Yellow Nutsedge Control: How To Get Rid of Yellow Nutsedge

Yellow Nutsedge is a perennial weed that commonly grows on lawns and is known to spread quickly in little time once established in a yard. Yellow nutsedge is well-known for its ability to colonize poorly drained or constantly wet areas, it will also flourish in hot, dry areas as well.

The Yellow Nutsedge will come into the yard from seed and once it's established, it produces little nuts under the ground. These nuts are attached to the end of underground stems (rhizomes), which aid in its rapid spread.

Yellow Nutsedge thrives during the hottest period of summer. In Northern areas, Yellow Nutsedge typically emerges in late April or May and continues growing until the first frost of the fall. The frost typically kills the plant above ground but the underground tubers are capable of surviving in the soil where they will remain dormant and then re-emerge in the spring, making Yellow Nutsedge a reoccurring problem.

If you have a Yellow Nutsedge problem on your lawn, we can help. Our DIY Yellow Nutsedge treatment guide put together by our lawn care experts and will how to use our professional herbicide recommendations to get rid of yellow nutsedge quickly and affordably.

Identification

Before you can carry out Yellow Nutsedge control, you need to make sure the weed you are dealing with is in fact, Yellow Nutsedge and not some other weed. Knowing what Yellow Nutsedge looks like is critical because misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment products, costing you time and money.

• Yellow Nutsedge is most often confused with plants like Purple Nutsedge, Green Kyllinga, and White Kyllinga.
• Yellow nutsedge can be most easily distinguished from the others by its shiny yellowish-green leaves, triangular stem, and three-leaved appearance of grass blades that will grow out in three different directions.
• A single Yellow Nutsedge plant can create hundreds of underground nuts in the summertime that make it hard to hand-pull effectively.
• When left unmown, Yellow Nutsedge produces a bristly, brownish seedhead.

Use our description and image above to help you to identify witchgrass on your lawn. If you are having trouble identifying the weed, contact us and we will properly ID the plant for you as well and offer herbicide product recommendations for control.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed that the weed you are dealing with is Yellow Nutsedge, you can then move on to inspection. During this phase, you will locate the areas where Yellow Nutsedge is growing as well as observe the conditions that may be allowing Yellow Nutsedge to thrive. This will help you to determine what cultural changes to make and where to focus your herbicide applications.

Where to Inspect

Yellow nutsedge is a very troublesome invasive weed and can grow in a variety of different soils and climates but is most prevalent in the summertime. The weed prefers areas with high moisture and they also love sunny areas. You don't see this weed growing much in shady areas.

What To Look For

You should be looking for Yellow Nutsedge plants and where they are established. Remember that it's main characteristic is it's yellowish hue and the sprawled out blades that grow out in different directions. When mature, it flowers a bristly seedhead that browns over time. Observe how severe of a Yellow Nutsedge problem you have. This will also help you to determine how much chemical product you need to control the problem and where to zone in when it comes to treatment.

Treatment

Please be sure that when handling any type of herbicide, you are properly protecting your skin and eyes with personal protective equipment (goggles, gloves and long-sleeved clothing)

Chemical control of Yellow Nutsedge may be the best way to deal with this stubborn weed due to its noxious and persistent nature. We recommend using Sedgehammer Nutsedge Killer which is specially made to control various nutsedge, including Yellow Nutsedge. Sedgehammer is a selective herbicide so it will not harm your lawn grass or desirable vegetation when applied according to label directions.

Step 1: Measure and Mix Sedgehammer

Determine how much Sedgehammer you need by first calculating the square footage of the area you wish to treat. To do this, you will need to measure (in feet) the area length and width and then multiply the two values (length x width = square footage).

To spot treat for yellow nutsedge, mix 0.9 of Sedgehammer with 1 or 2 gallons of water per 1,000 sq. ft. 

Mix Sedgehammer (preferably with a surfactant like Nanotek Surfactant) into a hand-pump sprayer. Add the correct amount of product per gallon of water to the mixture and agitate the sprayer to ensure the solution is mixed well.

Step 2 - Apply Sedgehammer to the Yellow Nutsedge

Spray the Sedgehammer to the areas where the Yellow Nutsedge is established. Use a fan nozzle setting on your sprayer while applying to get a nice even spread of chemical on the weed.

Timing is key when targeting Yellow Nutsedge; Sedgehammer is most effective on small plants. It's recommended to conduct control treatments as soon as the weeds reach the three- to eight-leaf stage, right before blooming. This is usually between the months of May of September. Repeated applications may be necessary so apply every 6 to 10 weeks during the growing season.

Prevention

You can prevent the return of Yellow nutsedge after it has been controlled with cultural practices that will hinder the redevelopment of this invasive grassy weed. The best preventative measure against Yellow nutsedge is to maintain healthy, thick turf:

• Mow your turfgrass at the right height and address drainage issues. 2.5 to 4 inches mowing height promotes better root growth and makes it tougher for Yellow Nutsedge to establish.
• Don't water so frequently and fertilize at the appropriate time and rate. The general rate is 1 to 1.5 inches of water once a week.
• You can also look into pre-emergents like Barricade if you're worried it will be a problem that will come back.

Key Takeaways

What is Yellow Nutsedge?

• Yellow Nutsedge is a problematic sedge weed that thrives in areas where the soil is moist and the grass is thin.

How to Get Rid of Yellow Nutsedge

• Our top recommendation to control yellow nutsedge is a post-emergent treatment of Sedgehammer Nutsedge Killer.

Preventing Yellow Nutsedge Reinfestation

• Prevent Yellow Nutsedge by growing a healthy, nutrient-rich stand of turfgrass that can compete with invading weeds. This can be done by carrying out proper maintenance practices, like fertilization, proper watering and frequent mowing at the correct height, between 2.5 to 4 inches.