Csuekunkel
Hico, TX
Welcome to Dave's! Where is Hico?
our newest Texan to Dave's Garden!
Welcome to DG!
Hico is SW of Fort Worth near Granbury & Glen Rose.
Welcome to Dave's Garden and the Texas forum, I hope you will be active and participate.
Josephine.
Double welcome! :)
Welcome. I know you'll find a friendly and very knowledgeable group here. I have yet to find a problem (well, other than nut grass) that someone on here doesn't know a solution for.
Crow
Crow, have you tried liquid molasses?
Stephanietx, are you serious? If it works I'll try it! :)
From a recent newsletter from The Dirt Doctor (Howard Garrett):
"The best control for nutgrass appears to be molasses, believe it or not. Drench problem spots with liquid horticultural molasses at ¼ to ½ cup per gallon of water. Start with about a gallon of drench per 9 - 10 sq. ft. This simple technique fires up the microbes in the soil and the nutgrass simply fades away. It takes a while to work and requires at least 2 – 3 applications. As opposed to toxic chemicals, it makes the soil heathlier with every application."
I've not tried this personally, yet, but we have a patch of nutgrass we're getting ready to try it on.
This sounds reasonable, thank you for the particulars, I'll be trying it for sure.
Quote from stephanietx :
From a recent newsletter from The Dirt Doctor (Howard Garrett):
"The best control for nutgrass appears to be molasses, believe it or not. Drench problem spots with liquid horticultural molasses at ¼ to ½ cup per gallon of water. Start with about a gallon of drench per 9 - 10 sq. ft. This simple technique fires up the microbes in the soil and the nutgrass simply fades away. It takes a while to work and requires at least 2 – 3 applications. As opposed to toxic chemicals, it makes the soil heathlier with every application."
I've not tried this personally, yet, but we have a patch of nutgrass we're getting ready to try it on.
Great Pointer. I have some around the garden I need to get rid of.
k, I have to ask, are y'all talking about nutgrass, or nutsedge? I have always used the terms interchangeably (referring to nutsedge). But it's lately come to my attention that there's something else a lot of people call nutgrass.
I'm talking about nutgrass, which I thought was also called nutsedge.
I tried that last year. The problem was that new sprouts came up near by, and it was hard to tell which had been drenched so it seemed like it never died. Never actually observed dying nutsedge. Plus I was worried about getting it near my plants...if it kills nutsedge ,will it kill a perennial?
I use molasses in my fertilizer. Never had it kill anything. Seems like the nutsedge grows in my poorer soil areas, though. Molasses amends and improves the soil a lot, so that would stand to reason.
On the other hand, we have a lot of nutsedge growing in my dad's veggie garden, which is a raised bed full of compost and store-bought potting soil. I guess the dang stuff will grow anywhere.
Anyway, I'm going to give the molasses a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Heaven knows nothing else has gotten rid of it!
I tried the molasses this spring. I used a diluted spray over the entire yard since someone said it helped with beneficials and against fireants. I then I used a stronger concentrate on the nutgrass that's coming up in the flower beds. It didn't seem to affect it at all. The only thing I've found that works is using a trowel, dig down and follow the underground runners and dig those and the "nuts" out. I dug up an entire iris bed last September and dug out all the nut grass I could find, including runners and nuts. I trimmed and replanted the iris and this year I have another bumper crop of nutgrass in the same bed. I don't think even a nuclear attack would kill it. Now, if we could only find something to use it for, we all be rich :D
Crow
Welcome Csuekunkel....!!!
See why we love this site, it is like talking to a room full of friends that have like interest.
Hope you join in on the forums...something for everyone there.
Sheila