Native to parts of Asia and Africa, Nutgrass has become widely naturalised in eastern New South Wales, ACT, Victoria, Western Australia and is common throughout south-eastern Australia. Invading crops, vineyards, lawns, footpaths, gardens & parks, pastures and disturbed ground, Nutgrass has become a troublesome weed capable of germinating in almost any soil type and climate.
A long-lived perennial weed, Nutgrass can flourish to produce large colonies of dense weeds that choke native plants, hinder progress of livestock and people and also competes for light, space and vital nutrients of other crops and plants.
Nutgrass plants usually grow from 20-50 cm tall, but can on occasion reach up to 60 cm in height. The flowering stems are erect, ridged and between 1 and 2mm thick with a smooth appearance arranged in a three-angled cross-section. The hairless, glossy leaves are narrow and capable of growing up to 20cms in length and 6mm wide with pointed tips. The seed-head has two to four green leafy bracts and has 3-8 branches of growing up to 10cms long. Each of these branches carries an irregularly-shaped cluster of several flattened reddish-brown or purplish-brown coloured flower spikelets towards its end. These elongated flower spikelets are loosely arranged and have up to 40 tiny flowers.
Producing creeping underground stems and dark coloured tubers, Nutgrass can quickly produce a dense root system that saps vital nutrients from the solid. The plant reproduces via these fibrous tubers and by disturbing this underground network of stems by cultivation infestations can easily be spread to other areas.
The best control method for suppression dense infestations of Nutgrass is foliar spraying. As plants can form a compact thicket that spreads quickly, a spray unit capable of carrying large amounts of herbicide and a reliable motor is essential to ensure complete coverage of the plant. The Spray Ranger from Rapid Spray is an ideal solution for spraying Nutgrass, as the sturdy units ca easily be placed on the back of a Ute or ATV, come in tank sizes between 100 to 400 litres and are fully equipped with a sturdy spray reel and 30 metres of hose and a powerful genuine Honda GX35 4 stroke motor for proven reliability coupled to the Rapid Commando pump delivering 12 litre/minute maximum flow & 360psi pressure.
Click here to find out more about the Spray Ranger unit or call 1800 011 000 to speak to a friendly member of the Rapid Spray team.
