Traditional lawns are not just a style. It's a lifestyle. We use fertilizers to keep them green and beautiful, claiming we love all natural. We use chemicals and poison water, land and living organisms. It's time to change our approach to gardening. ...

As much as we love green and lush lawn instead of brown, half-dead looking patches of grass in the front yard, not everyone is ready to commit to a modern approach to gardening. Artificial lawn is something flirty, cheerful and look-amazing no matter what the forecast says. ...

At Global Syn-Turf, Inc. we strive towards the satisfaction of our customers with great passion. Global Syn-Turf is manufacturing more than 80,000,000 square feet of artificial grass each year. Our certified production plants in the United States and overseas produce synthetic grass for lawns, sports fields, putting greens, playgrounds, traffic medians, roof-tops, and more. We not only have the largest inventory of synthetic turf in United States, we provide the highest quality products available on the market today.  Every day we demonstrate environmental leadership and follow our prime mission - to green planet earth and to provide safety and comfort to people. Our lead-free synthetic turf is safe for humans, children and pets, and has a life expectancy of at least twenty year, not to mention the best warranties in the industry.  GST's unique technologies and designs allow our grass to look natural and realistic for years to come, to stay cool in high temperatures, and to keep green and fresh in cold weather conditions. Each one of our product lines has passed vigorous tests and far exceed government standards. We provide a ten years warranty (turf only) with a projected life of 20 years under normal use. ...

Living in a modern society doesn't mean endless resources. As modern citizens, we should develop a way of thinking and act for a sustainable future. The use of water should be included in these plans as well. As you already know, the Planet is suffering because of gas emissions, and as temperatures are rising, above average values, the levels of water are diminishing. It is why some areas, which never had water supply issues in the past, now face periods of drought. It is up to us to make the changes that will ensure enough and clean water for the generations to come. A smart usage of water does not only mean lower bills, but will also ensure sufficient water supplies to pass drought periods, if they come. The things we can do to contribute to this change is the way we manage our household. There are many aspects we can avoid or improve, in order to minimize water consumption. Take turf for instance. It is great to have it around the house, but it needs a lot of time and resources to maintain the green aspect of it. And even in the months when rains are scarce, you will need to water it if you want to keep its aesthetic character. The larger the area of turf is, the more water you will need for maintenance. By simply not watering the lawn will bring significant changes to your bills. You will have a good amount of money which you can save, each month, which is money that can avoid being spent. There is a solution to keep your lawn green and to avoid spending your money on water. Today, there are excellent alternatives to natural turf, and that is the artificial grass or artificial turf. It is soft, with a pleasant green color, and it replicates all the details of a real grass. And the best part of the synthetic grass is that it does not need any maintenance or watering. Quality products look so good that it will be very hard to tell that it is fake grass. Before picturing it as a hard plastic mass, you should see for real how artificial turf looks like. You might be surprised of its aesthetic aspect and the fact that is very soft to touch. Your water bill will drastically chance, giving you some spare money, which you can save or use to something else. And you will also help saving water, by having a responsible behavior towards sustainable development. ...

Battling with one of the most damaging droughts on history and confronted by mandatory water cuts, many California state citizens are deciding to allow their rich, green lawns simply turn brown, and consequently dealing with financial penalties for it. After hearing some reports that certain cities have fined their residents for letting their lawns turn to brown in the event of the drought , the California state Assembly passed a bill Thursday that prohibits fees and penalties for residents who decide to not water their lawn, the Los Angeles Times reports. "If California state is likely to administer its water resources resourcefully and sustainably, in that case we must not permit municipalities to penalize individuals for conserving water by not consistently watering their lawn ," assemblywoman Cheryl R . Brown ( D-Rialto ) said. A large number of California state cities possess maintenance ordinances indicating the condition wherein residential laws should be kept. As reported by the LA Times, financial penalties when dealing with these ordinances start out at about $100 a week to a flat fee of $500. On April 1, Governor Jerry Brown declared the state's first-ever mandatory water cuts , needing the state to help reduce its water usage 25 % by February 2016, a move that probably would conserve some 500 billion gallons of water. California's water resources are broke up among environmental uses, for example, water in protected rivers and streams, or water put aside for preserving habitat - and also agricultural and urban uses. Environmental necessitates require 50 % of the state's water, with cultivation accounting for 40 %. Urban utilization clocks in at only 10 %. Within that 10 %, outdoor residential water, the water utilized in swimming pools and landscape irrigation - is the primary important use, accounting for 34 % of the state's entire urban water utilization. As emphasized by the University of California, a lawn is "almost constantly the single largest user of water at home landscape", a 500-square-foot grassed area can use a lot more than 18, 000 gallons of water annually. In April of 2014, Gov. Brown finalized an executive order mandating that homeowners' associations should not fine individuals for failing to water their lawns. But nevertheless particular homeowners' association guidelines can continue to make water conservation measures challenging for homeowners, something that a resident of Southern California, Greg Greenstein, states that have been happening to him. As reported by KLTA5 News in Los Angeles, Greenstein changed his home's grass with artificial turf in January with a purpose to conserve water. Since that time, he claims to have accumulated over $4, 000 in penalties from his homeowners' association, which states the replacement was made without appropriate architectural authorization. When Greenstein declined to remove the turf, the homeowners' association started penalizing him $50 each and every day.  The homeowners' association argues that Greenstein wasn't fined for having turf, however for installing it without prior authorization. Greenstein's homeowners' association enacted a prohibit on artificial turf on front lawns in 2008 and declared that right now there wasn't enough interest to alter the rule when the association recently reconsidered it. The state Assembly's bill trying to prevent cities from leveraging penalties on inhabitants with brown lawns passed 74 to 0, and right now would go to the state Senate for a consideration. Lawmakers are likewise thinking about a bill that probably would avoid homeowners' associations from prohibiting homeowners to put in place turf as a water conservation measure. ...

