Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Kill Nut Grass

...
Adrián González de la Peña/Demand Media

Tip

Corn gluten also works for this, and it can be found at seed and feed stores along with directions for application.

Nut grass, also called nutsedge, is a pesky grass that is very hard to get rid of since the roots are very tenacious. They have nodules on them that look like small nuts. If you try to uproot nut grass, the roots tend to break off and the nuts will simply produce a new plant. The best way to get rid of nut grass permanently is to kill it with a pesticide, but this can kill your lawn as well. Fortunately, there is a way to kill nut grass organically that will not harm your lawn in the process.

...
Adrián González de la Peña/Demand Media

Water your lawn. This will prepare it for your organic sugar treatment. Do not saturate the lawn, but be sure that the soil is moist and that the grass is wet.

...
Adrián González de la Peña/Demand Media

Sift the sugar onto your lawn. Walk in regular, straight lines just as if you were mowing. Turn the handle on the sifter so that the sugar falls onto the grass evenly. Continue turning the handle the entire time that you are walking. The sugar will nourish microbes that benefit your lawn grass and eat the nutsedge or nut grass.

...
Adrián González de la Peña/Demand Media

Water down the sugar. Spray your lawn again with the garden hose. Do not saturate it to the point that water is running off or you will lose all of the sugar that you just deposited on the lawn.

...
Adrián González de la Peña/Demand Media

Do this in the spring when you would first seed and feed your grass as well as one or two more times throughout the growing season. By the end of the season, the nut grass should all be dead.

Related Articles

How to Put Tide on a Lawn to Grow Grass
How to Put Tide on a Lawn to Grow Grass
When to Plant Grass Seed in West Virginia
When to Plant Grass Seed in West Virginia
How to Grow Grass on Hard Dirt & Rocks
How to Grow Grass on Hard Dirt & Rocks
How to Get Rid of Wide Blade Grass in Your Lawn
How to Get Rid of Wide Blade Grass in Your Lawn
How to Kill Crab Grass Before Overseeding
How to Kill Crab Grass Before Overseeding
How to Power Seed a Lawn
How to Power Seed a Lawn
How to Lay Turf on Clay Soil
How to Lay Turf on Clay Soil
How to Make Grass Fertilizer With Beer
How to Make Grass Fertilizer With Beer
Why Add Sugar to Grass Seeds?
Why Add Sugar to Grass Seeds?
How to Plant Sugar Beets in East Texas
How to Plant Sugar Beets in East Texas
How to Spread Buffel Grass Seed
How to Spread Buffel Grass Seed
How to Sand Over Grass Seed
How to Sand Over Grass Seed
How to Kill Grass Permanently
How to Kill Grass Permanently
Garden Guides
×