As a gardener, I know how it feels to have nutsedge in the lawn, garden, and raised beds. I am on several gardening communities (both online and offline), and in recent days, I found this question asked frequently by other gardeners: "How to get rid of nutsedge?"
I love to read others' opinions, but I do not suggest any tips until I test them myself. In this article, I will share what I did to get rid of nutsedge grass and will also tell you how effective they are.
Note: If you have been searching this topic online for a while, you must have heard about SedgeHammer and some other herbicides. I got mixed opinions on those. I tested some of those myself in my garden. I will tell you how to use those, if you should use those, and when not to use them.
Pulling method
Yes, pulling or digging might work. But this works only when the nutsedge has just started growing.
If you have never seen nutsedge in your lawn or raised beds, and small nutsedge grasses are popping up all of a sudden, you can consider pulling them.
This is known as the early stage of invasion. Kill them as early as possible.
The hand-pulling method is only gonna work if nutsedges are super young.
Note: If you try hand-pulling for mature nutsedge, it will make the problem worse.
I tried this, and the roots snapped easily. The nutsedge grass can sense that something bad is happening and triggers a survival mechanism.
There are multiple dormant underground nutlets. If you pull one, nutsedge will produce three to four new shoots. Just like we make plants bushier by pruning (this is just an example).
Tip from my end:
It's better to dig instead of pulling. Pulling might break the grass from the stems.
Dig with weeding tools. Your goal is to lift the entire root ball.
I have created a guide for torpedo grass as well. You can check it from here: How to get rid of torpedo grass
Herbicides for Nutsedge
Note: Avoid using herbicides near edible crops.
Here I am talking about killing only nutsedge, not other plants.
I know there are a lot of herbicides or weed killers that can kill a lot of weeds at the same time.
Some of those kill various types of grass.
If you want to target only nutsedge grass, use an herbicide that is made for nutsedge only.
Note: There are two different types of nutsedges that I found. Purple one and yellow. Purple NutSedge is harder to kill. You may need to go for 1 extra herbicide application for Purple NutSedge.
SedgeHammer
You can try SedgeHammer.
I prefer this one as it does not affect my other plants.
Just look at the picture below:
This is the condition of my nutsedge two weeks after a second SedgeHammer application.
Sledgehammer is a slow kill, but it gets the entire plant. I will sometimes spray it again just for my satisfaction.
You can trim NutSedge or cut after the first application. This is how I reduce the killing time. Otherwise, keep up the spraying until they are brown and shriveled.
A common question that a lot of gardeners ask:
Does the SedgeHammer kill plants other than nutsedge?
It's not supposed to. I tried not to get it on anything else but I'm sure some of my frog fruit plants got some overspray, and it didn't seem to affect them.
It's an herbicide, a little pricey, but again, it's a guaranteed kill and won't damage surrounding plants or grasses.
You can see in the picture that the nearby plant is not affected by this herbicide.
It's safe for Bermuda too... It won't kill your Bermuda grass.
For instructions on how to apply, read the instructions guide mentioned on the package.
Do not water after applying SedgeHammer. You can trim after 24 hours (not necessary). Just let the NutSedge absorb the herbicide through the roots.
Ortho NutSedge Killer
Here I am talking about Ortho Nutsedge Killer, not Ortho Spectrum weed killers. The only plant I've had collateral damage with was morning glories. Using the hand spray bottle allows you to spot treat just the nutsedge.
Not saying it won't impact the other plants, but it's specifically for nutsedge itself.
So I will keep this in the second position after SedgeHammer.
Get rid of nutsedge without using herbicides/chemical products
I do not like to use herbicides where I grow my edible plants, like veggies and all.
If you are like me and don't wanna apply those type of chemical products to your raised beds, I have something for you:
I had problems with it in my raised beds, too. You’re right, you can’t put the products that kill it anywhere where you plant food for years.
I have managed it by getting rid of as much as I can, then covering with landscape cloth, and then I cut holes for my plants.
I heavily mulch my beds so the sedge doesn’t get light. Sedge will pop out on the edges. I just keep trimming it.
I’m on year 3, and it’s working pretty well. Oh, and I put my soaker hoses under the cloth so the plants get watered well.
If you liked what you read, you can support me by subscribing to this site. It won't cost much. This is something that makes me smile. (I will appreciate a free subscription as well)
