The Grass Doctor

Anyone know how to keep Nut grass down?

I have lots and lots of nutgrass. I pull and also spray with a product called Image. I use Roundup too. Mostly I pull the nutgrass up and discard. Its only in my flowerbeds or if its in the lawn the mower takes care of it. It was either in soil that we brought or in flowers I moved from other areas. In researching the web, other countries will levy fines on people or companies that spread this stuff and I can understand why. If I give away a plant I clean the roots until I know no nuts are hitching a ride to some other poor souls yard.

Public Comments

1. Nut grass or Purple Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is very difficult to control once established. With this weed you need to have a zero tolerance and control when young. Control via digging is difficult because of very aggressive rhizomes. Metolachlor (Pennant) is an effective preemergence control for Nutsedge. Image is a postemergence for the control of Purple nutsedge. Halosulfuron (Manage/Sedge Hammer) is a postemergence control for both Yellow & Purple nutsedge. Plan on at least two (split) applications if attempting to control established plants with the above postemergence products. Roundup can work, but it will require several applications and works best when plants are young and not yet flowering. 2,4-D, with multiple applications, can control nutsedge in turf if applied at the appropriate time. Most systemics work best in late summer or early fall when weeds are actively growing and directing the storage of manufactured sugars to roots, rhizomes, corms, bulbs, tubers, nutlets, etc. Unfortunately, nutsedge is next to impossible to control with a postemergence systemic once their tubers form in July/August. Also, do not try to control nutsedge with a systemic postemergence in early spring because the plant’s focus is on supplying nutrients to top growth and you have insufficient leaf surface to deliver a knockout blow. Typical postemergence applications should be made 6-8 weeks after emergence, but before tubers develop. Tubers develop quickly in July & August in Illinois and, therefore, late June would be the best time for postemergence applications. Here is good link that discusses the application of Basagran, Image and Halosulfuron for the control of nutsedge in ornamental beds: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C867-9.htm Pulling or cutting the tops off established nutsedge when there are 5 to 6 leaves and doing this repeatedly will eventually deplete the established nutsedge tubers of their energy to reproduce new plants. So, your best control procedure would be the use of a preemergence to prevent Nutsedge. If you miss this opportunity, apply split postemergence applications in June and repeatedly pull the tops off any established nutsedge that survives your postemergence applications. Nutsedges/nut grass like full sun. If you can reconfigure your garden to shade the areas with nut grass, you can keep this very aggressive plant down