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Marshall County

Lawn and Garden

The Marshall County, K-State Research and Extension office is your front door to the resources of Kansas State University. Through our office you can obtain information on trees, turf, shrubs, insects, gardens, and other related topics. We also provide services such as insect identification, plant identification, and soil tests with fertilizer recommendations.

Lawn and Garden page on the K-State Research and Extension site.

Prairie Star Annual Flowers

Prairie Star annual flowers are varieties best adapted to the challenging prairie climate. Planting varieties in the Prairie Star collection is the best way to assure the eye-catching appearance gardeners hope for. The list contains annual flower varieties that have exhibited superior performances for two years or more in Kansas bedding-plant research trials. Prairie Star flowers are the best of the best — flowers that grow and bloom abundantly with minimal care.

Controlling Yellow Nutsedge in Lawns

Yellow nutsedge is a relatively common problem in lawns, especially in wet years or in lawns with irrigation. Although it looks much like a grass, it is a sedge. Unlike grasses, sedges have triangular stems, and the leaves are three-ranked instead of two-ranked, which means the leaves come off the stems in three different directions.

Yellow nutsedge is pale green to yellow and grows rapidly in the spring and early summer. Because of this rapid shoot growth, it sticks up above the rest of the lawn only a few days after mowing. This weed is a good indicator of poor drainage, but it can be introduced into well-drained sites through contaminated topsoil or nursery stock.

As with many weeds, nutsedge is less competitive in a dense, healthy lawn than in an open, poor lawn. Nutsedge is difficult to control culturally because it produces numerous tubers that give rise to new plants. Pulling nutsedge will increase the number of plants because dormant tubers are activated. However, it is possible to control nutsedge by pulling, but you must be persistent. If you are, eventually the nutsedge will die out.

If you were going to treat with a herbicide, it would be better to leave the nutsedge plants undisturbed so the herbicide can be maximally translocated to the roots, rhizomes, and tubers. Several herbicides are available for nutsedge control. Sedge Hammer, which used to be called Manage, is the most effective and safe for most turf grasses. It is also the most expensive, but if an infestation is not too severe, one application should take care of the problem. The Sedge Hammer label says to apply it after nutsedge has reached the three- to eight-leaf stage. Waiting until this growth stage apparently results in improved translocation of the active ingredient to the underground tubers and rhizomes.

However, research has shown that the application should go down by June 21. If the initial spray is after June 21, mature daughter tubers may be stimulated to grow. Small packages of Sedge Hammer are available to homeowners. Using a non-ionic surfactant with the Sedge Hammer will give better control.

Resources Available:

Useful Publications

Tall Fescue Lawns

Garden Guide

Trees for Kansas

Soil Testing

We recommend that you test your soil every few years. We can test your garden, flower bed, or lawn for a minimal charge and provide recommendations to improve quality and yields. All you need to do is bring the soil into the extension office.

Prices start at $6.50 for pH, Buffer pH, P, & K. A person can also test for other nutrients for an additional charge