[VoodooChile]

Read this article in the Chicago Tribune this morning and thought it pretty provocative:Turf war ruffles wealthy residents of Florida enclave

So this guy puts in a plastic lawn, the neighbors hate it,try to force him to take it out, and he retaliates by painting his house puke-pink with blue and green polka dots!

The municipality then determines the rubberized-base of the plastic turf washes into the surrounding watershed and is toxic to fish, but the plastic lawn has the environmental benefits of requiring no water or chemicals.

Apparently it looks great from a distance, but is kinda shiny up close and the dogs won't go near it.

Wonder how it feels on the feet?

You lawn-care professionals must be shaking in your shoes...

[P-Train]

I like the guy already!

[Stonehenge]

Sounds like the same system that lots of NFL teams are using for their turf. I got a tour of Detroit's Ford Field when it was brand new - same deal. Blades were actually about 4-5" long throughout the turf, then filled with shredded tires (appropo for a Detroit team). Looked great, was comfy to walk on.

Though I think I'd have a hard time designing a 'scape to go with a pink wall with blue and green polka-dots.

[VoodooChile]

Too bad the link doesn't include a picture like the paper did; the paint job is a hoot, 110% OFFENSIVE.

Still the article is worth a read cause it raises some big issues:

1) What property rights does a homeowner have as far as their landscape is concerned?

This has been an issue my business has faced when we install a "natural" looking landscape in a butt-anal neighborhood, and the neighbors freak about the "weeds".

2) Are innovative green technologies always better than old school approaches?

I have to wrestle with this when we convert a lawn or garden to organic care, and the weed outbreak imperils adjacent natural spaces.

Or, is uprooting buckthorn stumps really better than painting them with Garlon?

3) Can a municipality legislate against one type of hazard, without addressing others? In the article, the city says his lawn is a hazard to fish, but aren't the chemically-maintained lawns also a potential hazard?

In our county, new homes can't have more than a 30% viewing corridor within set distances of lakes, but existing homes can have nothing but lawn across the whole shore.

4) How do we determine if a landscape's overall impact is positive or negative? The dudes lawn uses no water or chemicals (at least initially) but pollutes the water.

Lots of tough ???s, that got me thinking.

And you got to hand it to the guy, he's got the guts to even piss off the wife

[agla]

I live in a historic district, Old Kings Highway. It goes through five towns, anything and everything north of route 6 if you know Cape Code at all. I have file for approval (pay a fee), go to a hearing, and get compliance (another fee) in order to paint my house any other color besides what it is now or white. I think it is a great thing for the historic areas. It really makes a difference to compare route 6A (Old Kings Highway) with route 28 (strip malls). But, I live in a 1965 subdivision that is off the beaten track. It is, in my opinion, regulated to take in money.

I guess I should be happy that my neighbors won't have polka dots. ... or stockade fences that come out past the face of the house, no chain link fence, no shinyl vinyl fence, .... Oh, and no landscaper or other trucks in their driveways. Rail fences and picket fences still need to be approved (cha-ching).

I think the fake grass would be allowed because they do not regulate landscaping. Go figure.

[Bill Schwab]

Last year we installed numerous artificial turf grass jobs, including the football field for the new Poway high school. Basically, if you can install pavers, and if you know how to follow plans, and can do drain lines, if you have ever used turf staples, you can install artificial turf. You seam it just like carpet, lay it over class 2 road base (CA-6 in the midwest) stretch it out, and whammy blammy, "Show me da money Jerry" "Show me da money!"

There are 5 varieties that are available, graded by turf variety. Bluegrass, Fescue, Bent grass, etc etc. Walking on the stuff feels just like real grass without the wet dew sticking to your feet. They even make a spray that makes it smell like real fresh cut grass.

In an area where water is at a premium, this stuff initially costs $13.00 a foot or more to install, but if you figure the average summer water bill runs at $100.00, and with the fake turf it runs at $40.00, in 3 years, most installations are paid for. And, the turf is guaranteed for life.

I would be very curious as I always am, about ANY environmental impact study. In all cases of studies, numeric calculations are used to push points. And, criteria is deliberatly left out, or added in order to show the numbers what ever group who ordered the study needs to see.

Environmentalists are famous for stretching the truth, such as with the small engine scare, and the ban of 2 cycle products, which, pollute less than thier 4 stroke counterparts.

Anyhow, installtion of artificial turf is growing by leaps and bounds in our area, so why let anyone else make that money when you can?

[VoodooChile]

Bill,
From the article it doesn't sound like any science was done; just some city employees decided the rubberized pellets were washing into the water and posed a threat. Sounds bogus to me, since if the rubberized base were washing away, wouldn't that quickly compromise the surface of the turf?

Also, this product sounds different from what you described in your post...no rubberized base. Or is class 2 road base shredded tires???

[PSUscaper]

Well, the wheels have been set in motion. Coming up next month, I have signed up to give a lecture on artificial turf at a local garden/flower show that I will have a booth at.

I've been doing some research on the subject for a few months now, and decided to give it a shot.

So far, I'm not a 100% sold on the stuff yet myself, but then again, who am I to judge what is or isn't 'desirable'.

The article you mentioned seems to be a recurring theme on the downfall of fake grass. After doing many searches, it seems to be one of the biggest complaints on artificial grass. One house has a green lawn all year long and it sticks out like a sore thumb on a other wise 'dead' street.

At this point, I want to focus my initial sales towards commercial applications. I do see a tremendous oppurtunity in this sector. Imagin all those Mc'd's, burger kings, taco bells, etc. with those small sections of turf that have to be mowed, fertilized, cared for year in and year out, and still....look like crap. I see a good market there.

Also, looking into the municipal aspect, mainly road side medians. Hey, instead of pouring concrete in the middle of that median, how bout fake grass???

As for residential ideas, I'm still working on that. I'm in NJ....not Arizona. Lot sizes are pretty large here, and well, water restrictions are getting tight, but not that tight. I don't think I'm going to get too many 1 acre installs at $10 a foot, so think I need to develop a special market. One idea I have is shooting for areas such as pool areas (ie....the area between the fence and the pool decking that often is too big to plant, but also is a pain in the but to get a mower into every week). Also, looking at the idea of incorporating the fake grass with paver installs. I like the idea of trying a driveway with paver tire tracks and fake grass in the middle as when you try to install real grass, it is often a struggle to keep it alive in such conditions.

I've gotten a bunch of samples from different manufacturers and will say that theres quite a selection. Some are pretty decent looking, others, well.....look like a cheap carpet you'd buy at home depot for that screened in porch.

It should be at least interesting to see how things go. There's a handfull of guys around here installing synthetic putting greens, but besides that, I don't see much competition. Maybe's there's a reason for that. Maybe fake grass isn't meant to be in NJ and should be left for warmer places? I don't know, but I'm gonna take a shot and see where it leads.

[VoodooChile]

Penn,
Sounds like you've found/invented a viable niche. The scenarios you describe are perfect for this stuff; now it's just a matter of marketing it.

Did your research turn up any data about the rubberized base washing away? I just can't believe this is a problem with legitimate plastic grass. I mean, could you imagine if paver installations regularly had their base wash away? No one would install pavers...

[Paul]

The biggest market for the "grass" is in sport fields. With soccer fields getting heavy usage, the new plastic sport turfs are winning over many park districts around here. The initial cost are much higher but low maintenance makes them more cost efficient in the long run.

[HRLand]

I would think that the allowable amount of impermeable coverage on a property would come into play here. If the rubber material that fills in the lawn is washing out then the rain water is not passing through. Here in NJ you can't even run leader drains onto the surface on new construction sites.