What wouldn't you do in the face of California Drought? San Jose's and Santa Clara's mayors took big gulps of filtered sewage water on Monday, April 28. Good stuff? Ouch.  Disinfected and purified water from the sewage has been used since 1997 in Silicon Valley for the landscaping irrigation and industrial purposes. New Advanced Water Purification Center in Alviso opened in July 2015, take previously filtered water to a new level, cleans it with microfilters, ultraviolet light and reverse osmosis. The outcome is generally distilled water. After five years of nowhere near sufficient rain, Californians are questioning where else to find water, and it often comes to the question about the desalination. The cost of water that comes from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is $400 an acre-foot. Filter sewage water will cost $1,100 - $1,500, and the desalination brings the price up to $3,000.  Silicon Valley political leaders propose to almost triple the use of purified water from twenty thousand acre-feet a year to fifty-five thousand, which covers twenty percent of the country's total water demand by 2025. They hope to get by the California Environmental Quality Act using an exemption from CEQA under an executive Gov. Jerry Brown's mandate issued April 1.  The $800 million finance for this project could be funded with state bond money and federal funds. But to the homeowners it still means increased water rates. While Silicon Valley is facing the future of drinking out the toilet for the double price, it might be a good time for us to make less dramatic steps. For example, replace natural turf with artificial.  ...

Though often overlooked, a properly maintained lawn is one of the best aspects of owning a home. The ability to walk onto your own patch of land and enjoy a lush, healthy landscape can be an incredibly therapeutic experience, helping to melt away the stresses that naturally pop up in our lives. Likewise, a sparse, dirt laden lawn can feel like stepping into a prison, and in Central Texas it can be very difficult to keep grass alive and flourishing. My name's Sam, and when I graduated from college two years ago, I was thrilled with the idea of home ownership. I had spent four years crammed into dorms and apartments and I wanted more space, but the main thing I had missed after moving from home was my parent's lawn. I was flooded with memories of birthday parties and outdoor grilling. I wanted to capture a little bit of that magic for myself, and I wanted to be able to share those experiences with my friends, family and future children. After a while, I was elated to find out that I could afford a house., though I came to the conclusion that none of the houses in my price range had the yard that I desired. Some of the nicer houses had stunning yards, but they were far outside of my budget. Even if I could have afforded them, I had observed a number of lawn care professionals maintaining these beautiful lawns, and I had not anticipated that cost. I decided that, with a bit of work, I might be able to sculpt a lawn that would bring me pride. I settled on a house with a fairly small backyard, thinking that if the yard was smaller, I might have an easier time maintaining it properly. The lawn was mostly dirt with small, sparse patches of weeds jutting out of the ground. To say the least, it wasn't inviting, and I couldn't imagine my friends, let alone my future children, wanting to spend any time there. After months of hard work and countless dollars spent on water and fertilizer, I had barely grown any grass, and the grass that had appeared was dry and nearly dead. I decided that my lawn was destined to be a barren wasteland. Part of the problem is that I live in Central Texas, which is extremely hot and dry. Without employing the help of a team of lawn care specialists, it's very difficult to maintain a lawn. The other part of the problem is that I was having trouble balancing my new career, my social life and my off time with the increasing amount of effort my lawn was demanding. A few weeks later, I went to a party at my friend's house. He had never been able to get his lawn looking much better than mine, despite having more money and time at his disposal, but as soon as I stepped into his backyard, I was struck with child-like wonder. Beautiful, lush green grass filled the ground. It was nothing like the dirt pile that I remembered. We greeted each other and I quickly pulled him away from the other guests, begging him to tell me his grass growing secret. He whispered, "It's fake." After the party, my friend explained the details of his artificial lawn. He said that it only needed to be watered occasionally, and that you don't even have to dry it. I told him that I had heard of artificial lawns, but since I could barely afford the cost of maintaining an organic lawn, I figured I could never afford it. He told me that an artificial yard is actually more cost efficient in the long run. After doing some research, I discovered he was telling the truth. I also found out that the tools used to maintain an organic yard pump untold amounts of chemicals into the atmosphere, whereas an artificial yard doesn't require nearly as much upkeep or pollution. A few weeks later, my artificial lawn was installed. The specialists removed my wimpy, brown grass blades and poured sand to create a foundation that would prevent unwanted growth. They installed the artificial lawn and they were done, simple as that. With the exception of occasional watering, I don't have to lift a finger or pay a penny, not to mention harm the environment, to have a lawn I'm proud of. I've made plenty of memories with my friends and loved ones, and my backyard has become a popular spot for family birthdays and celebrations. I transformed my prison into a paradise, and I couldn't be happier.   ...

You create surface drainage by grading an area so that water collects and flows to a lower elevation away from the site. Regardless of surface characteristics, when it comes to surface drainage, the slope is the most important issue to consider. For efficient drainage, turf or landscaped areas should have a minimum slope of 2 percent. ...

How much do natural and artificial lawns look alike? If you don't know the secret, you will never guess the truth. But there more to the story of sisterhood. We have more episodes coming next week.  ...

Gophers are frequent late-night guests on the California coast. These pesky rodents can be a gardener's worst enemy. When you are installing an artificial grass, the best way to eliminate a problem is to install a Gopher Wire - 1/2'' control mesh that can save your investment. Learn how to install a gopher wire with Dave Maronic! ...