Question: Yikes! Our lawn is being overtaken by this stuff. Do you know what it is and how to get rid of it? I walk every evening and see it all around in Ocean Pointe lawns.
Answer: We turned to Joe DeFrank, professor of weed science at the University of Hawaii Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, for the answer.
“The weedy plant with the long glossy leaves and triangle-shaped stem is purple nutsedge,” he said.
“Homeowners can chemically control this weed safely in their yard with a herbicide that is marketed under various trade names of Sedgehammer, SedgePro and Manage.”
When using any pesticide, be sure to read the label and follow instructions.
DeFrank said there is a pesticide-free alternative to dealing with the weed, using plastic woven mats in a technique he calls “lights out.”
However, it’s not inexpensive and is not readily available for homeowners. “I am not aware of any hardware or garden stores that carry the weed mat and then provides a custom cut for homeowners,” DeFrank said.
He said three local sources that have a consistent supply of weed mats are Exacta Sales Inc., 2815 Ualena St. (840-1919); Crop Production Services, 92-1770 Kunia Road (454-0041); and Pacific Agricultural Sales & Services Inc., 91-262 Olai St. (682-5113).
He said prices vary but that it would cost about $270 for a 10-by-300-foot roll, for example.
“Perhaps several users can pool their funds, buy a whole roll and then cut it up for their own yards,” he said.
WEED CONTROL
DeFrank provided several online resources for information on controlling weeds, among them the “Handbook of Hawaiian Weeds,” is.gd/hwaOA8; “Plants of Hawaii,” is.gd/FJnfS8; “Hawaii Plant ID,” is.gd/94NvqB; and “Hawaii Insect ID,” is.gd/SkNwxx.
He also provided a link to a presentation on weed control he made to professional landscape managers on Kauai in August, in which he discussed such weeds as purple nutsedge as well as the “lights out” technique: is.gd/fq2UVU.
MAHALO
To Charmaine very much for helping me back in September, when I tripped and fell on the sidewalk on Lehiwa Street in Mililani Mauka. I sustained severe injuries and was in very much pain. Your concern in taking me home is much appreciated. My family and I would like to thank you and meet with you personally now that I am recovered. — Harold
MAHALO
To Tammy Ching, who drove from Ewa Beach to return my wallet. I had forgotten it at her food booth, set up Thursdays on the corner of Wilder Avenue and Makiki Street. The amazing thing (or, poor ting?), I was chatting on the phone with a family member and did not even know the wallet was missing.
Thank goodness, the righteous and caring are still with us in Tammy Ching. — Peter T. Coleman Jr.
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