GreenSeasons
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Our Company
    • Community Support
    • Clients Served >
      • Campus
      • Commercial
      • Government
      • Industrial
      • Residential
      • Testimonials
    • Bios
  • SERVICES
    • Design / Build >
      • Landscape Design
      • Landscape Installation
      • Irrigation
      • Landscape Drainage Solutions
      • Outdoor Lighting
    • Landscape Maintenance
    • Mowing Service
    • Lawn Care
    • Christmas Lights
  • CONTACT
    • Baton Rouge Office
    • Greenwell Springs Office
    • Slidell Office
  • CAREERS
  • BLOG
  • PAYMENT
  • QUOTE

How to Get Rid of Nutsedge and Lespedeza Weeds in Your Grass

8/15/2018

2 Comments

 
You have a great looking lawn. The grass is cut regularly. It gets fertilized a few times a year. It gets watered during a drought. The weed control takes care of most of the weeds, but there are a few problems that persist. In both Baton Rouge and New Orleans, nutsedge and lespedeza can be a hard weed to get rid of from your yard. We'll go through a little bit about each weed here and some tips on weed control.
Picture of dog sunbathing in nutsedge weeds
My Dog Sun Bathing in Nutsedge
How to Identify Sedge Weeds
Sedge is a general name for a group of weeds that includes purple nutsedge, yellow nutsedge, and kyllinga. We tend to have a problem with purple nutsedge and kyllinga in south Louisiana. You can identify sedge weeds easily since they are a lighter green than the surrounding grass and they grow taller than grass in a much shorter time. Sedges have a triangular stem, meaning they have three points on the base growing from the ground. Sedges look like thin grass blades until they form a group of three leaves on top which then spouts a flower.

Sedges maintain a root system of rhizomes that average a full foot or more below the ground. The root systems can spread into a patch of sedge measuring between eight and twelve feet. These rhizomes extend to what appear to be new sedge plants growing close to one another, but are actually the same plant. The root system is also attached to starchy "nutlets" that provide plenty of food when the weed is cut. These plants are perennial, meaning you will see them during the summer every year until you get rid of the weed for good.

How to Get Rid of Sedge Weeds
First, you should manage the environmental conditions of your yard. Sedges like poorly drained soil that stays moist. If you have a problem with sedges, try filling in low spots or using aeration and top dressing with sand. Second, you may be mowing your grass too low. The lowest setting on your mower should not be used to cut grass except for maybe bermudagrass. Try raising your mower setting up to one of the higher settings. The grass should thicken up and look healthier, which will crowd out the weeds. Surprisingly, your grass will actually grow more slowly since it will not have to grow as aggressively each week to gather sunlight.

How to kill the sedge in your grass? Visit a local hardware store or nursery. Seek a "sedge killer" product that is labelled as safe to use on your grass variety. Most sedge control products require at least two applications spaced a few weeks apart. You will most likely need to do the same treatment again the following year to get full control of the weed. We use products like Certainty and Sedgehammer.
Picture of common lespedeza weeds in baton rouge lawn
Common Lespedeza Weed
How to Identify Lespedeza Weeds
Lespedeza grows into thick sections called mats. It branches out into leaves of three along the ground. Lespedeza is a summer annual. It grows leaflets out of veins which tend to grow at right angles from the main stem along the ground.  If confused by the description, just compare your weed to the one pictured above.

How to Get Rid of Lespedeza Weeds
Cultural control of lespedeza involves aerating compact soils and not cutting your grass too low. Lespedeza thrives in compact soils. It also grows lower to the ground than grass, so it suffers when the grass makes shade over it. If you have a persistent lespedeza problem, check your soil pH. This weed will out perform grass if the soil pH is off balance.

Control products can be found in your local hardware store for use when controlling lespedeza. Carefully read the product label for heat restrictions. Certain products, like three-way herbicides, work well at eliminating weeds, but can burn your grass if used in the middle of summer in Louisiana. These product's results will vary. Products containing Metsulfuron are very effective in getting rid of lespedeza in St. Augustine, Centipede, and Bermuda lawns. A professionally available product called Celsius WG also controls lespedeza with impressive results. Always read and follow the label when dealing with herbicides.


2 Comments
GUS LEGENDRE
9/23/2020 09:44:56 am

will bonus S get rid of Lespedeza weeds?

Reply
GreenSeasons link
9/23/2020 08:20:11 pm

According to the label, it does not.

Both Ortho Weed B Gon and Bayer Advanced Southern Lawn Concentrate Weed Killer do work on lespedeza weeds. It must be used below 90F, or you will burn your lawn. Also check to make sure your grass type is safe for use beforehand.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Charlie Casselberry

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Aeration
    Allergies
    Ants
    Azalea
    Bed Bugs
    Butterflies
    Compost
    Diseases
    Diy
    Drainage
    Fall
    Fertilization
    Flowers
    Fountain
    Fruit
    Fundraising
    Fungus Control
    Gardener
    Gardening
    Gutter Cleaning
    Holiday Lighting
    Home Care
    Homegrown Food
    Horticulture
    Hurricane
    Indian Hawthrones
    Indoor Plants
    Industrial
    Irrigation
    Landscape Architecture
    Landscape Bed Cleanup
    Landscape Design
    Landscape Lighting
    Landscape Maintenance
    Landscaping
    Lawn Care
    Louisiana Super Plant
    Mechanic
    Mosquito Control
    Mowing
    Mowing Equipment
    Outdoor Events
    Overseeding
    Palms
    Pest Control
    Pets
    Plant Health
    Planting
    Podcast
    Pools
    Pressure Washing
    Pruning
    Roaches
    Rocks
    Rodent Control
    Roses
    Rye Grass
    Safety
    Shrub
    Sod
    Sports
    Spring
    Sprinkler
    Summer
    Termites
    Top Dressing
    Travel
    Tree Work
    Tree Work
    Tropicals
    Vegetables
    Weather Proofing
    Weeds
    Winter
    Winterize

    Archives

    March 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    June 2016
    April 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    RSS Feed

Picture

Contact

225-752-2333
wecare@greenseasons.us

Services

Landscaping
Irrigation
​Mowing

About

About Us
Markets
Brands
​Site Map

Locations

GreenSeasons
Baton Rouge Office
11628 S Choctaw Drive, Suite 227
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70815
Review Us!
Greenwell Springs Office
14461 Frenchtown Road
Greenwell Springs, LA  70739
Slidell Office
56010 Highway 433
Slidell, Louisiana 70461
Review Us!
© 2020 GreenSeasons
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • Our Company
    • Community Support
    • Clients Served >
      • Campus
      • Commercial
      • Government
      • Industrial
      • Residential
      • Testimonials
    • Bios
  • SERVICES
    • Design / Build >
      • Landscape Design
      • Landscape Installation
      • Irrigation
      • Landscape Drainage Solutions
      • Outdoor Lighting
    • Landscape Maintenance
    • Mowing Service
    • Lawn Care
    • Christmas Lights
  • CONTACT
    • Baton Rouge Office
    • Greenwell Springs Office
    • Slidell Office
  • CAREERS
  • BLOG
  • PAYMENT
  • QUOTE