The Best Nutsedge Weed Killers

Need help to get rid of nutsedge in your lawn? You're in the right place. We'll help you identify the type of nutsedge you have and share the best weed killers to remove it. While there are many herbicides to kill nutsedge, we’ve narrowed the list down to the best two options.

What Is Nutsedge?

Nutsedge is an aggressive perennial weed that invades lawns across America. It thrives in warm temperatures, which means that it’s incredibly common in Southern states like the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Late spring through early fall is when you're most likely to see this weed. Nutsedge forms large root networks and grows in colonies, which can make it incredibly hard to get rid of.

What Are The Different Types Of Nutsedge?

While there are several types of nutsedge, the most common are yellow nutsedge and purple nutsedge. There is also its cousin called green kyllinga, which may look like nutsedge but is easier to remove as it doesn’t have the same dense underground root network. You may also hear people refer to kyllinga as green nutsedge. Both nutsedge and kyllinga are from the sedge family, grass-like plants that can be classed as weeds when they infiltrate home and golf turf. turf.

Purple Nutsedge

Purple nutsedge grows in the second half of the year, in late summer or fall. The flowers are purple and can be incredibly resistant to most weed killers. It has been nicknamed the world’s worst weed. The flowers are spiky, and the whole weed usually stands well above the turf.

Yellow Nutsedge

Yellow nutsedge looks exactly like purple nutsedge except for the yellow flowers. It is cultivated in different parts of the world as the tubers can be eaten. Yellow nutsedge tends to thrive in early-to-mid summer.

Related reading: Killing Kyllinga: How to Get Rid of This Pesky
Sedge Weed in Your Lawn

What Are the Best Weed Killers to Get Rid of Nutsedge?

Nutsedge is one of the most challenging plants to eradicate due to its extensive underground network. For that reason, we’re recommending only the best weed killers available to eliminate this aggressive weed.

Cool-Season Grasses: Sedgehammer

Cool-season grasses thrive in extreme weather conditions: blazing hot summers and freezing winters. If your turf is Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, and creeping bentgrass, your golf lawn turf is a cool-season grass. Sedgehammer is the best nutsedge weed killer for cool-season grasses.

How Does Sedgehammer Work?

Sedgehammer attacks the weed while leaving the rest of your plants or ornamental grasses alone. It also removes “green nutsedge” or kyllinga in addition to nutsedge. One bottle can cover an extensive range of one acre. There are no temperature restrictions for this herbicide. That said, if temperatures are above 95F, applying it in the early morning or evening is recommended..

How Is Sedgehammer Applied?

One scoop of Sedgehammer can be mixed in with one gallon of water and sprayed over the affected area using a backpack or handheld sprayer. Do not use a hose-end sprayer to apply Sedgehammer. You should see results as early as two weeks from the day it's applied. Sedgehammer does not need to be watered in after application.

If you have an infestation of broadleaf weeds along with nutsedge, apply Tenacity herbicide with Sedgehammer at the same time for maximum results.

Warm-Season Grasses: Certainty Herbicide

Warm-season grasses are those that grow best in warmer climates. That tends to mean warmer states like Georgia, Florida, and southern Texas which experience some of the warmest winters in the continental U.S. Warm-season grasses include Bermuda grass, Zoysia, St. Augustine, and Centipede grass. Certainty herbicide is the best nutsedge weed killer for warm-season grasses.

How Does Certainty Herbicide Work?

Certainty is effective against all sedges and kyllinga. It also helps you target weeds like dandelion, Johnsongrass, and poa annua. A single application produces visible results within 7-10 days with the weeds dying off completely in less than three weeks.

Certainty herbicides control weeds without killing your grass. It removes many pesky weeds that commonly affect southern grasses without leaving the bare patches that killing off grassy weeds can often do. Certainty herbicide kills both “green nutsedge” or kyllinga, and yellow and purple nutsedge.

