For evergreen grasses this wounding will really affect their ability to live through the winter. Dividing plants wounds them to some degree. In areas where winter temperatures remain above 35 degrees it can be considered a perennial and the following information should be useful.Įvergreen or neutral grasses are usually plants that look like grasses but aren't actually classified as grasses, they are generally called grass-like plants.ĭivide evergreen or neutral grasses and grass-like plants in spring only.Įvergreen grasses don't ever go dormant. It should not be expected to live through the winter and begin growing again in the spring. Once the grass turns brown it can either be removed immediately or removed in the spring. Where temperatures get colder than 35 degrees F, the plants should be treated as annuals. It is best to keep the soil moist, but once established they can be surprisingly tolerant of dry conditions.Ĭyperus is an evergreen or neutral grass. The Cyperus will also do well when planted in normal garden beds. If the plant is put into a pot, I would suggest plugging the hole or holes in the bottom of the pot to keep as much water as possible in the container. The root ball can be submerged but it isn't necessary. The purpose is to keep the bulk of the soil or root mass wet. The crown of the plant should never be covered in water and in fact all of these varieties can thrive in water as shallow as a few inches. The plant can be planted in pots, along the waters edge of a pond, or even in a pond. It is a very fast grower and will quickly grow when replanted in the spring. It can also cause erosion around waterbodies/waterways if the area does not regenerate quickly after slashing.Īs with all weeds, but especially aquatic ones, early detection and control is paramount to avoid the difficult process of controlling an established infestation.Cyperus Papyrus is not hardy enough to survive winters with freezing temperatures and it is not a candidate to overwinter inside. However, this can result in seed spread if done when the seed is viable. Some success has also been achieved by continuous slashing around the edges of infestations. A follow-up treatment in 3-4 weeks and long-term monitoring and follow-up treatments will be required to assure longterm control of this invasive weed. However, once the plant has spread to form a dense thicket around a waterbody or waterway the best control method is to hand weed around native sedges and rushes such as Woolly Frogmouth, and then conduct a selective spray treatment with herbicide formulated for use in aquatic environments such as Roundup Biactive® or Weedmaster® DUO. Manual removal of Dwarf Papyrus when in small populations is the easiest and best control method. Why do we need to control this weedy cyperus? Well, if it is allowed to reproduce it will out-compete native species in a short period of time and change the natural ecosystem making it more difficult for both the native flora and fauna that would have once thrived in the area. Each seedhead has a grouping of over 100 flowering rays each containing a number of green turning reddish-brown florets as they mature. The flowering stems are rigid and upright with large, spherical shaped seed-heads. It can also reproduce via seed, hence the species name ‘prolifer’ meaning a prolific producer. Like many sedges, the leaves of Dwarf Papyrus are reduced to sheaths at the base of the stem.ĭwarf Papyrus reproduces via its rhizomes, which spread along the ground creating large colonies of plants that are very tough and hard to remove once having taken hold of an area. Dwarf Papyrus can grow to 60cm high, usually in thickets as shown in the header photo. Dwarf Papyrus is a perennial plant that likes to grow in sunny, damp or inundated areas with still or slow-moving water. In the natural environment Dwarf Papyrus invades wetland areas and is a smaller version of the other invasive sedge, Papyrus ( Cyperus papyrus). As with many ornamental plants, it marched its way beyond the garden fence and found its way into the landscapes of Queensland and northern NSW. It has been extensively cultivated as an ornamental pond plant in Australia and is readily sold in many nurseries as a water garden feature. The rhizomes were also used as a food source, although they are not very palatable. This weedy sedge is native to Africa and was historically used to make paper. It has now been identified as occurring in most of the rural areas within swamps, wetlands, drainage lines, water bodies and waterways. Little Prince Dwarf Papyrus is a vigorous clump forming sedge grass with thick light green triangular stems topped with huge umbels resembling onion flowers. Over the last few years Dwarf Papyrus ( Cyperus prolifer) has been increasing in its occurrence and density throughout the Redland City boundaries.
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