If you’ve ever spotted a bright yellow-green grass-like plant shooting up above the rest of your lawn in the middle of summer, chances are you’ve met nutsedge. It’s a stubborn, fast-growing weed that often shows up in lawns across the Northeast—especially in June and July.
While many people confuse nutsedge with crabgrass, there are important differences—and knowing how to identify and treat it will help keep your lawn healthy and uniform. In this Healthy Lawns segment, Dr. Jim Wilkinson tells you what you should do and NOT do when tackling this weed.
How to Identify Nutsedge
Nutsedge looks like grass, but it’s actually a sedge—a different type of plant entirely. Here’s how to spot it:
- Timing: It generally starts appearing in June and continues growing throughout the summer.
- Growth rate: Two to three days after mowing, you’ll notice it sticking 2–3 inches taller than the rest of your lawn.
- Texture test: Take a stem and roll it between your fingers. Grass stems are flat or round, but nutsedge has a distinct triangular stem—a foolproof way to identify it.
Pro Tip: Nutsedge can be tricky to see right after mowing. It’s easiest to spot 3–4 days after the last cut.
Why You Shouldn’t Pull Nutsedge
It’s tempting to just yank it out, but that will make things worse. Nutsedge grows from underground tubers, or “nutlets,” and pulling the plant leaves those nutlets behind. This only encourages the weed to send out more shoots and spread faster.
How to Treat Nutsedge
Unlike crabgrass, nutsedge can’t be treated until it’s visible in your lawn. That’s why timing matters. Here’s our approach at Seascape Lawncare:
- Wait for emergence – We target treatment after nutsedge appears, typically starting in June.
- Specialized weed control – We use herbicides designed specifically for sedges, which won’t harm your turfgrass.
- Multiple applications – Because nutsedge can be persistent, more than one treatment may be necessary for complete control.
If left untreated, nutsedge will eventually fade away on its own in late summer or early fall—but it will be back the next year. Treating it now keeps it from spreading and competing with your grass.
Leave It to the Experts
Our trained technicians know the best time to strike. If we see nutsedge during a regular lawn application, we’ll automatically treat it. You can also call us for a service visit if you notice it between treatments.
Don’t let nutsedge take over your lawn—contact Seascape Lawncare today and enjoy a lush, uniform yard all season long.
REQUEST SERVICE
safest products and our technicians pride themselves with safety and environmental protection measures. SeaScape will call ahead before all lawn care applications and weeds are always spot-treated to avoid unnecessary ‘blanket’ applications. After all treatments, our technicians will clean driveways and walks of all products.