How Is Certainty Herbicide Applied?

Certainty herbicide is a professional formulation that should be applied with a 4-gallon backpack sprayer with a foliar spray tip. Hose-end sprayers should not be used to apply this product. Certainty does not need to be watered in after application.

Related: Kill Weeds and NOT Your Grass with this POTENT Combo

What Other Options Can Help Eliminate Nutsedge?

Cool-Season Grass Herbicide Kit

The Cool-Season Grass Herbicide kit comes with both Sedgehammer and Tenacity Herbicide to address extensive nutsedge and other weeds in your lawn. This combo controls over fifty grassy and broadleaf weeds and all sedges. It is a cost-effective option for anyone who wants excellent weed control in cool-season lawns.

Warm-Season Grass Herbicide Kit

The Warm-Season Grass Herbicide kit comes with Certainty Herbicide and Celsius to control widespread weed problems in your lawn. It eliminates over 180 weed types and comes with a surfactant and dye to improve the effectiveness of your herbicide applications.

Related: The Best Four Products for Killing Weeds Without Killing Grass

Tips To Keep Your Lawn Nutsedge Free

There are a few additional tips for maintaining your lawn that can significantly help with the management of nutsedge:

• Combine your weed killer with a surfactant, as this can help to penetrate waxy leaves and better eliminate the nutsedge.
• Try to spray the affected areas when there is minimal wind or rain forecasted to minimize the chance of damaging non-targeted plants. 
• Wait 2 days after application before resuming mowing to allow the herbicide adequate absorption time.
• Control nutsedge as early as possible with herbicides to prevent yellow nutsedge from seeding, as this makes it even harder to remove.

Nutsedge Identification Guide

Identifying nutsedge in your lawn is crucial for effective treatment. Unlike typical grass, nutsedge has distinctive features that make it stand out. In case you’re not sure if you have nutsedge in your lawn, here's how you can identify it and differentiate it from other plants:

Key Characteristics of Nutsedge

1. Stem shape and texture

• Nutsedge stems are triangular in cross-section, which is a unique characteristic not found in most grasses. This trait is often referred to as being "triangular in shape" or having a "triangular stem." You can feel this by rolling the stem between your fingers.
• The stems are also solid and not hollow like most grass species.

2. Leaf appearance

• The leaves of nutsedge are grass-like but tend to be thicker and stiffer than typical lawn grasses. They grow in sets of three from the base (a trait known as a "three-ranked" or "tristichous" leaf arrangement).
• The leaves are usually bright green and have a shiny, waxy appearance, especially compared to the surrounding grass.

3. Growth habit

• Nutsedge grows more upright than many grasses, often standing out due to its height. It can grow much faster than the surrounding grass, leading to noticeable patches.
• It spreads through underground tubers (called nutlets) and rhizomes, forming dense colonies.

4. Flowers and seed heads

• Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus): This type produces yellowish-brown spikelets that form a cluster on top of the stem. The seed heads resemble a small, spiky umbrella.
• Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus): It has reddish-purple to brown spikelets, which are also arranged in a cluster at the top. This variety is often considered more aggressive and harder to eradicate.
• Green kyllinga (Kyllinga brevifolia): Sometimes mistaken for nutsedge, green kyllinga has a round, green, burr-like seed head and grows in a similar fashion.

5. Root system

• Nutsedge has a robust root system with tubers (nutlets) that are difficult to remove entirely. These tubers can survive in the soil even after the plant above ground is removed, leading to regrowth.

Related reading: What Types of Weeds Look Like Grass?

Final Thoughts

Nutsedge in all forms is problematic and challenging to remove. Invest in Sedgehammer for your cool-season grasses to effectively remove purple, yellow, and kyllinga from your lawn. For the warm-season grass alternative, Certainty herbicide is the most effective option you can use to eliminate nutsedge successfully. 

Browse our full range of weed killers and find one that works for your lawn.