Natural Nutgrass Killer: The Definitive Guide 2023

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Nutgrass, also known as nutsedge, can be a real challenge to eliminate from your garden. But if you know how to do that, it is not impossible to get rid of these weeds without too much hassle.

This weed is very resistant, and traditional methods might not give the best results when you are trying to kill it. The best way to get rid of this plant is by using a natural nutgrass killer, but you need to know to choose the best one and use it properly.

There are several methods to eliminate nutgrass from your yard. You can take it all out by hand, or you can use products intended for such a task.

In this complete guide, you will find out everything you need to know about removing nutgrass once and for all and enjoy a beautiful yard again!

Related Article: Natural Crabgrass Killer: The Definitive Guide [year]

Natural Nutgrass Killer Product

1. Doctor Kirchner Natural Weed Killer – Best Nutgrass Killer Choice

Looking for the natural weed killer can be overwhelming, especially if you never bought such a product before. But with this Natural Weed Killer from Doctor Kirchner, you can’t go wrong!

You can purchase it in different sizes according to your needs, and you will not be disappointed.  It is a natural killer used to eliminate many types of weed so nut just nutgrass.

What we love about this product is that it is designed to act fast. It might take less than 24 hours to see results, so you will not waste any time unless it is necessary.

We also like the fact that you can spray it on the weed right from the box. It comes already mixed up and prepared, so all you need to do is use it.

Another reason why we recommend this is that it doesn’t affect your pets and animals in general, your children or any other member of your family.

This product is made in the USA and certified to be used according to the instructions that it comes with.

And like any other product on the market, this one has a downfall as well. This is that it shouldn’t be used on the lawn.

The main reason for that is the fact that it might destroy weeds that you don’t want to kill, and your lawn might look worse at the end of the treatment.

But ultimately, it is each user’s personal decision to spray this product on the lawn or not. (Read more best weed killer for lawns)

2. Natural Armor Weed and Grass Killer

Another great product to use as you need to eliminate nutgrass but also other unwanted weeds is the Natural Armor one.

This is one of the organic weed killers that you can find on the market, which makes it of excellent quality as well.

Since it doesn’t contain any glyphosate and any other chemicals either, you can count on the fact that this weed killer will poison no being around your household.

On top of that, this is a biodegradable product that is eco-friendly and will not bother your environment balance at all.

What we love about this product is that it comes already mixed and ready to be sprayed wherever you need it. It can kill more than 250 different strains of unwanted weed, including nutgrass.

You will not need to reapply it either because this is a highly efficient product from the first spray. And when it comes to where you can spray it to kill the weeds, the sky is the limit.

Since it is not dangerous to animals or humans, this product can get rid of your nutgrass anywhere in your household. The first results should appear in less than 24 hours, and your yard will keep looking better.

As efficient as this product is, you should take into consideration that it will not do miracles in killing all types of weeds. Some of them are resistant to it, and you should read the instructions to see if it can work for your yard’s needs or not.

3. Weed Slayer Organic Herbicide

An excellent organic herbicide that will get rid of all your nutgrass and even more than that is this Weed Slayer. And the name it goes by says it all.

But this is not a product to use only when you want to kill the weeds in your yard but also when you want to prevent them from growing.

If you are on the hunt for the best weed killer, this product should be on the list. It comes at a budget-friendly price as well, so you will not have to break the budget to use it in your yard and garden.

But what it is even better about this product is that it is WSDA certified as a high-quality organic weed killer. This makes it even more reliable for clients, especially for those who are thinking to give this product a try for the first time.

Another fantastic benefit is that it kills the weed from its roots, to make it harder to sprout again. In other words, once you use it once successfully, you will not need to reuse it very soon.

The only downfall of using this weed killer is that it will take a bit longer to see results. Because it reaches the plant at the roots and it kills it from inside out, it is going to take some days until you see the weed gone.

Tips to Choose a Natural Nutgrass Killer Product

If you never shopped for a weed killer, here are some essential aspects to take into account, if you want to find the best product for your needs!

• Check out the ingredients

You need to make sure that your natural weed killer is indeed natural. The most important thing you need to do is to check the list of ingredients that such a product contains.

But keep a skeptical eye because sometimes there might be ingredients missing from the list.

If you suspect that you find such a product with an incomplete list of ingredients, contact the manufacturer an ask for additional details.

