sedgeperennialDifficulty

Yellow nutsedge

Cyperus esculentus

Not a grass. Lighter green, grows faster than the lawn, triangular stem, and it stores food in underground tubers (nutlets) that survive almost anything.

How to tell

•Lime green, shinier than lawn grass
•Sticks up above the lawn two days after mowing
•Triangular stem (roll it in your fingers)
•Leaves in sets of three
•Shows up in wet, low areas in June

Why it is in your lawn

Poor drainage and overwatering. It is a wetland plant.

Best window

June, when the plants are small and before tubers form.

1 · Fix the cause

Fix the water: shorten irrigation, fill low spots, improve drainage
Pull young plants repeatedly in June before they make tubers; every pull weakens it
Never rototill it, that spreads the tubers

2 · Eco product

No eco product works on nutsedge. Hand-pulling every week in June and July for two seasons, plus drying out the area, is the only non-chemical route.

No eco product works on this one. Honest.

What you are signing up for

This is the one weed where we will tell you plainly: eco-only means patience and a weekly pull. Fix the water or nothing works.

Reference only · what the truck would spray

Active ingredient

Sulfentrazone or halosulfuron

Typical product

Sedgehammer, Ortho Nutsedge Killer

Why we do not recommend it

These are the only things that touch nutsedge and even they need repeats. If you choose to use one, use it as a spot spray and fix the drainage or it comes back anyway.

We never link to or price-track conventional herbicides. This panel exists so you understand what a service is selling you.