Strategy for Nutsedge Control in Turf

The grass-like purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is a problem weed in agricultural crops, residential and commercial landscapes, and in turfgrasses on golf courses, sports fields, and home lawns (Figure 1). Both purple and yellow (C. esculentus) nutsedges occur in Arizona’s low desert region, but purple is more prevalent and more difficult to control. Yellow nutsedge is more readily found at the higher elevation regions of Arizona where cool-season turfgrasses are grown year around. Both perennial sedges look like grasses with dark green, glossy and hairless leaves but they have stems that are solid and triangular in cross-section compared to rounded or folded and hollow grass stems.