Quick answer
Nutsedge isn't a grass. It has triangular stems, grows faster than your lawn, and spreads from underground tubers. Pulling it often makes it worse; a sedge-specific herbicide and better drainage work best.
How to Identify It
- Stems feel triangular when rolled between fingers
- Lighter, shinier green than Bermuda
- Pops up above the lawn a few days after mowing
- Most common in wet or poorly drained areas
Why Pulling Doesn't Work
Each plant grows from small tubers (nutlets) underground. Pulling usually breaks the stem and leaves the tuber, which sends up new shoots.
What Helps
Use a herbicide labeled for sedges, applied when plants are young and actively growing in late spring or early summer. Reduce overwatering, since sedge thrives in wet soil.