I presume you are actually talking about yellow or purple nut sedge. My
wife and I learned the hard way that "pulling" is the wrong thing to do.
.. it makes it spread. Below I quote from the Wiki entry for purple
nut sedge (Cyperus rotundas)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus> although yellow nutsedge
(Cyperus esculentus) is essentially the same and serves as my own
personal scourge. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_esculentus>
Mine came in with the hay bales that were used to cover newly planted
grass areas. Farmer's fields are full of nutsedge. Don't use their hay
bales or you will have it too. After using this for the past 2 years
it's almost gone. Each year's (double) application is perhaps 80-90%
effective. Maybe next year will see the end. I believe that the
product called "Sedgehammer" is somewhat more effective (95%?) but very
expensive
<http://cgi.ebay.com/BASAGRAN-Selective-Herbicide-Sedge-Control-8oz-/120603640764?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c148983bc>
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Cyperus rotundus is one of the most invasive weeds known, having spread
out to a worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate regions. It
has been called "the world's worst weed" as it is known as a weed in
over 90 countries, and infests over 50 crops worldwide. In the United
States it occurs from Florida north to New York and Minnesota and west
to California and most of the states in between.
Its existence in a field significantly reduces crop yield, both because
it is a tough competitor for ground resources, and because it is
allelopathic, the roots releasing substances harmful to other plants.
Similarly, it also has a bad effect on ornamental gardening. The
difficulty to control it is a result of its intensive system of
underground tubers, and its resistance to most herbicides. It is also
one of the few weeds that cannot be stopped with plastic mulch.
Weed pulling in gardens usually results in breakage of roots, leaving
tubers in the ground from which new plants emerge quickly. Ploughing
distributes the tubers in the field, worsening the infestation; even if
the plough cuts up the tubers to pieces, new plants can still grow from
them.
Most herbicides may kill the plant's leaves, but most have no effect on
the root system and the tubers. In addition, the tubers can survive
harsh conditions, further contributing to the difficulty to eradicate
the plant. Halosulfuron, brand name "Manage," (now renamed "SedgeHammer"
in the USA or "Sempra" in Australia), will control nut grass after
repeated applications.
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ps: Thanks to some on this list who helped me identify the pest as
yellow nut sedge. I didn't know what it was 3 years ago.
Chuck Norcutt
NSURIT@xxxxxxx wrote:
I was distracted by helping my wife pull some nut grass out of the
flower beds.
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