If you notice any ingredient that seems to be a potential danger, o your researching before considering investing in that weed killer, the thumb rule says that you should avoid products that contain things like carbon tetrachloride, chloromethane or chloroform.

Also, stay away from 2,4-D as this could be harmful to the environment as well as for other beings in your household.

• Get the right quantity for your needs

You will notice that there are weed killers that come in different bottle sizes. What you choose will depend on the surface that you need to spray it on.

It is essential to estimate the quantity correctly because you don’t want to stop in the middle of the yard because you need to buy more product. All your unwanted weed should be treated at the same time so that it will die at the same time as well.

• Check out the reviews of other customers

More often than not, checking the reviews that previous customers left on a specific product can give you a better idea about its quality.

When you read through such old testimonials, pay attention to how the buyers used the product and if they respected the instructions, according to their confession.

These are details that can hint you about the validity of a review and how much you should take out of it.

• If you have any questions regarding safety aspects, don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer

There are situations in which you might not be wholly convinced that the product you are about to invest in is safe. If you have pets, you want a weed killer that will not be harmful to them.

The same rule should be a priority when it comes to your children and family members. And if you have the smallest doubt regarding such safety aspects, you should contact the manufacturer right away!

If a product is pet-friendly, the manufacturer should state that on the wrapping. But there are situations when additional information is essential, and you should make sure to have all of it before using a weed killer.

How to Kill Nutgrass with Heat

When it comes to getting rid of nutgrass, using heat can also be a good and affordable solution. You don’t have to worry about harming your pets by applying this method, and it might even be faster than others.

So, if you are interested in getting rid of your weeds in general and nutgrass, the heat might be the answer you were looking for!

But to be successful at this task, you will need a weed burner device. Luckily, these devices are easy to find, and most of them come at a convenient cost.

Red Dragon BP 2512 SVC 400,000 BTU

An excellent weed burner is this BP 2512 SVC model of 400,000 BTU from the famous manufacturer Re Dragon.

Once you order this, you will get a tank that has a 10 pounds capacity, and you can fill it with propane as you wish. The flame will eliminate different wees in your yard, not just nutgrass.

What is very advantageous when it comes to this product is that you can use it for other tasks such as defrosting pipes or melting ice and snow during winter.

And if you want to clean some metal objects, this is an excellent choice for such a task as well. It gets rid of paint, oil, and other types of residue efficiently and with no hassle.

The one thing that seems to be a downfall for this product is that the 10 pounds capacity tank might be too small for some customers. This means you might need to refill the tank several times to cover bigger surfaces.

But if that doesn’t bother you, this Red Dragon might be the perfect product for you.

How to Burn Nutgrass with a Weed Burner

Using a weed burner to eliminate your weeds is very easy. You will apply the same technique for all kinds of weed that you need to kill. Here are the main steps in this process!

1. Clean the surface before you start

Before starting any burning, you need to make sure that your yard or garden is clean and ready for this process.

Get rid of any flammable materials or substances and make sure that you don’t expose yourself to any danger. You will be using an open flame, so you should keep that in mind.

2. Turn on the weed burner an adjust the flame

Some weed burners come with a flame adjuster feature. You can modify the diameters of the torch’s tip according to your needs and preferences.

If this is the case for the weed burner that you are using, adjust its width to the size that you want before you turn on the burner.

For smaller plants, you will need a lower flame while for bigger ones, you need the flame to cover as much of them as possible.

3. Burn the nutgrass from the roots up

When you start burning the nutgrass, o it from the sources to the top of the plant. Weed burners dry out the tissues and cells of the plant until they kill it.

And if you start from the roots, you reduce the risk of having the plant sprout again. It shouldn’t take you more than 5 or 10 seconds to kill each unwanted weed.

4. Clean the area again when you are done

You can’t end your weed killing session before you make sure the area is clean again. This is important not only for safety reasons but also for aesthetic ones. Your yard or garden will look much better once you get rid of all the residue brought by this process.

(Source: [1], [2])

How to Pull Up Nutgrass by Hand or Tools

If you want to remove nutgrass manually, get ready for intense labor. That is if you have no tools to help yourself with.

However, if you have a weeder, things can go a lot smoother, and you will not have to struggle near as much.

Pulling the nutgrass by hand can be rather simple as far as the algorithm goes, but you do need plenty of force to get this job one.

But using a weeder is converting into a more straightforward job. Looking for the best weeder, however, can be a challenge by itself. There are many products to help you, but here you will discover one of the Best Weeding Tools that you can find on the market at a convenient process.

