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Purple Nutsedge versus Zoysia

ZoysiaSod
12 years ago

If purple nutsedge establishes itself in small spots of bare earth where there was no grass (for example, where a veggie garden used to be), how does this nutsedge fare against surrounding zoysia grass when the two meet? Which will win out over time?

In other words, will the purple nutsedge invade the surrounding zoysia and defeat the zoysia, or will the Meyer Zoysia grow into, strangle, and eventually eliminate the purple nutsedge?

That purple nutsedge is one tough weed, I fear. I've been pulling out its blades, but of course, folks here know it has underground tubers that remain in the ground unless dug up, and I haven't dug the tubers out because I don't want to harm the surrounding zoysia, so I'm just removing the blades and occasionally small parts of the sedge's rhizomes. But they say, this perennial weed's blades will just re-grow, so you'll have to pull out the blades 3 to 5 times before the tubers finally succumb and die. That's also what I've been doing with the dandelions in my side yard--repulling the blades everytime I see renewed blade growth.

But my question concerns unmolested Purple Nutsedge whose blades are left in tact, and not messed with. Over time, will healthy Purple Nutsedge win out over healthy ZoysiaGrass, or will the Zoysia win?

Comments (4)

  • fruitjarfla
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My experience: in the spring I plugged my back yard that was littered with nutsedge after using a kill-all herbicide. After 5 - 6 months I do not find any nutsedge growing among the Zoysia.

  • weed_cutter
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    They will most likely co-exist, both are very tough plants. Use Sedge Hammer with a surfactant per label directions. Count on several applications.

  • ZoysiaSod
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Weed_cutter wrote:
    > They will most likely co-exist, both are very tough
    > plants. Use Sedge Hammer with a surfactant per label
    > directions. Count on several applications.
    ===

    I would have used Sedge Hammer on those awful sedges, but I'm staying organic. I tried some Weed-be-Gone for the first time earlier this year (just in the front yard very far away from the backyard's vegetable garden).

    My zoysia in the front yard took a hit from the chemicals in the Weed-be-Gone. Dicamba, 2-4-D, and/or Mecoprop must travel far from where they are originally applied, because the color of the grass even 10 to 20 feet away from the application spots turned to light green/lime and was even browning a bit in areas for a few weeks. The grass's vigor was also affected for weeks, even far from where I applied the Weed-be-Gone.

    Temperatures were like 90 degrees for days after I applied the Weed-be-gone, so that may have been part of the problem, but I ain't never using that stuff on my zoysia again. That 2-4-D is mostly suited for cool-season grasses anyway. I think the label on the jug needs to warn more about zoysia but it doesn't. It just says go ahead and use it on zoysia. Thanks Scotts.

    Although the label does warn not to use it on grass if it's 90 degree outside, it's an ambiguous, unclear warning, because on the day you apply the chemical, the temp might only be 80 or 85, so you apply it, but if it's going to be 90 degrees the following day(s), your zoysia might very well be in for trouble, I think. That's what happened to me. None of that's explained on the label--or not explained clearly.

    I mean does it have to be less than 90 degrees just on the day you apply it, or does it have to be less than 90 degrees for a whole week after you apply it? The label doesn't seem clear to me. I wonder if the label is purposefully ambiguous. I wonder if it intentionally doesn't go into detail? (I don't like marketing departments that work that way.) Was it purposeful? I don't know.

    I'm staying organic for now on: pulling, digging, using hot water to kill weeds, using white distilled vinegar to kill weeds, solarizing, etc., BUT NO WAY am I using Weed-be-Gone or its competitors again. I wonder what the Scotts company thinks of the "Organic Lawn Care Manual"--I guess it would probably hurt their bottom line if we all read that book and went organic.

    By the way, have you noticed how Scotts got 2 of the other great lawn care authors David Mellor and Nick Christians to contribute to the Scotts-produced book called "Lawns"? The Scotts book is a good book but I don't like that the Scotts company drew Mellor and Christians into their orbit.
    Nick Christians, of course, is famous for discovering that Corn Gluten Meal is a great *Organic* pre-emergent herbicide.

    I'm not saying to boycott Scotts or anything like that. I even bought some Scotts grass seed this year. I just don't like non-Organic weed killers because of my bad experience this year.

    Anyway, many chemicals in non-Organic weed killers seem to hurt and kill the soil's natural bacteria and microorganisms, from what I've read.
    I'm not taking those chances. I want healthy, natural soil and healthy, natural grass.

    I think I read that some places up north in Canada have banned 2-4-D on home lawns. And chemicals on the lawn can be tracked inside onto carpets, and God knows how long that stuff will remain inside your house. Outside the weather and stuff in the soil can break it down over time, but inside it might not break down for a long time--maybe for years.

    I've gone organic, and I'm gonna stick to organic :-)

  • ZoysiaSod
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmm, I gave the label on the jug of Weed-B-Gon a bit too much credit. There's not much of a warning at all about 90-plus degree weather. Here's what it says about applying the product:

    "For best results - spray when daytime temperatures are above 45* F and below 90* F."

    [Nice.]

    It also says:

    "Aim at center of weed and spray to lightly cover."

    "Spray when weeds are actively growing."

    "Rain or watering 2 hours after application will not wash away effectiveness."

    I seem to recall that Spectracide provided a better warning about hot temperatures, and that may have been where I learned about the dangers of 90-plus temps--not from the Weed-B-Gon label.

    IIRC, the concentration of killer chemicals in the Spectracide spot-treatment jug is roughly double that of Weed-B-Gon's concentration.

    I would say don't use this unnatural, synthetic 2,4-D junk on your lawn. I was really worried about my zoysia for about 4 to 6 weeks. Go natural. Be friendly to your lawn and your soil, and all the little microorganisms they depend on :-)

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