[USCC] nutgrass

[Steve Diver]

It might be another instance of plant ecological
response to a soil amendment.  

Poultry gizzards grind weed seeds, and researchers
have dissected poultry manure and found none. 

Yet poultry litter application results in a well-known
flush of weeds when applied to croplands.   

Weed seeds and propagules lay waiting in soils until an
ecological signal tells them to wake up and grow. Factors
like nitrates, raw humic substances, or microbiology -- probably 
a mixture of undefined chemical-biological factors -- elicits 
their need to grow and cover what is perceived as a disturbed 
soil site.

*Super Fast Method:  Some of the green chemistry herbicides 
that include acetic acid (that function as a contact spray)
will knock it back hard. Nutgrass is particularly susceptible, 
though you might have to repeat an application if it sprouts 
back.

*Slow Method:  In a field rotation, sweet potato vines are known
to suppress nutgrass through allelopathy. But the suppression effect
is seen in the following growing season. 

*Slow Method:  On-farm research with compost teas/liquid compost extracts 
show the ability to shift plant communities towards desired vegetation 
while suppressing weedy plants in the process. But this is done on a 
time-scale of growing seasons. 

*Fun Method:  Weeder Geese.

Good luck,
Steve Diver



>From: Jennifer Maxwell <maxwelljb at appstate.edu>
>Sent: Jun 19, 2007 9:47 AM
>Subject: [USCC]  nutgrass
>
>Hello everyone. I was just curious if anyone has ever noticed a large
>problem with nutgrass following landscape application of finished compost.
>We operate a type III facility here at App State and when our finished
>product has been utilized on campus, there have been large amounts of
>nutgrass showing up. 
>
>Any suggestions for getting rid of this nutgrass? I know it is a bear to
>deal with...
>
>Jennifer Maxwell
>Resource Conservation Manager
>Appalachian State University
>828-262-3190 x108
>maxwelljb at appstate.edu