Garden Weasel Step and Twist Hand Weeder

Among all the weeders that you can find on the market this Garden Weasel model is one of the best to invest in. It comes at a budget-friendly price and with plenty of benefits to help you get rid of that nutgrass without ruining your hands in the process.

You can choose between getting one weeder or two, three an even four in a pack! An the more you get, the better the price for each piece becomes.  You will not have to use any chemicals to get rid of those unwanted weeds, as long as you have this tool.

Everyone can use this product thanks to its ergonomic design that allows you to keep a straight back. You don’t even have to bend as you can use your foot to push the tool into the ground and pull the weed you want along with its roots.

But what we truly love about this weeder is that you can use it not only to eliminate weeds but also to plant flowers. You will like the fact that this product is made of very resistant carbon steel and it can face plenty of dangerous circumstances. You will not have to worry about rust, and you can enjoy a lifetime warranty.

However, the downfall of this item is that it might also remove a lot of dirt while it extracts the plant. This might be a problem for some users who want to be precise in the extraction process and not damage other nearby plants.

How to Use a Weeder for Nutgrass Removal

Using this Garden Weasel weeder is nothing complicated.  Everyone can apply it right from the box since it comes with everything you need for that. And it is entirely safe, as long as you don’t get away from the instructions that come with this product. Here are the necessary steps to follow to make the most out of this tool!

1. Decide on the surface you want to use your device at

Get your weeder in the area where you want to use it and choose a plant that you would like to get rid of. You might want to start with a weed that seems smaller and more comfortable to pull out. This is for the sake of your training.

2. Keep a straight back and get ready to use your foot on the weeder

Use your foot to push on the tines right on top of a plant. Push more profound enough to make sure that your weeder is reaching the roots of the plant as well. It is essential for your comfort to keep your spine straight at this point. The force you will apply on the plant is going to be significant, and if your back is not in the right position, you could injure yourself.

3. Pull the weed out

Once your position is good, twist the handle of your tool and pull the plant out along with its roots. You should be able to do that quite easily if you follow the instructions of the product.

4. Release your weed

To release it from the weeder, you can use your thumb to push on the release button, and you will see the weeder dropping the capture on the ground. You are ready to move on to the next one!

If you need more details on how to use the Garden Weasel, watch this video to see every step of the process before you get to work!

How to Control Nutgrass Naturally with Landscape Fabric

As much as you might be interested in weeders and nutgrass killers, nutgrass control is your best bet when it comes to staying on top of things. You can give this strategy a try by using landscape fabric.

The idea behind this is that such a fabric will stop the nutgrass from growing to begin with. But, to obtain maximum benefits from such a landscape fabric, you should get a high-quality one. This can get tricky if you never bought such a product before. But with the information you will find here, there shouldn’t be such a complex challenge.

DeWitt SBLT4300 Sunbelt Ground Cover Weed Barrier

If you are looking for one of the best landscape fabrics, this DeWitt model might be just what you need to invest in. This is an excellent quality ground cover to use for your yard as a nutgrass preventer. It has 4 feet in width and 300 feet in length.

But you can shorten it as much as you want. You can even make several landscape fabrics out of one of these. It comes at a decent price, and it has plenty of advantages to consider.

We love the fact that this fabric is permeable to water as well as air, and it is an excellent UV stabilizer. This means that you don’t have to worry about irrigation aspects while your yard is covered with such a landscape fabric.

And to make it even more reliable, you can use this product for a minimum of five years without risking getting it damaged. The manufacturer recommends it for both greenhouses uses as well as outdoor. And, you can purchase it in a pack of 2, 3 or 4 if you want as well.

How to Install/Use Weed Landscape Fabric

Landscape fabric is easy to use, and you shouldn’t have any problems installing it. However, as a recommendation, it might be wise to get the help of someone else, so you don’t have to carry it and spread it by yourself as this could be quite difficult.

Here is how to install a weed landscape fabric to make the most out of it!

1. Clean the area you want to install it on

Before you even pull your landscape fabric out of its wrapping, you should make sure that the space you need to spread it on is completely clean. Get rid of any plants in the area that you want to cover as well as any stones or sticks and pieces of wood.

Your main reason to do that is to keep your fabric intact. Any hole or tear into it might allow different weeds to grow and ruin the entire purpose. So, pay attention to this step and don’t neglect it.

