Nutsedge

Nutsedge is a particularly pesky weed. It pops up nearly everywhere, is very unsightly, and can be difficult to manage. Lately, due to the scheduling and delaying of some of our regular mowing practices, the nutsedge has become very apparent across the golf course. We are in the midst of eliminating as much nutsedge as possible.

Nutsedge is not a grass or broadleaf weed, it is a sedge, and thus behaves much differently than other plants. It grows rapidly; often reaching 2-3 inches above the turf grass in a short time, and thrives in the warm summer months. It has a very light, lime green color compared to the turf grass and sticks out very prominently. The plant produces tubers in the soil that can turn in to hundreds of new plants and these tubers can survive several years in the soil before germinating.

If you have been out on the course lately, it is likely you have seen the nutsedge in many locations. One of the main reasons it has been so apparent is that we have adjusted our mowing schedule slightly recently. The seed that we planted around the greens has emerged and is growing well. As a precaution so as to not injure the new seedlings, we have limited our mowing around the greens to 1 time per week. Putting less stress on the new seedlings will help them establish and reduces the risk of tearing them out of the ground with a machine. Unfortunately, this has allowed the nutsedge to shoot up and be very noticeable. A similar scenario has unfolded in the rough around the tees. In this case, we have simply reduced our mowing frequency to focus on other aspects of course maintenance.

We have seen the nutsedge emerge in many places, but two of the more consistent problem areas we see are the new construction areas. First, sometimes when the soil is turned and graded for construction, dormant tubers in the soil are exposed and can break dormancy and begin to grow. This is partially to blame for the many new nutsedge plants that can be seen on the newest holes. Similarly, nutsedge can be transported in the sod we lay for construction. As the sod begins to root, new nutsedge plants will spring up as well. Unfortunately, neither of these situations can be prevented, but our treatment will include these areas as well.

We have now treated the nutsedge in the green surrounds and those plants will be dying soon. We will be treating the tee surrounds this week and we expect to see similar control within a few days. We use a specific chemical that targets nutsedge and nutsedge only. It is designed to be safe on nearly all turfgrass and can be sprayed directly over the top. While the chemical is very effective at killing nutsedge, that is all it is effective at managing, so it is a very specific treatment that only targets the one pest.

Visually, the nutsedge is as ugly as any other weed. We will be continuing our treatment of the nutsedge in the next few days.

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

Please rake your entire disturbance within the bunker, including all of your footprints, not just the area from where you hit.

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org