NEW TURF & ORNAMENTAL WEED: GREEN KYLLINGA — Chuck Ingels, UC Farm Advisor

Well, OK, it's not that new. But it seems to have spread recently throughout the Sacramento area, especially from Roseville to Rancho Cordova. Commercial turf managers are growing increasingly concerned about this particularly insidious weed, and we don't yet have proven methods of control.

Green kyllinga (Kyllinga brevifolia) is a spreading, invasive, perennial sedge that grows best in wet areas in turf and ornamental plantings. It has tough, light green foliage and produces a plentiful supply of seedheads that are green and about 3/8 inch in diameter. It actually doesn't look bad as a turf, except for the seedheads and the fact that it goes dormant during the winter.

When left unmowed, green kyllinga can reach a height of about 15 inches. In areas that are mowed, it grows in a prostrate manner, producing a network of numerous rhizomes (the thatch buildup is incredible!). It roots and sends out leaves at each stem node; new plants can be produced from each node if cut off.

There's not a lot that can be done to control this weed except hand weeding, mulching in beds, and chemical control. Clyde Elmore and I are conducting a herbicide spray trial in turf in Rancho Cordova. The goal is to kill the weed but not the turf. A new Pest Note has been produced on green kyllinga (Publication 7459) and is included in this mailing. Also available on the IPM website: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.