Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)

August 30, 2020 9:16 AM

Our lawn was slowly being taken over by yellow nutsedge, and now is rapidly being taken over by yellow nutsedge. What works to stop it?

I'm looking for something within the grasp of an ordinary person (as opposed to a turf grass specialist or lawn care service), and, ideally, something you have actually used successfully. I can google as easily as anybody, and have, but there are an awful lot of suggestions and it's a little overwhelming.

If we have to lose one leg from the good / fast / cheap triad, "fast" is the one to drop. Chemical herbicides are definitely on the table, if there's one you like.

posted by Spathe Cadet to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Sedgehammer works according to people I’ve worked with.
posted by sciencegeek at 10:00 AM on August 30, 2020

Is your lawn area getting wetter? (Is your climate getting wetter?), as a slow invasion implies that's the case. Drainage, could help if the latter. What is the recent lawn history? When did you first notice the weed?
posted by unearthed at 10:29 AM on August 30, 2020

My man Allyn Hane ‘The Lawn Care Nut’ also says Sedgehammer.
posted by ob1quixote at 12:45 PM on August 30, 2020

I recommend anyone interested in nutsedge to read this info from Purdue extension service.

Another general control method for favoring grass is more frequent mowing at lower heights. Also perhaps you can learn to like it but you probably know that, good luck :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:31 PM on August 30, 2020

Late summer/Autumn is too late in the season to control yellow nutsedge as the nutlets (or tubers) have already broken off from the root of the plant. I know for US zone 5, the nutlet breaks off the roots in early August and they can remain dormant in the soil for up to 3 years.

It's best to use any chemical when the plant is actively growing and for nutsedges that is late spring/early summer. That means spraying yearly until you can either control them by pulling out the new plants each spring, or until your lawn is healthy/thick enough to block the nutsedge from growing.

I found this PDF from Purdue Extension outlines how to control nutsedge well, hopefully it helps.

Good Luck!
posted by bCat at 1:42 PM on August 30, 2020

Impressing everyone who visits into being nutsedge warriors by introducing them to the meditative art of pulling up nutsedge seems to work for my mother, but ymmv.
posted by MadamM at 1:30 PM on August 31, 2020

Sedgehammer does work. Obsessive weekly hand-weeding over a couple of seasons has worked for me too; nutsedge is surprisingly not too tedious to pull. (If only that would work for creeping charlie!)
posted by musicinmybrain at 8:34 PM on August 31, 2020