Some states, like Utah, have classified Bermuda grass as “a threat to the state,” while grounds crews contend the hardy grass thrives in drought conditions.
The merits and detriment of Bermuda grass is being debated in areas where it has been declared a “noxious weed” by the state, the Salt Lake City-based Deseret News reported.
Lorenzo Lopez, the senior crew lead at the University of Utah, is calling for the state to lift its ban on Bermuda grass. Lorenzo believes it could be part of the answer to long-term worries about drought, the News reported.
Bermuda grass uses less water and thrives in many areas where other grasses don’t, said Lopez. “This could be a great opportunity for Bermuda grass,” Lopez said. “I think it’s one of the answers. It’s not the complete answer.”
But Lopez is not allowed to do it. His lawn crews can’t even experiment with Bermuda grass. The state long ago declared it an enemy in the war on weeds, the News reported.
“This weed is one that we’ve looked at, and we’ve decided that it really poses a threat to the state,” said Rich Riding, noxious weed program manager with the Utah Department of Agriculture.
Riding said Bermuda grass is way too aggressive, choking out nearby lawns and farm crops, the News reported.
“It will come right across the fence line into your neighbor’s yard, and then he’s got it,” he said.
But to Lopez, aggressiveness is one of Bermuda’s virtues, the News reported.
“That’s exactly the advantage. It’s aggressive and will fill itself in. Where I’m spending thousands of dollars trying to reseed and keep bluegrass, Bermuda will take care of itself,” Lopez said.
Bermuda is allowed only in the St. George area because Washington County officials petitioned for an exemption from the ban. Sod growers and golf courses have had mixed success, the News reported.
“It’s legal to grow here, but I haven’t been able to,” said Gary Turner with Turner Turf Farms.
Steve Larsen, superintendent of Sunbrook Golf Club, said best results have come from the “noxious weed,” the News reported.
“For the city courses, with the soils and water we have, it seems to help the best to have Bermuda,” Larsen said.
All agree Bermuda is less thirsty than other grasses. In times of drought, that could be helpful, the News reported.
“There’s a place in our society for it, and I think that day is coming,” Turner said.
“In the cooler climates, I would classify it more as a weed as well. But I think down here it does have some very good uses,” Larsen said.
The state granted Washington County its exemption because conditions there are different, the News reported.
“Washington County is more like Arizona and southern Nevada than it is like Utah,” Riding said.
Lopez said it ought to be allowed in Salt Lake County, too. He said he believes the ban was imposed in a different era to protect agricultural interests, the News reported.
“We’re no longer an (agriculture) county as much as we are an urban county,” Lopez said.
“The problem with allowing it in Salt Lake County is then it has the capability of spreading. Like I say, it’s not neighbor friendly,” Riding said.
Lopez argues that all grasses spread like weeds. The key is learning how to control them, the News reported.
State officials say they don’t believe any other county besides Washington County has ever petitioned the state to allow Bermuda grass, the News reported.
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.