How to Kill Sedge and Bahia

Patchy areas of lawn can increase the risk of weed grasses.

While broadleaf weeds may threaten large areas of your lawn, weed grasses are more difficult to control. Sedge and bahiagrass are common weedy specimens that can spread rapidly throughout your lawn, choking out your desirable grass varieties. Infestation of weed grasses commonly occur when poor growing conditions damage the health of your lawn, leading to weak spots that allow the weed grasses to take hold and begin growing. Removing the sedge and bahiagrass from your lawn can help enhance the health and appearance of your landscape.

Things You'll Need

• Lawnmower
• Topsoil
• Grass seed
• Mulch
• Selective herbicide

Instructions

1. Pull out any visible sprigs of weed grasses as soon as they appear. Remove these while they are young to avoid large expanses of stubborn growth. Pull the clumps by grasping them near the base of the blades, which allows you to remove as much of the roots as possible.

2. Mow your lawn to the recommended height for your variety of grass. Infrequent mowing can allow weeds to go to seed, while mowing the lawn too short can stress the grass and make it more vulnerable to weed growth.

3. Correct any poor growing conditions that damage the health of your planted grass and increase the growth of weedy grasses. Add topsoil to help fill in low areas of your lawn that tend to retain water. Weed grasses, especially sedges, tend to thrive and flourish in damp areas of your lawn. Smooth the topsoil over the filled-in areas and plant grass seed in these patches.

4. Apply at least two inches of mulch over bare areas of your landscape, such as borders around flowerbeds and dirt walkways. This will help minimize the possibility of weed seed germination, decreasing the risk of sedge and bahiagrass that sprouts in bare patches of soil and spreads to the maintained areas of your lawn.

5. Apply a selective herbicide labeled for use in controlling weed grasses, such as sedge and bahiagrass. Apply the herbicide directly to the exposed portions of the weed grasses. Avoid overspray onto nearby plants and lawn grasses. This type of herbicide may harm certain varieties of lawn grasses, making it important to read the product label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application methods and procedures.

Tips & Warnings

• Use caution when applying chemical herbicides, especially around areas frequented by children and pets.