2. Lay the fabric on the whole surface

It is essential as well to use a fabric that covers the entire area you need to be protected. If it doesn’t cover it entirely, it will not be efficient.

If you use more than one piece of fabric to cover your yard, make sure that you overlap the edges of two parts, so the weed will not find a way to grow in between them.

Make sure the fabric you use is laying correctly on the ground without allowing bubbles of air underneath it.

3. Keep it from moving around

You will have to make sure that your fabric is fixed in place that way it doesn’t get moved with the wind or in any other conditions. Some landscape fabrics come with a system to hold them in place while for others, you will have to figure such a method out.

You can use bricks in essential points around the edges of the fabric or other heavy objects to make sure that your cloth stays where you put it.

4. You can even plant while you are using fabric

This might come as a surprise, but you can plant on the surface that you applied your landscape fabric at. You can make flower beds by cutting holes in the material where you want to plant your flowers.

The planting process goes on as usual, as long as you seal the holes correctly. Do your best not to cut bigger holes than you need to plant your flowers.

How to Get Rid of Nutgrass Organically with Mulch

While it is important to have the Best Weeding Tools to control your weeds and especially the nutgrass growth, using mulch can help you a lot as well.

Much is easy to find and use while you don’t need to invest a lot into it. In most cases, this can be a free resource you find around your household.

You can use chopped tree bark mulch, chopped leaves mulch, straw mulch, or only grass mulch. The options are entirely various, so you can find one form of mulch any time you need it, which makes this a very convenient solution.

When you apply mulch, the most important aspect to consider is the thickness of the layer. You will use it just like fabric, on top of the area that you want to prevent weed growth on.

But you should apply it in a layer of at least 3 inches thick. This will make sure that no light is going through the mulch and your soil is completely protected.

Under such thick mulch layers, you can count that most weed seeds will not be able to sprout, but your soil will not get dry either!

Also, make sure that the mulch is not applied too close to the plants that you do want to keep because it can damage them. End your mulch layer at a minimum 2 to 3 inches distance from a valuable plant.

Applying mulch to your garden for preventive reasons should be an annual thing when you take care of your plants and soil.

You can do it in the spring and fall if you live in a four-season area and that should get you covered for unwanted weed growth. And to convince you even more of the benefits that mulch has on your yard and garden, here are some of them!

• It will absorb the extra moisture in the soil and keeps the heat away. This will save a balance of moisture that the plants you want to grow will benefit from. During the summer, a good layer of mulch will also keep your ground cooler and regulate the temperature to an optimum level. This is also beneficial to your plants!
• Mulch can nourish the soil. It doesn’t just cover it to prevent nutgrass growth and other unwanted weeds, but it can also feed your soil. Organic mulch is rich in nutrients, and eventually, these nutrients will be absorbed in the ground making it more fertile. You can even use mulch just for this purpose and enjoy the better soil that you can use to plant your flowers or other plants. (Read more best weed killers for flower beds)
• Mulch can keep your weed away. This is the most important benefit of adding mulch to the ground for many people. If you don’t want to invest in a weeder or a weed burner or a landscape fabric and you don’t want to spray any herbicides in your garden, you can use mulch. It is a very efficient method, and as you can see, it takes very little investment.

(Source: [3], [4])

Homemade Natural Nutgrass Killer Remedies

Are you still curious about how you can make your nutgrass remedies rather than invest in some?

Many people prefer to use what they have around their household to keep the unwanted weeds away, and they are not so enthusiastic when it comes to purchasing new products for this.

If you are the same way, here are some homemade nutgrass killer ideas that you can apply as soon as possible!

Vinegar can be your secret for a nutgrass free yard and garden

To use vinegar as a nutgrass controller, you need to make sure that you use a highly acidic vinegar. Anything between 10 percent and 20 percent acidity will be good enough.

You don’t have to mix it with anything as it is quite efficient by itself. Just pour it in a bottle and spray it all over the surface where you want to get rid of the nutgrass.

Be careful when you spray such an acidic vinegar over your nutgrass and make sure that you don’t spray it over those plants that you would like to keep.

You can harm them very easy by doing so. You should apply this treatment to your garden as soon as you see some nutgrass sprouting. The sooner you use vinegar on it, the faster it will die.

You will see effective results after you apply the vinegar for two or even three times, depending on the weed you want to kill and resistant it is.

