Nutsedge: Why It Keeps Coming Back
You Mow It Friday and It’s Standing Taller by Sunday
Nutsedge, or nutgrass as most people around here call it, is the weed that makes homeowners think their weed killer is defective. You spray it, it browns off, and a few weeks later it is back in the same place.
The reason is underground. Nutsedge is not a grass at all. It is a sedge, and it stores energy in small tubers called nutlets sitting several inches down in the soil. One plant can put out dozens of them. Kill the top and the nutlets send up another.
It also grows faster than bermuda, so it stands above the lawn within a day or two of a cut, which is why it always looks worst right after you mow. It favors wet, compacted ground, so a patch of nutsedge is often telling you something about drainage as well.
We Treat Nutsedge. It takes a sedge-specific product and repeat timing to exhaust the nutlets. That is built into our spray program.
How to Know It’s Nutsedge
It gets mistaken for grass constantly, and the products that kill grassy weeds do not touch it.
Roll the Stem in Your Fingers
Sedge stems are solid and triangular. Grass stems are round and hollow. That is the fastest identification there is, and it is definitive.
A Glossy, Yellow-Green Color
Lighter and shinier than bermuda, which is why a patch stands out even when it is cut to the same height.
Leaves in Threes
Nutsedge leaves come off the stem in three ranks. Grass leaves alternate in two.
Faster Than Everything Around It
If one plant is consistently taller than the lawn two days after mowing, that is your candidate.
Nutlets on the Roots
Dig a plant up carefully and you find small hard tubers on the roots. That is the part surviving everything you have been spraying.
Wet or Compacted Ground
Heavy patches often sit where water stands or the soil is packed hard. Fixing that is part of fixing the weed.
Why Choose Lawn Jox?
Free Service Calls
Our job is to make sure your lawn is beautiful all season long. If you think there is something wrong with your lawn, call us. The inspection is free.
Right Size Equipment
Lawn Jox started with push mowers and we still have them. We use the right sized equipment for the right job, optimizing our time and lowering your cost.
Professional, Uniformed Crews
Just like your lawn, we have standards with our appearance as well. All of our lawn care technicians are uniformed and professional.
Fully Licensed & Insured
As a fully licensed & insured lawn care company in the state of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, we make sure your assets are protected while on your property.
Electronic Quotes & Invoicing
We save on paper and make it easy to pay. With our electronic system, you’ll receive quotes and invoices on your devices so you can accept bids and pay invoices all online.
No Bad Surprises
Our mowing crews always visit your property on the same day of the week. For fertilization and weed control we’ll let you know when we are coming a day in advance.
What Fixes It
Fertilization & Weed Control
Nutsedge needs a sedge-specific herbicide and repeat timing to exhaust the nutlets. That is part of the spray program.
Core Aeration
Nutsedge favors compacted, poorly drained soil. Relieving that removes the conditions it prefers.
Turf Growth Control
A thicker, denser bermuda stand crowds sedge out and leaves it less bare ground to exploit.