The bunting weed, also called quadrella or peppercorn, is a terribly resilient weed that invades many lawns. It has strong roots and nodules. The most effective way to rid your lawn of this weed is to remove the plant manually - root and all. You can still try chemical herbicides, or you can cover it with sugar as an organic alternative.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Recognizing the Bunting
Step 1. Look for patches of grass that look different to you
The bunting generally grows taller and appears lighter than the rest of the grass. Since it is similar to other varieties of grass, if there are small spots, they can be difficult to notice.
Step 2. Examine the blades of grass
Kneel on the ground and look at the shape and thickness of the blades of grass growing in anomalous areas. The tile has thick and rigid threads, which stand out from the stem in groups of three. Most normal grass has two threads that arise from a single stem.
Step 3. Look at the stem
Break what looks like a potential peppery weed, and see the broken endpoint. The weed has a triangular stem with a solid central core, while most of the normal grass has rounded stems. Many normal herbs are even more hollowed out, while this one is full.
Step 4. Carefully dig to the root
If the appearance of the upper part of the plant seems to you just that of peppery grass, you can proceed with the removal immediately, or you can dig up to the root to confirm your suspicions before taking other steps. Use a gardening trowel and carefully dig around the grass, looking for nodules or tubers in the shape of nuts at the root. You may need to dig up to 30-45cm deep.
Method 2 of 4: Eradicate it Manually
Step 1. Put on a pair of gardening gloves
With this method you will have to dig a little in the soil, and the gloves protect you from dirt on the skin and under the nails.
Step 2. Slide the gardening trowel directly next to the bunting
Try to dig as much as possible. The network of roots of this herb can extend in depth even up to 30-45 cm.
Step 3. Gently lift the pepper grass, roots and all out of the ground
It is essential to be delicate in this operation, to reduce the number of roots that break and the fragments that remain within the soil.
Step 4. Tear off any loose roots
If a few remain, there is still some chance that the peppery weed will return.
Step 5. Throw the weeds into a garbage bag, along with the excavated soil, and throw them into your garbage can
Do not compost them, as they may return to spread to some other area of the lawn.
Method 3 of 4: Using Sugar
Step 1. This procedure should be done in the spring
It is most effective early in the growing season, when the bunting has just begun to sprout.
Step 2. Take a garden hose and water the lawn
You don't have to flood it, just keep it evenly moist down to the ground.
Step 3. Sprinkle the sugar over the lawn in a straight line
Walk up and down and at a steady pace. As you walk, distribute the sugar using a sieve, constantly turning the handle to make sure the sugar falls evenly onto the grass.
This is not a mere grandmother's remedy. In fact, the sugar "eats" the peppery grass by feeding the microbes that have a positive effect on the lawn
Step 4. Water the lawn again using the garden hose
But don't "drown" the weed, because you will remove the sugar. Use a spray of enough steam to re-moisten the blades of grass and to get the sugar down into the soil and onto the roots.
Step 5. Repeat this procedure at least two more times during the spring
The tile does not die completely after the first treatment, but after a couple more it should disappear.
Method 4 of 4: Using Chemicals
Step 1. Use a herbicide before the weed develops five true leaves
Its leaves have too many obstacles, and prevent the herbicides from sliding down the "nodules" to the roots. Chemicals work best early in the season when the bunting is still young and has small leaves.
Step 2. Choose an appropriate herbicide
Products that contain MSMA and those with a chemical called bentazone are the most effective. The presence of the tile in the meadows is a fairly common problem, so it will not be difficult to find the right product to solve your problem.
Step 3. Let the herb grow for a couple of days before applying
The herbicide works best when the grass grows vigorously, while it is not very effective if applied immediately after cutting the grass. Wait a couple of days or more after the last lawn mowing.
Step 4. Put the herbicide during a dry spell
Wait several days after the last watering, and don't spray it if you think it will rain for the next four hours - or if heavy rains are expected in the following days. Water dilutes chemicals that cannot perform their action.
Step 5. Read the instructions on the label carefully to understand how to use it correctly
MSMA herbicide is usually sprayed diluted all over the lawn. For example, the instructions may indicate mixing 45 milliliters of product in 20 liters of water to treat 90 square meters of lawn.
Step 6. Repeat the treatment several times during the growing season
In the hot season, only two applications may be necessary, but in the cool season it is necessary to do 4-8 before the weed completely dies.
Advice
- Don't try to mulch the bunting. This weed is so persistent that it can usually make its way through mulch, cloth, and even plastic.
- Check if it is growing in a humid area. Often, peppery grass develops due to poor drainage. If you notice that it is growing in a humid area, you can minimize its expansion by drying the lawn and looking for solutions to improve the drainage capacity of the soil. However, this may not be enough to kill resistant weeds, since it can grow even in drought conditions, but it can reduce its quantity.
- Never change the terrain in the hope of eliminating the tile. Moving the clods will only make the "lumps" spread even more - and make the problem even worse rather than improve it.
Warnings
- Keep children and animals out of the grass for 24-72 hours after using a chemical herbicide. Many of these substances are toxic.
- Be aware that a large and frequent application of chemical herbicides, especially those containing MSMA, can discolor the grass.
