re: Looking for 12 yards of Spillway dirt in New Orleans

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I probably get 10 or so calls on torpedograss every month during the growing season. Torpedograss is a perennial rhizomatous grass that is considered one of the most invasive grasses in the world....
The spread of torpedograss in Louisiana is mainly attributed to the movement of soils infested with torpedograss from the Bonnet Carré Spillway. The spillway is located just west of New Orleans and is the main source for southeast Louisiana; especially within the New Orleans metro area.

The fact is, you can find torpedograss everywhere along the Gulf Coast. Have you ever wondered why? Believe it or not, torpedograss was actually deliberately spread in the region in the 1920s because the grass was thought to be the next great forage for cattle and horses. It made a lot of sense at the time because torpedograss certainly spreads quickly and has very good salt tolerance. Unfortunately, compared to other forage grasses used in the South, torpedograss is not suitable at all as forage due to its low protein content. The grass can actually be toxic to horses. Unfortunately because of this error, torpedograss infestations have expanded considerably over the years, and the weed is very common on golf courses, home lawns and landscape beds throughout the region.

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Dr. Ron Strahan, torpedo grass research leader with the LSU AgCenter Extension Service, says the only option that normally works is to completely dig up your yard, down several feet, and replace the soil with uncontaminated soil - a very expensive and labor intensive endeavor, indeed. Even then, Strahan says, you run the very real risk of the species reinvading your property from a neighbor’s yard. If it is nearby, it will be back!

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