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SALT LAKE CITY — A form of Bermudagrass is no longer considered a noxious weed in Utah, following efforts by researchers and other experts who had pushed the state to legalize a more drought-resistant grass for at least a decade.
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food's State Weed Committee agreed last month on a rule change to permit hybrid Bermudagrass in the state. It went into effect this week, allowing Utah sod companies or producers to grow the grass breed for residents to purchase and plant. Utahns can also import the grass breed from outside of Utah, said Aaron Eagar, the department's noxious weed program manager.
The state's decision came after scholars and commercial experts were able to provide evidence that the breed is noninvasive, and the grass can remain green even after six weeks without water. Bryan Hopkins, a professor of plant and wildlife sciences at BYU, said he believes the latter may change water conservation efforts in the state.
"We can say with certainty that using this grass breed will result in water savings in the urban environment," he said in a statement Wednesday. "This is a critical need in Utah with the preponderance of drought conditions, water scarcity and concerns for the possible demise of the Great Salt Lake."
The long fight for Bermudagrass in Utah
Utah agriculture leaders had long considered Bermudagrass as a Class 3 noxious and invasive weed, banning it from nearly every part of the state because the state believed it could "pose a threat to the agricultural industry and agricultural products." Washington County was the lone exception after its leaders pushed for it to be used in one of the state's driest areas.
The effort to allow Bermudagrass beyond Washington County dates back at least a decade. In 2014, Lorenzo Lopez, the man who oversaw the University of Utah's lawns at the time, called on the state to lift its ban because of its potential in a perpetually dry state.
"I think it's one of the answers. It's not the complete answer," Lopez said then.
BYU and Utah State University researchers also regularly approached the state about Bermudagrass over the past decade. Eagar explained that the breed was being tested in other parts of the country at the time because of its durability and its ability to use less water, which sparked all the curiosity.
The State Weed Committee was interested, but it wouldn't budge until it was clear there wouldn't be any negative impacts if Utahns planted the grass breed.
"As the State Weed Committee, we're looking at the invasiveness and what is the potential of doing harm," Eagar said. "We were looking at how would we manage this if we allow it. If it turns invasive, what would we do?"
Hopkins explained that the initial efforts stalled because the hybrid Bermudagrass — a popular turfgrass in the South — is a "cousin" of common Bermudagrass, which state experts were wary of because of how aggressive the grass species can be.
A turning point
These conversations started well before Utah's latest drought, which became one the worst in the state's history. It sparked all sorts of water conservation efforts, including a Utah campaign to let lawns go yellow.
But the drought wasn't exactly why Utah's agriculture department softened its stance on Bermudagrass; rather, researchers and commercial turf industry experts who had joined the fight calling for Bermudagrass shared newer sterile breeds that could curb the invasive concerns. The hybrid form that was approved doesn't spread the same way because its seed isn't "viable," Hopkins said.
The state agriculture department took this feedback and brought it to Utah's 29 counties before submitting a report to its commissioner recommending the grass breed before making the rule change.
"We're pretty confident that it's not going to outcompete, outperform all those other species," Eagar said.
A new conservation tool?
It just so happens that the rule change has big conservation implications.
Hopkins was among a group of researchers, students and grounds crew employees who conducted tests on the grass breed in recent years. The team pitted hybrid Bermudagrass against Kentucky bluegrass during those tests, watering both species every six weeks.
The team found that Kentucky bluegrass — commonly found on Utah lawns — went "belly up" within the first week without water, while the hybrid Bermudagrass remained green after six weeks. They repeated the watering method and found the same result, meaning it may only need to be watered two or three times every summer to remain green.
Hopkins said he believes the state's decision may ultimately prove to be a pivotal moment in water conservation — at least when it comes to watering in the summertime. Outdoor landscape irrigation accounts for about half to two-thirds of all Utah municipal water consumption every year, according to USU. That number may drop if hybrid Bermudagrass catches on.
Gov. Spencer Cox said he's also optimistic about this finding and the grass breed's potential.
"Finding new ways to save water is really critical for our state, and making sure people still have places to gather — like lawns — is also important," he told KSL.com. "The new technologies, new grasses, anything we can do to alleviate not just drought but to make sure we can have growth in our state ... is going to be critical."
