Biology:

Nutsedge is a very aggressive and persistent weed that commonly infests lawns, gardens, or home landscapes during the warmer months. At times, it can be challenging to eradicate and control. Successful management of nutsedge involves both cultural and chemical management.

Identification:

Nutsedge resembles grass and can be distinguished by their triangular or V-shaped stems. Most nutsedges are perennial, survive in the soil, sprout in the spring, and will die back in the fall when temperatures decrease. The tubers (often called “nutlets”) and rhizomes (underground stems) can grow eight to fourteen inches below the soil surface. New tubers can form patches 10 feet or more in diameter due to the spread of small tubers, by creeping rhizomes, or by seed.

Cultural Control:

Nutsedge thrives in moist areas, and its presence could indicate that irrigation is too frequent, there is a possibility of poor drainage, or sprinklers are leaky. Since excessively moist soil will encourage growth, proper irrigation rate and timing are especially important. For many reasons, it is best to water lawns profoundly but infrequently to allow the surface soil to become dry between water applications.

Chemical Control:

Nutsedge can be controlled chemically with postemergence herbicides. Herbicides should be applied when nutsedge is actively growing and in warm conditions. However, herbicides cannot be applied during hot or dry weather (> 90 F) to minimize the chances of injury to the turfgrass. This presents a big challenge for our technicians when treating for nutsedge since they may be on your property to fertilize but unable to treat the nutsedge due to the temperature at the time of treatment.

Images:

Yellow Nutsedge can be identified by the tall lime green shoots that usually protrude 2-3 inches above your regular healthy grass blades.

10 Comments

  1. Don on July 21, 2022 at 4:23 pm

    have nutsedge starting to crop up on my lawn. 16098 Rockport drive Lewes, DE

  2. Robert Harris on July 24, 2022 at 10:45 am

    Can Nutsedge and root system be treated in September?

  3. John McNemar on July 28, 2022 at 8:47 pm

    Starting to see nutsedge around the foot of my driveway. Should we
    irrigate less? Currently irrigate Mon, Wed and Fri mornings for 15 minutes each.

  4. David Camorali on August 12, 2022 at 9:52 am

    I need to have this treated

  5. Victoria Garzioine on July 10, 2023 at 7:01 am

    please contact me regarding wire grass.

    • arborcare14 on July 10, 2023 at 8:16 am

      Good Morning Victoria,

      Please reach out to our office at 302-945-840 and we’ll be able to answer any questions you may have.

      Thank you and have a great day.

  6. Jeffrey Hudson on August 3, 2023 at 10:52 am

    I would like a nutshed treatment! How do I go about getting this accomplished?
    Thank you
    Jeff Hudson
    18541 Rose Court
    Lewes,DE 19958

    • arborcare14 on August 4, 2023 at 12:21 pm

      Good Afternoon,

      You can give our office a call, 302-945-8450, and we can schedule a time for our sales manager to come out to your property.

      Thank you!

  7. Rick Thomas on August 3, 2023 at 8:27 pm

    Please reach out to me regarding nutsedge.

    • arborcare14 on August 4, 2023 at 12:42 pm

      Sorry for the delay, someone from our office will be contacting you shortly.

      Have a great day and thank you for being a loyal customer!

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