Purple Nutsedge Control: How To Get Rid of Purple Nutsedge

This page is a general DIY article on eliminating purple nutsedge from your lawn by using the products and methods suggested throughout this guide. Follow this DIY guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of purple nutsedge from your property.

Purple nutsedge, also popularly known as nutgrass in some regions, is a common weed in both turf and ornamental areas. It has been notorious for crowding out desirable plants on lawns throughout the U.S.

A purple nutsedge problem on turf starts innocently enough, with usually a single tuber emerging in the middle of a yard or field. Within a year, it will become a clump that can potentially span 40 feet wide. By the third year, nutsedge will be all over the field or turf. Thats just how fast purple nutsedge can take over land if left unmanaged.

If you are dealing with purple nutsedge on your landscape, we can help. Our DIY treatment guide was put together by our lawn care experts to make it easy for you to remove purple nutsedge from your lawn quickly and at a low cost.

Identification

Before you can proceed with a treatment program, you will need to be sure that the weed you are facing is indeed purple nutsedge. Misidentification can lead you to using the wrong treatment products and be a waste of your time and money. Below are some characteristics about purple nutsedge to aid in identification:

• Purple Nutsedge are most often confused with plants like yellow nutsedge, green kyllinga and white kyllinga. Purple Nutsedge has long, slender grass blades with reddish-brown flowers at the end and a purplish seedhead.
• Purple Nutsedge can grow quite tall, up to 2 1/2 feet in height.
• Purple Nutsedge leaves are connected to a network of underground stems, roots and tubers.

Use our description and image above to help you to identify purple nutsedge on your lawn. If you are not sure about the weed you are encountering contact us and we will properly identify the plant for you as well as give you the best product recommendations for your weed problem.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed the infestation is purple nutsedge, you can then move on to inspection. During this phase, you will locate the areas where purple nutsedge are infesting and observe the conditions that are allowing it to thrive. This information will help you determine where to apply herbicide applications.

Where to Inspect

Purple nutsedge can grow in a variety of different soils and climates but is most prevalent in the summertime. This plant commonly infests cultivated fields, waste areas, roadsides, pastures and other places in nature.

In residential areas, you'll find purple nutsedge growing in flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Because of how tall and how quickly it grows, you can see purple nutsedge stand out among slower-growing grasses. Purple nutsedge loves moisture as well as sunny areas. They do not thrive in shade.

What To Look For

Purple Nutsedge has long blades of grass that have reddish-brown flowers at the end and a purplish seedhead. If the plant is mature, you can't miss it as Purple Nutsedge grows tall, up to 2 1/2 feet in height.

Treatment

Before handling any chemicals, please make sure to equip yourself with personal protective equipment for your personal safety (glasses, gloves and particle mask).

Chemical control may be the best way to deal with this stubborn weed due to its noxious and persistent nature. The top herbicide we recommend is Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator.

Step 1: Mix and Apply Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator

Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator is a selective herbicide concentrate that can help treat a variety of stubborn weeds, including purple nutsedge. Mix this product into a hand-pump sprayer, making sure to follow label directions when it comes to application rates. You will need to first measure the square footage of the treatment to determine how much Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator you need.

A typical spot treatment of Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator requires mixing 0.5 grams of the product in 1 gallon of water to treat 1000 sq. ft of turfgrass. For best results, apply when purple nutsedge after it has reached the 3-8 leaf stage of growth.

You may apply a second retreatment once 6 to 10 weeks have passed after the first application.

Prevention

After you have successfully removed purple nutsedge from your property, you will need to make sure this weed does not return. Here are some preventative measures to keep purple nutsedge off your homes yard.

• The best preventative measure against purple nutsedge is to maintain a healthy, thick turf. To do this, we recommend mowing your turfgrass at the right height and address any standing water or drainage issues.
• Adjust watering to once a week with an inch of irrigation to avoid over-watering and encourage turf growth.

Key Takeaways

What is Purple Nutsedge

• Purple Nutsedge is a common weed encountered by backyard gardeners and can grow very quickly overtake a lawn without intervention.

How to Get Rid of Purple Nutsedge

• Use Martin's Nutgrass Eliminator to treat outbreaks of purple nutsedge. Repeated applications may be needed to get complete control.

Preventing Purple Nutsedge Reinfestation

• Preventative measures to keep Purple Nutsedge away include a regular lawn maintenance routine which will promote a healthy, dense lawn. Addressing moisture problems will also help.