Essential oils weed killer

Essential oils also have plenty of benefits when it comes to killing grass that you don’t need in your yard.  There are many recipes out there, but the most efficient one seems to be the following.

You need a spray bottle to put your natural weed killer in before using it. Among the ingredients, you will have to use distilled vinegar, soap, wintergreen essential oil, clove oil, cinnamon oil, and orange oil.

All you need to do is mix 14 oz of distilled vinegar with 1 or two oz of liquid soap. Add three drops of each essential oil you use and mix for at least 1 minute to make sure that everything is blended in right.

Spray this solution over your unwanted weeds or nutgrass every time you need to get rid of them. It can be used as often as possible, as long as you keep it away from other plants that you want in your yard or garden. And since it has soap, you want to make sure that your pets stay away from it as well.

Other Important Factors to Consider

What is Nutgrass

People know nutgrass as nutsedge as well, and they are faced with killing it often to protect the other plants in their yard. This is a perennial plant, which means that it tends to come back frequently when the environment is right for its growth.

It looks like a palm tree in miniature; it even has flowers if it reaches maturity. The leaves are green and small, and the top of the plant is crowned with small flower bouquets full of seeds.

Even if this is a plant that is killed in general before it gets to its highest potential, left untreated, it can also be over 4 feet tall. But the worst part about nutgrass is the roots system.

This is a complex root system that is in charge of maintaining the plant’s reproducing strategy, and it spreads widely under the ground.  If it is not eliminated, this weed can affect crops, flowers, and any other plants in the garden by stealing their nutrients.

There are two types of nutsedge, a train with yellow flowers called yellow nutsedge and one with purple flowers. But the anatomy remains the same and so do the effects of different herbicides on it.

Why is Nutgrass Bad

Nutgrass is not welcomed in any yard or garden, and there are plenty of reasons for that. The main one is that it attacks the other plants and can even suffocate them.

Because it grows so fast and spreads so quickly, this plant will consume most of the nutrients of the ground that it is found at, leaving close to nothing for other plants such as vegetables, trees, and flowers.

Another aspect that makes nutgrass rather inconvenient and unpleasant to put up with is the fact that it can be tough to kill.

As soon as you notice some signs of nutgrass, being it even just some small plants, make sure to take the right measures and kill them.

And the most efficient way to do that is by pulling all their roots out. This way, you can be sure that they will not sprout again at least for a while.

But you will have to deal with this type of grass mostly in the warm season as this is when it grows. During winter is stops growing and ceases to be a severe problem.

Here’s a short video about why nutgrass is bad for your lawn:

It is important though not to confuse it with natural grass just because it is called similarly. Grass can be easily killed with most weed killers, while nutgrass takes more complex products to be eliminated.

How to Get Rid of Nutsedge Naturally without Chemicals

As we discussed in this complex guide, you have several alternatives to use when you need to eliminate nutgrass, but you don’t want to do it with chemicals.

You can use an organic weed killer like the ones presented at the beginning of this guide. These are very efficient, but they take time to see the effects that you want. And sometimes you will need to reapply them more than twice to get the nutgrass out of your yard.

Using a weed burner can be just as efficient, but you need to keep in mind that this will barely destroy the roots of the nutgrass. You might have to deal with this plant spreading again in a few months, almost out of nowhere.

A weeder might be what you need if you want to make sure that you pull the roots out along with the entire nutgrass plant as well. If you don’t have to deal with a large area with nutgrass, a weeder can help you a lot.

But if you need to eliminate this plant from your entire yard or bigger surfaces, you might find such a tool ineffective as it takes long enough to pull each nutsedge plant at a time!

But regardless of the method that you choose to use, you can count on the fact that all the options and products presented in this guide are of the best quality. The natural remedies that you can put together at home will show you positive results as well.

But the final effect you see on your garden will depend on how much nutgrass you have to remove and how matured the plants are. The bigger they are, the harder it will be to get rid of them!

Conclusion

The good news is that, even if you have nutgrass in your garden, there are solutions to get rid of it. It is less than a desirable situation, but you shouldn’t panic either.

Start by applying the most-handy method from those presented above and keep trying with the rest of them if you don’t see the results you are aiming for.

Bottom line, the best way to eliminate this stubborn weed from your yard is by using a natural nutgrass killer.

You don’t want to expose your animals and pets to side effects of the chemicals, so you should always put safety first. And with so many types of high-quality products, you shouldn’t have to deal with too much hassle when you are killing the nutgrass!