Nutsedge
This grassy looking weed is actually a sedge (hence the name) and is unfortunately very difficult to control in the home lawn as traditional lawn chemicals are not effective against it. Yellow nutsedge is pale green to yellow in color with triangular stems and leaves that shoot off in three directions. This weed grows rapidly in the spring and early summer, and because of this rapid growth will stick up above newly mowed grass just a couple days after it has been mowed. Another factor that makes nutsedge difficult to control is that it produces numerous tubers that give rise to new weeds if disturbed. This means that unlike many other weeds, we cannot simply pull nutsedge once to control it as this activates the dormant tubers to grow new plants. You can possibly control nutsedge by pulling it but this could take several seasons of persistence to actually see results.
There are chemical measures you can take to control nutsedge. The best time to spray this weed is to wait till it has reached three to eight leaves before spraying. This timing results in improved translocation down to the tubers and rhizomes resulting in better control. There are only a few products on the market that work for sedges including Sedgehammer, Hi-Yield nutsedge and horsetail control or products containing the active ingredient sulfentrazone. If you are planning on spraying sedges the first application should be done by June 21st otherwise dormant daughter tubers may be stimulated to grow.
