What is this and how do I kill it?

[NWICY]

2,4-D in ester or amine won't do anything. That's for broadleaf weeds which nutgrass is not.

What is your favorite recommendation for creeping charlie? I have some rhubarb next to it that I would like to keep so I was a little skeptical of hitting it hard with Milestone.

 

[khardbored]

So far in this thread, I've learned that I should spray it and not spray it, and that I should pull it and not pull it . . .

I really would like to know which is best . . .

Horticulturist fight!!!!

 

[Dr.bannedman]

dicamba should take care of it. keeps in place too

 

[Rural]

dicamba should take care of it. keeps in place too

For which weed?

I have plenty of charlie and that other stuff as well.

 

[snowcraig2.0]

Something something nuts.

 

[CycloneErik]

Nice part is that it is easy to pull. I spent about an hour pulling up the worst of it around my patio, but a week later, I'm seeing scattered patches throughout the yard. The good news is that the patio area has stayed clear.

Fire doesn't take an hour.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

So far in this thread, I've learned that I should spray it and not spray it, and that I should pull it and not pull it . . .

I really would like to know which is best . . .

Horticulturist fight!!!!

Nah - for this you need a turfgrass management specialist!

 

[GoldCard]

This is definitely a wet ground loving weed as others have alluded to. I never remember seeing this in my parent's yard in central Iowa, and my first house in Kansas City never really had this problem either. Neither of those places had an irrigation system.

I have fought it in my current house since we moved in and we do have irrigation here. I have tried pulling it but got the advice given by @nocsious3 about the nutlets and never really had much success with that anyway.

The advice that I would add is to look at your irrigation schedule if you are watering your lawn. We used to water every other day to every day based on our perceived "need". Then we got a new control panel (ours happens to be a Rachio) which calculates the need based on a calculation of the soil moisture accounting for rainfall, temperature, wind, etc. It has made a huge difference in the battle against Nut Sedge.

Allowing the soil to dry some seems to discourage the growth and allows spot treatment with chemical to catch up a bit. I have had reasonably good luck with Weed Stop by Spectracide.

If you just have a "normal" panel, consider reducing the frequency and increasing the duration of your watering.

 

[nocsious3]

What is your favorite recommendation for creeping charlie? I have some rhubarb next to it that I would like to keep so I was a little skeptical of hitting it hard with Milestone.

Triclopyr with a surfactant. Hit is once and then again 2 weeks later. Ortho CCO or sometimes you find something labeled as a poison ivy and stump killer. Bonide makes one you can find at Ace. Same active ingredient. Won't harm lawns when mixed at turf rate but does a good job on clover and wood sorrel too. I would bet the triclopyr would likely harm the rhubarb though.

 

[nocsious3]

for nutgrass.
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ay/ay-19-w.pdf

creeping charlie.
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/resources/ground-ivy-control-for-home-lawns

 

[dafarmer]

Dicamba will volatilize and in three weeks your neighbors will wonder why their vegetables and flowers are dying. Lo-Vol 24D for Creeping Charlie.

 

[SpokaneCY]

Something something nuts.

YELLOW nuts. Huge difference.

 

[Cycsk]

I worked in lawn and tree care for a summer back in college. Nutsedge is pretty resistant to many types of herbicides. We use to use this stuff call sedgehammer iirc that worked pretty well.

Do not pull it! Pulling it just makes it worse because when you pull it the weed releases it’s seeds/roots so it spreads more.

Agreed. We have some of it. Pulling it never seems to solve the problem. After a few weeks, you can hardly tell that we pulled everyone one of them! We thought we needed to be more careful to get the roots (pretty shallow and easy to get). But the nut/seeds makes a lot of sense. A neighbor suspected it was nutgrass, but we didn't see any nuts. They must just be small and release when we pull the stem and roots.

Argh. Like the others said, it grows tall and green when nothing else is growing!

 

[khardbored]

Well, I put on a fair bit of the roundup for lawns today. Wish me luck.

 

[nocsious3]

Well, I put on a fair bit of the roundup for lawns today. Wish me luck.

I think that does have some sulfentrazone mixed in so you should see some impact.

 

[clone34]

roundup only burns the top it will not kill nutsedge. After the fourth of July it is not possible to kill sedge even with sedgehammer. You might burn it off but will return next year. Do not pull it. Sedgehammer and stay with it. It loves wet spots.

 

[Turn2]

Controlling yellow nutsedge can be difficult. Pulling them is effective if you are persistent and don't get discouraged. You will kill plants you pull, and they will not regrow. But if you pull a plant that is 1 year old or more, the small tubers that have already formed in the soil will break off and remain in the soil. And each one will sprout into a new plant, making it look like the problem is getting worse rather than better. Where you initially had one plant, you may now have four.

But don't give up. These new plants can be controlled if you pull them within a week or two after emergence before they form new tubers on their roots. However, if new plants are allowed to mature and develop tubers before being pulled, then hand pulling will not provide adequate control.

If yellow nutsedge is growing in your lawn, anything you do to encourage a thick healthy turf will reduce the problem. Mow your lawn between 3 to 3.5 inches tall throughout the year, mow as often as needed to remove no more than 1/3 leaf height each time, focus on fall fertilization, and provide deep, infrequent irrigation as needed during dry periods. Aerify your lawn in spring and/or fall to reduce soil compaction. All these practices will improve turf health and thus reduce yellow nutsedge.

In areas with heavy yellow nutsedge infestation, chemical control may provide the only viable option. Common grass and broadleaf herbicides will not control yellow nutsedge. Specialized herbicides for controlling sedges must be used.

The most effective herbicide currently available for yellow nutsedge control is Sedgehammer. Several applications are needed to provide control. Read and follow the label directions for successful control of yellow nutsedge.

https://journalstar.com/lifestyles/...cle_a643790f-0a29-5b17-895a-a6a2f2097a55.html

I still say pull it at this time of year. It’s more effective than spewing poison without a surfactant, the problem disappears for a week and you still weaken the rootstock. By fall the turf should outgrow the nutsedge again.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I've pulled nutsedge in the past, and it worked okay. You had to keep at it though, as it'd come back. That makes sense with what the others were saying.

I had better luck with an Ortho Sedgekiller or something. Can't find it now, so maybe I have the brand wrong. Gonna try some of the other suggestions here.

 

[cycloner29]

Dig them out and remove the soil. Spread the soil on a neighbors yard at night, toss the weeds in the compost heep. Fill area that you removed the soil from with concrete. Problem solved!!

 

[CtownCyclone]

Dig them out and remove the soil. Spread the soil on a neighbors yard at night, toss the weeds in the compost heep. Fill area that you removed the soil from with concrete. Problem solved!!

Bonus: this reduces the amount of mowing you have to do as well.