Let’s face it, nobody likes pulling weeds. It’s a tedious chore that involves repeated bending, crouching, kneeling and yanking – often in the heat of summer. Much to the dismay of those tasked with this duty, pulling weeds is an effective option for removing undesirable plants from the turf landscape without using expensive herbicides. However, not all weeds are created equal.

Nutsedges (Cyperus spp.), sometimes referred to as nutgrass or watergrass, can create serious playability and aesthetic issues with their rapid and dense growth. In fact, patches of nutsedge can look like they haven’t been mowed in weeks while the adjacent turf is perfectly mowed. These weeds are particularly challenging to eradicate by pulling alone because they produce underground structures called rhizomes and nutlets that can exist 8 to 12 inches below the surface. Grabbing a hold of a nutsedge plant and pulling typically leaves these belowground structures behind. Although the area may appear weed free, the positive results are only temporary and new growth can occur in a matter of a few days.

There is nothing worse than spending hours pulling weeds to only have them come back with a vengeance. Since removing all the deeply buried nutlets is impractical, chemical control is an important tool in reducing nutsedge infestations on golf courses. It is imperative that herbicide treatments occur early in the season when weeds are just starting to emerge. Delaying treatment until plants are larger reduces the likelihood of success and allows more nutlets to develop.

Although we may call nutsedge by many names, one thing that we can all agree upon is that removing these weeds by hand is not the best course of action for alleviating this eyesore.