purple nutsedge love warm, wet summertime conditions. It often will begin to infiltrate your lawn in low, damp areas. Worst of all, unlike most common lawn weeds, nutsedge resists traditional broadleaf weed control products. Some folks are tempted to hand-pull nutsedge. Before investing too much time in hand-pulling, we suggest you consult your back doctor, and probably your mental-health care specialist as well. It’s just not a good use of your outdoor time.  Nutsedge is a member of the hearty sedge family and will require the use of specific herbicides for you to gain the upper hand. In short, you need an expert.

Sedgehammer knocks-out nutsedge.

Sedgehammer is a turf herbicide that eliminates yellow and purple nutsedge and is safe to use in established turf and landscape areas when used as directed. With this herbicide, you should plan your attack when the nutsedge is young. If you allow the nutsedge to mature it become very dificult to kill.  Plus, the mature plants will spawn tubers that will lurk unfettered below the surface. Go after nutsedge in the early Spring, just as it comes up.  While nutsedge has a well-earned reputation as a tough custmer, you and Sedgehammer can get the job done.

Three easy steps to nutsedge control.

Sedgehammer comes in an easy-to-use packet with clear instructions.

  1. Pour the entire contents of the package into one gallon of water.
  2. Shake or aggitate the contents within your sprayer.  No need for any additives or surfactants.
  3. Spray on the visible affected areas.

Sedgehammer will work down into the root nutlets and tubers and will begin to show visual results within 7-14 days.  Sedgehammer will often take care of nutsedge with one application, but if you have a particularly heavy infestation, an additional application may be required.  This is another reason to get started early.

Don’t wait.  Get after nutsedge early.

To purchase your Sedgehammer, CLICK HERE. Good luck!

15 Responses

  1. Gary grant

    Is it safe to use on zoysia grass? If so can it be sprayed broadly or must it be spayed locally?

    • Byrdie

      You can use Sedgehammer on Zoysia and it is best to spray broadly. Remember that nutgrass grows underground via tubers. Just spot spraying may miss areas. The other important thing to remember about Sedgehammer is that it works SLOWLY. This is intentional. By slowly working through the sedge, it can get down to the “nut” and then take full affect. Other products off a quick “burndown”, but that will not provide longterm results.

  2. Ray Frasquillo

    Why has the cost of the packet gone up so much sense last year? I paid a little over 4 dollars per packet last year. I know inflation has not gone up that much.

    • Byrdie

      Ray. Our price on Sedgehammer has not gone up at all. It was $11.95 last year too. You may be a seeing pricing trick that a lot of online retailers use. They charge very little for the product and then whop it to you on shipping. We try to be even and fair across the board. Stone Brothers does not make money on shipping. We try to cover our costs.

  3. Carol Haubeil

    I have nutsedge growing in my flower bed. I am growing Peonys, Iris, Lilies Tuplis, Defs. Will this product kill my flowers.

  4. Susan Bala

    Hi, We just bought our house recently and had no idea the beautiful yard was full of nutsedge until it was too late. My husband sprayed something, not sure what, that he had gotten at Lowes, but it only killed off some of it and now there are thousands of plants 4-5 inches tall. I have just about killed myself trying to pull them up, if nothing else so that the burrs won’t dry out and hurt my 5 grandbabies. I could almost cry and have lain awake at night wondering how I can keep these tiny monsters from bedeviling our little sweeties. Even if we always wear shoes, they get stuck in our shoes once they dry out and we bring them into the house (from prior experience). You say the best time is to spray in spring. This is June in Texas, can we at least do anything at all to keep them from profligating? Have you as well heard of a way to prevent as many burrs in the yard later (mow with grass catcher?), are there any other tricks to getting the burrs out of the yard while waiting for the right time of year to kill off the plants? Thank you so much for any information that will allow me to sleep better at night (you are right about speaking to a mental health professional, it has almost driven me to it already) Susan

  5. Bill parsons

    Have about 2 acres of lawn infiltrated with nutsedge so one packet in one gallon is not enough. Does Sedgehammer come on larger volume so I can put in 14 gallon boom sprayer?

  6. Charlie Smith

    What I was told was nutsedge in my yard is more of a lime color versus yellow. It is slightly lighter than my fescue grass. Is this yellow nutsedge?

    • Byrdie

      The best way to tell if you have nut grass is to roll the stem between your fingers. Unlike most round stems, the nutgrass stem is triangular. You’ll be able to tell right away. Use Sedgehammer on it….great stuff.

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