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Nutsedge: why it comes back and how we treat it

Nutsedge is a grass-like weed with stiff leaves and triangular stems that thrives in the moist spots of a lawn. It is a sedge, not a grass, and it regrows from underground tubers, so pulling it and most grass products leave the problem in the ground.

How can I tell nutsedge from grass?

Roll the stem between your fingers. Nutsedge stems are triangular, so you can feel the edges, while grass stems are round and hollow. Its leaves are thicker and stiffer than grass and come out in groups of three from the base.

Yellow nutsedge has a yellow or tan seedhead and long, tapered leaf tips, and it comes up early in the season. Purple nutsedge has a purple seedhead, leaves that end in a blunt point, and tubers linked in chains. Clemson notes purple nutsedge can be even more vigorous where it grows, and some products work poorly on it.

Why does nutsedge keep coming back?

Nutsedge spreads from tubers, sometimes called nutlets, on underground stems. New tubers start forming four to six weeks after a shoot comes up, a mature tuber can resprout as many as 10 to 12 times, and Clemson says the nutlets can stay dormant in the soil for up to ten years. It also points to water: Clemson says nutsedge often means poor drainage, overwatering or a leaky sprinkler.

Where does do-it-yourself treatment go wrong?

• Pulling it. The tubers stay in the soil when the shoot breaks off, and each one can come back.
• Using a crabgrass product. Nutsedge is not a grass. Pre-emergents and grass herbicides aimed at crabgrass don't address it.
• Treating late. Clemson times treatment for when the plant is young, around the three-leaf stage, with a follow-up before new nutlets form in June. Once tubers have formed, you are chasing next year's plants.
• Mowing right before or after spraying. Clemson advises against mowing before a post-emergent application or for two days after.

When should nutsedge be treated in the Midlands?

Treat it early in the season, while it is actively growing in warm weather with moist soil, and make a second application before June. Clemson cautions against applying in hot, dry weather above 90 degrees because of the risk to the lawn.

How does Spring Green treat nutsedge?

Pre-emergent doesn't stop nutsedge, so the work happens after it comes up: every visit on our lawn care program includes post-emergent weed control. The 14-Day Reset guarantee applies: if weeds aren't under control by day 45, we treat free every three weeks until they are.

Last updated 2026-09-25. Spring Green is owned by Stockton Wells.