Nut grass is another one of those awful weeds, not just in Australia but also known as one of the worst possible weeds all around the world. Most usually it will not be a lawn problem, but rather a yard problem for the homeowner, as it infests gardens, pathways, bare patches, footpaths and roadsides.
A part of the Sedge family, Nut grass loves full sun and hates the shade, is extremely hardy, highly resilient to weed sprays, including Glyphosate, and is very very strong and tough as a hard and fibrous plant. Nut grass is capable of growing over a metre tall, and will spread itself via underground tubers and via a mass of seeds.
Known for its three long narrow leaves which sit upon the top of the elongated woody stalk, and crowned with seeds, Nut Grass is instantly recognisable to most of us.
Nut grass botanical name: Cyperus rotundus
Also known as: Coco Grass, Purple Nutsedge, Red Nutsedge
Mullumbimby Couch: Cyperus brevifolius
Control Of Nut Grass
Keeping in mind both seeds and underground tubers as a means of spreading, so too should we tackle this weed via these two fronts.
Firstly the seeds, let’s just grab some secateurs and cut the head off the beast and throw it straight into the bin, and that’s the seeds taken care of in a better way than if we tried to remove the weed and then having seeds disperse in that action.
The garden spade comes next as we dig around the root area of the weed to loosen it from the soil, we can then remove the plant, the roots and the tubers. We need to put all effort into removing the underground tubers as leaving any behind will result in the growth of more weeds again.
Repeated infestation of Nut Grass should be treated in exactly the same way to try to remove the seed heads, the plant, the roots and the tubers. And we should repeat this process for as long as necessary and until we no longer see any Nut Grass in our gardens.
Regular lawn mowing will do nothing to control this weed other than to hide it to some degree. The underground tubers will continue to remain and to spread.
Herbicides such as Glyphosate can be used on this weed and may require repeated applications, though the weed can have resistance to it. Better to just hand pull the weed carefully as described.
Mullumbimby Couch
Mullumbimby Couch is a similar type of weed which is often confused with Nut Grass, and which can become a real problem in home lawns. Treatment for this weed is often ineffective, and I’ve personally witnessed one homeowner have these weeds sprayed professionally for years with no result at all. The best course of action for that particular homeowner would have been to just spend 5 minutes digging it out with a spade and letting the lawn repair itself afterwards.
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