Aussies are being warned of a “pesky” threat invading gardens across the country. And while it might look harmless, nutgrass “can be a real problem”, experts warn.
Despite the name, nutgrass, or cyperus rotundus, is not a grass at all; it’s a sedge, with some frustrated homeowners dubbing it “awful stuff”.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Pat Lu-Irving, a weed botanist from the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, said that while nutgrass “prefers warmer and wetter habitats”, the native weed is pretty “widespread” across Australia.
The plant is most commonly found in New South Wales and Queensland, with reports of it across every state and territory except for Tasmania.
It’s “quite commonly” found in disturbed sites, including gardens, but it can also infest farms and crops, Pat said.
“It can spread, take over, and outcompete desirable plants. It can also look unsightly,” she explained. “If it gets into crops and farms, it can reduce the yield, which is obviously a problem”.
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A world map showing where nutgrass is native (green) and where it has been introduced (purple). Source: Kew Royal Botanic Gardens
How to identify nutgrass
Distinguishing nutgrass from other weeds can be tricky, and often, it requires an expert’s eye.
But you can tell the difference between a grass and a sedge by feeling the stem, Pat explained.
“The stem is triangular in cross-section, so it’ll have edges. But there are lots of other species of sedges that can pop up in gardens and lawns,” she said.
“In terms of specifically identifying nutgrass, I would probably advise that people look around for online resources.”
How to remove nutgrass from Aussie gardens
In Pat’s opinion, “prevention is better than cure”.
The experts agree that handweeding is “fairly effective” but only before it’s “super established”, Pat explained.
NSW gardening experts at Street Appeal Garden Solutions also agreed that hand removal is likely the best approach, but warned you “need to be careful” when attempting it.
“Each plant has an underground ‘nut’ that will reshoot new plants if not removed correctly,” they said online last month.
“This weed can be a real problem in your native garden”.
The ‘nut’ at the bas of the plant will reshoot new plants if not removed correctly. Source: Brisbane City Council
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