Nutsedge, also known as nutgrass, is a perennial grass-like weed that can take over your lawn and has proven to be difficult to remove if the proper treatment is not applied. It has been known to resemble grass blades which can make it difficult for the untrained eye to identify the weed. Luckily for your lawn, our experts are familiar with nutsedge and have experience identifying and eliminating the weed.
Nutsedge Characteristics
The perennial weed isn’t actually a grass, it’s a sedge, but has grass-like features. There are different forms of the weed that homeowners needs to be aware of, most common are yellow nutsedge and purple nutsedge.
- Yellow Nutsedge:
The weed’s leaves are similar to grass and have a yellow-green color. Unlike grass, nutsedge has a yellow seed head at its tip. Additionally, homeowners can sometimes identify the weed if their lawn has been mowed recently and they see yellowy colored grass growing taller than the rest of the lawn. This weed will frequently make its appearance early in the growing season.
- Purple Nutsedge:
Emerging later in the growing season, purple nutsedge has been known to grow to approximately 6 inches tall. Its leaves also have a dark green shade while the seed head is a small cluster and has a dark purple hue. It is often difficult to spot purple nutsedge in a well-mowed lawn.
Typically, homeowners can distinguish nutsedge from grass because of its V-shaped stem. Unlike grass, the triangle-shaped stem has leaves which grow in groups of three. Rolling the stem in between your fingers will allow you to feel its triangle or V-shape.
Eliminating Nutsedge
It’s important to know that this weed reproduces by small, underground, tubers. These are typically the culprit for the weed spreading throughout your lawn. Homeowners trying to eliminate the weed by simply pulling it from the ground may find that their efforts are wasted. The tubers often grow more than 8 inches into the ground. A weed of this magnitude should be handled by the experts of Grasshopper Gardens.
Nutsedge will most likely search for the moist sections of your lawn, but it has also been known to thrive just as much in dryer sections as well. To control and eliminate the weed, having a mowing schedule in place combined with the proper knowledge from the Grasshopper Gardens experts will help keep your lawn healthy throughout the season. Ensuring a healthy lawn should start at the beginning of the growing season. If you haven’t discussed a maintenance schedule with our experts, contact us today so we can begin protecting your lawn from nutsedge and many other weeds!