Nutgrass Killers for Pool Installation

Nutgrass

• Understanding nutgrass raises the chances of successful eradication. There are two main types of nutgrass that invades pools: Yellow and purple nutgrass. Yellow nutgrass starts growing when temperatures stay above 43 degrees Fahrenheit in the spring. Purple nutgrass starts growing when temperatures are above 59 F. Gardeners must monitor their yards before installing their pools in the early spring for nutgrass growth when temperatures rise. Because nutgrass thrives in moist soil conditions, weeds easily germinate new swimming pools due to water run off or pool use.

Preparing for Installation

• Prepare the yard for pool installation by staking around the perimeters of the proposed pool site. Within the area, herbicides containing glyphosate are sprayed removing unwanted vegetation such as nutgrass. The best time to spray nutgrass is when the plant is young or has fewer than five leaves. If the nutgrass has five or more leaves, the tubers do not transport the chemicals to the root system. In order to control mature nutgrass, gardeners must dig up the weed or use other control methods.

Mature Nutgrass Management

• Mature nutgrass has tubers penetrating the soil down to 8 inches. Leaving any piece of the root system behind allows the nutgrass to sprout back up again. Dig up nutgrass by digging to a depth of at least 9 inches. However, digging up a whole area for pool installation is much work. As an easier method, gardeners smother nutgrass weeds using landscape or plastic. Heat generated underneath the plastic burns the weeds. Cover the plastic with 4 inches of mulch and allow the plastic or fabric to heat up for six weeks during the heat of the summer.

Right Before Installation

• Pre-emergent herbicides chemically formulated for nutgrass in the spring are available through certain swimming pool retailers. Gardeners may use a pre-emergent herbicide at a rate of 7 pounds per 1,000 square feet right before installing the liner. Apply the pre-emergent herbicide two feet around the perimeters of the liner. Water the pre-emergent herbicide to help the chemicals form a barrier in the soil. Right after watering the pre-emergent herbicide, install the liner.