Tech Gets Sheepish About Kudzu Removal

Credit: Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has summoned a unique groundskeeping crew to campus in efforts to control the out-of-control kudzu growth that has ravaged the area for decades.

For the second year in a row, a herd of sheep have been allowed to graze on some of the more infested areas of campus, taking a huge bite out of the kudzu population. WSB-TV says that not only does the sheep grazing impede the future growth of kudzu by attacking the roots, this all-natural control process is extremely environmentally-friendly.

“Typically, the approach to managing a particularly overgrown area, like we have here at Tech, requires several grazing sessions with the sheep,” states Jerry Young, landscape project manager in Facilities Management in a statement.

Georgia Tech says the sheep will come back to the campus several times in the next 24 months to remove any plants that re-grow and completely choke out the kudzu’s root system.

Using sheep or goats to landscape greenspace is not a new idea in Atlanta; Livable Buckhead used the four-legged lawnmowers to clear a path for the PATH400 trails that were recently completed adjacent to Ga. 400.

The wooly cleanup crew will be on campus until Tuesday, WSB-TV says.