Sedges and kyllingas are a headache in most types of turf. Classified as neither a grassy nor a broadleaf weed, these perennial plants are similar in appearance.
Sedges can be identified by their distinctive triangular stem. Unlike grassy weeds, sedges don’t have hair, auricles, collars, or ligules. The waxy cuticle on the leaves gives them a shiny appearance. Yellow nutsedge leaves taper to a point and are light green to yellow, while purple nutsedge leaves are dark green and taper to a more direct point.
Kyllinga leaves are smaller than nutsedge leaves and less erect. Because these plants are perennials that grow from underground rhizomes or tubers (often called nutlets), they can be difficult to control. Their flat growing profile means they can survive even low mowing heights (less than 0.25 inches).
Fortunately, selective herbicides like Katana® Turf Herbicide from PBI-Gordon provide effective control against sedges, kyllingas, and more than 50 other grassy and broadleaf weeds. The University of Tennessee rates Katana excellent for control of yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and kyllinga species (Kyllinga spp.) on bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, centipedegrass, and seashore paspalum.
Katana is a selective, post-emerge herbicide that is highly selective in most warm-season turfgrasses. It is also an excellent tool for effective weed control in warm-season turf or removal of overseeded cool-season grasses.
Katana absorbs rapidly into the weed leaves and translocates through the xylem and phloem, toward the meristematic zone. It is an ALS inhibitor type herbicide (Group 2 on the WSSA active ingredient grouping chart), which causes cessation of cell division and plant growth.
Sources
Matthew T. Elmore, James T. Brosnan, Gregory Breeden, “Nutsedge and Kyllinga Species,” Turfgrass Science at the UT Institute of Agriculture, revised January, 2019.
Sedge and kyllinga photos are courtesy of Dr. Lambert McCarty, Clemson University, Clemson, SC.
