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Photo: www.clemson.edu
By Debbie Roland and Emmy Ulmschneider, Master Gardeners
As Master Gardeners one thing we hear gardeners groan about is nutsedge also referred to as nutgrass. It is listed as the worst weed by the Weed Science Society of America. Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a perennial weed and grows in moist soils, which is why you commonly see it in your grassy lawn. In West Texas it commonly grows to about 4” to 8” tall in clusters.
This extremely invasive weed will usually arrive in your yard in a plant, new soil or mulch. They emerge in a shoot and really start growing once they reach sunlight. A bulb is then formed a few inches down into the soil. These tubers then form other tubers. Interestingly, an article by Robert “Skip” Richter, M.S., Host GardenLine and Garden Success, states “In one test, a single yellow-nutsedge tuber produced 6,900 tubers by fall and 1,900 daughter plants the following spring.” This weed is hard to control and early efforts to rid, or at least limit, this plant is imperative.
If we happen to have a good rain pulling is possible if the soil is not packed. You will find that once you get a good hold of a tuber that you may pull as many as seven or eight grown on the same root system. Every time you see a new shoot trying to make an appearance remove it quickly. Doing this multiple times will weaken the plant and decrease likelihood of new plants. Of course, waiting on rain may not work so use of the hose or sprinkler to wet the soil may be necessary.
Nutsedge can reproduce from a seed although we have never seen it do that in West Texas perhaps due to the dry climate. If we happen to have a wet season and you do notice seeds remove the plant and bag immediately. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for years. We certainly would not recommend adding nutsedge to your compost bin. Bagging and sending it to your dumpster is best.
If you have a nutsedge problem here are a few tips:
* Avoid overwatering which can stimulate more growth.
* Begin removing this weed when it first appears in the spring. Digging is most effective when the plant has three to five leaves before it begins to establish more tubers.
* If you are putting in a new bed or garden and you already have nutsedge, cover the area from spring to fall with fabric or plastic to solarize the area. Temperatures over 112 degrees will kill the tuber. Do not pull the cover over the plants tightly since nutsedge can puncture the fabric or plastic.
There are products that will help you get rid of this weed. As always, it is very important to use exactly as the label instructs and repeated applications may be required.
For more information check out this article:
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700. Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources”.
Photo: Bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com
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