Nutsedge Is Winning in Late Summer — Why Your Foley Lawn Can't Shake It

Short answer: The pale-green, spiky grass shooting up faster than the rest of your Foley lawn is nutsedge, and late summer heat and moisture are its favorite conditions. Here's the frustrating part: pulling it usually makes it spread, because it grows from underground tubers (nutlets) that break off and resprout. Real control means treating it so the herbicide moves down to those tubers — and keeping your lawn thick enough to crowd it out.

Why does nutsedge take over in late summer?

Nutsedge loves heat, sunlight, and moist or poorly drained soil — exactly what the dog days bring to the Gulf Coast. It grows quicker than your turf, so it pops up above the lawn within days of mowing and stands out. Each plant is backed by a network of underground tubers that can lie dormant and resprout, which is why it seems impossible to keep down once it's established.

How do I actually get rid of it?

Pulling or hoeing snaps the plant off and leaves the tubers behind to resprout, often producing more shoots than you started with. Nutsedge needs a targeted, systemic sedge herbicide that translocates down and kills the tubers, usually across repeat applications, since one pass rarely reaches the whole tuber bank. Just as important is a dense, healthy lawn: thick turf shades the soil and strongly suppresses new sedge, so proper mowing, watering, and fertility are part of the cure.

Frequently asked questions

Why shouldn't I just pull nutsedge? Because it grows from underground tubers. Pulling breaks the plant off but leaves the tubers, which resprout — often leaving you with more nutsedge than before.

Why is it worse in late summer? Nutsedge thrives in heat and moisture and outgrows turf this time of year, so it stands tall above the lawn just days after you mow.

Will one treatment fix it? Rarely. The tuber bank in the soil means control usually takes repeat, properly timed applications plus a thick lawn to keep new sedge from filling in.

Losing the battle with nutsedge in Foley? EnSec's lawn program targets sedge and builds turf thick enough to hold it back. Call 251-850-8488 or request a visit.