In A Growing Drought Environment, Artificial Grass Spreads

October 12, 2022,

It looks beautiful.

Sometimes better than grass, the latter of which can have myriads of brown burn spots from sun or over fertilizing.

As an alternative, the use of Field Turf or Artificial Grass is becoming increasingly popular.

FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface.

It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett.

FieldTurf is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its primary manufacturing facility is located in Calhoun, Georgia, United States. With a design intended to more accurately replicate real grass, the new product rapidly gained popularity in the late 1990s.

The surface is composed of monofilament polyethylene-blend fibers tufted into a polypropylene backing.

The infill is composed of a bottom layer of silica sand, a middle layer which is a mixture of sand and cryogenic rubber, and a top layer of only rubber.

The fibers are meant to replicate blades of grass, while the infill acts as a cushion. This cushion is intended to improve safety when compared to earlier artificial surfaces and allows players to plant and pivot as if they were playing on a grass field.

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The places that use field turf is spreading.

A specialized version of FieldTurf called Air FieldTurf has been installed to cover the edges of runways at several airports.

Field Turf’s close cousin and ancestor, Astro Turf, due to its concrete foundation, was never our favorite.

Time changes everything and Astro Turf has changed and improved.

AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports.

The original AstroTurf product was a short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto.

Since the early 2000s, AstroTurf has marketed taller pile systems that use infill materials to better replicate natural turf.

Early iterations of the short-pile turf swept many major stadiums, but the product did need improvement. Concerns over directionality and traction led Monsanto’s R&D department to implement a texturized nylon system.

By imparting a crimped texture to the nylon after it was extruded, the product became highly uniform.

We are happy about the improvements, especially since the use of Field and Astro Turf has greatly expanded.

Keep thinking about other uses.

Let’s start at home.

Home is where the heart is. Now?

Increasingly, home is where the artificial turf, or grass, if you prefer, is as well.

The team at syntheticgrasswarehouse.com educate, “According to the Synthetic Turf Council’s “Synthetic Turf Market Report: North America 2020”, the United States makes up more than 90 percent of the North American synthetic turf market, with the largest portion of installations occurring in the Midwest region. This is followed closely by the West and the Northeast.”

Makes sense. We suspected so.

The leader in home décor homedepot.com suggests, “The Home Depot carries a wide range of artificial grass and artificial turf to fit any space. Whether you’re looking for artificial grass to place in your outdoor space, an artificial grass rug, or you need artificial grass supplies to complete your project, we have the artificial grass you’re looking for. We offer the best assortment of synthetic grass with the newest looks to complement your home.”

Sounds enticing.

We have seen the pictures and they look wonderful.

They also share that artificial grass is an “ideal for walkways, porches, decks and more, artificial grass and artificial turf can be installed over almost any surface as long as it is smooth and dry. Building your very own artificial putting green is a fun way to use outdoor artificial grass. We carry the artificial grass tools you need to turn your backyard into a putting playground for your friends and family.

Fake grass is also great for pet owners who don’t want their natural grass lawns damaged by their pets.”

Time to get closer to home and why artificial grass is becoming more popular and prudent.

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The other major issue for those of us living out west is the drought issue.

At drought.ca.gov/, the State of California’s official website, they educate, “Weather extremes brought on by climate change have reduced our water supply. We are in a third year of drought and need to use less water.

In drier seasons, we rely on other sources of water. These include reservoirs and melted snowpack. But we are now facing a historic level of dryness that has gone on for 3 years. And it’s only getting worse: 2022 had the driest January, February, and March in over 100 years.”

The drought continues to be a huge challenge.

Natural grass needs extensive watering in a warm climate.

Decades ago, when we had substantial rain, we didn’t know how good we had it.

Las Vegas has faced the drought issue for years.

California and Nevada are closely aligned to water concerns due to the usage of the Colorado River.

As conservation pressures mount for Colorado River usage, states have to conserve water amid current worsening drought conditions. California water agencies said they are prepared to cut their use by nearly 10 percent starting next year.

On October 6, 2022, as reported by the Las Vegas Review Journal reviewjournal.com, “Federal officials in June called for cuts of 2 million to 4 million acre-feet annually along the Colorado River starting next year to prevent its two main storage reservoirs of Lake Mead and Lake Powell from falling further to points that would threaten the ability to deliver water and electricity to millions who rely upon the system across the West.”

That’s how serious it is out in our Western neck of the woods.

The great state of Arizona is affected as well.

As posted by arizonawaterfacts.com, “Drought is a prolonged period of below-average precipitation severe enough to negatively impact the environment and human activities. While few areas can receive as high as 22 inches of precipitation other areas can receive less than 4 inches.

Arizona has recognized the need for drought planning and preparedness and has taken action to reduce drought’s impact on the state. In urban areas, Arizona has already made significant investments in importing and storing water supplies, providing an important buffer against impacts of the current drought.”

Our summary?

As long as the Western United States drought is here to stay, the use of artificial grass is going to surge. It is the new normal.