Utahns can now install a grass that will survive 6 weeks without water
Jul 17, 2024, 7:07 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — Two things that don’t go together are grass and saving water, until now.
A newly legalized species of grass was given the stamp of approval Monday by the Utah Department of Agriculture after it was proven to be drought resistant and non-invasive.
If you don’t want a dead lawn, but you also don’t want to use tons of water and time to keep it alive, it may be time to get better grass.
The simple solution came from years of research conducted by Brigham Young University professor Bryan Hopkins, his colleagues, and students.
“We have put in a ton of effort, and all the sudden, to see this summit of Everest,” Hopkins said.
Hybrid Bermuda Grass
Introducing Hybrid Bermuda Grass. It’s a dense, super-fine plant that has a nice surface for walking on.
Until July, it was banned in most parts of Utah under the misconception that it was an invasive weed. However, as Hopkins proved to the DOA’s Board of Weeds, the hybrid species cannot reproduce.
“They just didn’t distinguish between common Bermuda grass,” Hopkins said, “the only way to get it established is to use sod or plugs or sprigs.”
After extensive testing between Hybrid Bermuda Grass and the commonly used Kentucky Bluegrass seen in most Utah lawns, Hopkins and his students found a key difference.
Kentucky Bluegrass started to wither within days of no watering while the hybrid plant can go up to six weeks without showing signs of stress.
Hybrid Bermuda grass is commonly used on sports turf in the southern United States.
Hopkins said due to warming climates, it has become more suitable to exist in places like Utah than the grass we have now.
He said it will provide a huge benefit to the state’s initiative to conserve more water as it is drought resistant, while remaining soft to the touch and fine bladed.
“Conservatively, I think we use 50 to 60 percent less water, that’s massive,” Hopkins said.
Hybrid Bermuda grass has one pitfall in that it goes dormant between November through May, but the grass can be mixed in with other strains to keep some green color in colder months.
Hopkins says the grass will likely become available to buy and plant by next summer, as the ban was only lifted in July.
