Clever Ways to Spring through the Drought

April 2009 (The Tampa Tribune/ By Penny Carnathan) — Can you hear it? Your lawn and landscaping making sad little sucking noises?

Already stingy watering rules have gotten even stricter, and the two months ahead are dry in the best of times. It's enough to make a lawn lover want to throw the funeral now. Adieu, grass. Dust to dust. In lieu of live flowers, please bring plastic.

Now, there's an idea.

Yves and Melisa Conze did it eight years ago, and they've been happy ever since.

"It looks great; just like the first day," Yves says of the AstroLawn synthetic grass he rolled out at their Tampa Heights home in 2001. "I just vacuum it every once in awhile. You save money. It pays for itself. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Not quite ready to go there? Whether it's grass, shrubs or a garden you want to hang on to, there's more than one way to stretch a raindrop.

Synthetic Turf

Yves Conze installed his AstroLawn with help from his brother. His home was brand-new, so the yard was already bare and graded.

"Anybody could do it if they're physically able," he says.

About a thousand foot-long stakes and a lot of fine-grain sand swept into the blades hold down the AstroLawn blanket, he says. His grass hasn't faded or wrinkled since he laid it, though it gets toasty on hot days.

AstroLawn is based in Georgia. Conze had his turf shipped. Today, it runs $2.25 to $5.45 per square foot, and there are other costs: the sand to weigh it down and special tape for the seams. The Web site lists them, along with instructions for installing it yourself, and people can order sample packs to get a good look at the turf styles.

If DIY is NYT (not your thing), shop the many Bay area companies that sell and install fake grass. Look for something porous, so rainwater can soak through, and watch out for lead.

Last year, California sued a number of turf companies - some that also make or sell in Florida - for lead levels exceeding the state's standards. Lead can cause serious neurological damage in children if it's ingested.

The metal came from rubber mulch used instead of sand as ballast, and it was found in the pigment used to keep the color from fading. Tests showed it can come off on children's hands.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned it also can be released in dust as the turf ages.

To be doubly sure a product lives up to its lead-free claim, test it. Consumer Reports magazine recommends Homax's Lead Check and Lead Inspector.

For additional information concerning ASTROLAWN® please contact the following:

Geoff Evans (800-723-8873 / 706-277-8873)

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