What is Nutsedge?

Nutsedge is a common weed found in turf and in most area where grass can grow. It can thrive in a variety of conditions and its presence often means that turf is stressed and less competitive due to poor drainage, too much irrigation, or leaky sprinklers. However, nutsedge will also tolerate and thrive under normal irrigation conditions or drought.

Although grass-like in appearance, nutsedge can easily be identified by its triangular stem. You can roll the stem with your fingers and feel the distinctive 3-sided edge. A grass will have a round stem. The nutsedge will protrude above the canopy of your lawn because of rapid growth and the yellowish-green leaves contrast with the uniformity of color.

Why Nutsedge is Difficult to Control

Nutsedge can reproduce by seeds but most of its rapid growth is vegetative, through the production of rhizomes (underground stems from which plants can sprout) and tubers (which store food and also produces new shoots or roots.) The tubers are the characteristic “nuts” or “nutlets” for which the plant is named. It is the network of underground rhizomes and nutlets which make nutsedge a difficult weed to control.

While the above ground shoots/leaves might be removed or appear to die off, the underground rhizomes and tubers may still survive and give rise to more plants. That’s why mowing or pulling nutsedge is often ineffective. The rhizomes spread underground laterally and can quickly invade other areas. You might control an area of nutsedge only to find it “pop up” in an adjacent area. Sedgehammer effectively controls nutsedge because it is translocated through the plant’s vascular system to reach the rhizomes and tubers.

Because Sedgehammer must travel through the plant’s vascular system in order to work, it is important that the nutsedge be actively growing when you make an application. A stressed plant will not efficiently translocate the herbicide within the nutsedge. Nutsedge elimination in heavily infested areas may require several treatments.

Although purple and yellow nutsedge are the must commonly found sedges, there are many different species. Certain of these can be much tougher to control than yellow or purple ones.