The temperatures have been rising, and southern California is embarking on yet another summer. This means that we are potentially going to be facing yet another drought this year, and we are going to have to take steps to conserve water. For the past two years this has been the case, and as the summer temperatures go up we either need to provide extra water to our lawns, or watch as they turn brown and die off. For those who spent this winter reseeding and resodding their lawns to compensate for the damage done by the watering restrictions last year, this is going to be a bitter pill to swallow. All predictions are showing that this will be one of the hottest summers that we have ever seen in Orange County, and that means that we are going to be under the same watering restrictions as the previous years. We are going to have to cut back on the watering of our landscaping, and unfortunately that is going to mean some losses for all homeowners.
If you have not yet put any money into rehabbing your lawn from last year, may be suggest that you make an investment into your home that will take away the risks associated with living grass. Smart home owners are having that dead or dying grass removed and replacing it with a ground covering that does not need water in order to look great. This is going to generally be something like concrete or pavers, crushed rock or for those who really can’t get past not having a patch of green in front of their house it means artificial turf. If you have kids or pets and want them to have a safe and soft area to enjoy, artificial turf makes the most sense.
Thanks to modern technology, the synthetic process that forms the blades of grass from plastic and adheres it to water penetrable backing materials now looks so much like real grass that many people cannot tell the difference until the drought situation gets so bad that everyone’s lawns are dying. Only when compared to all of the brown grass in the neighbor’s yards can people tell that your grass is synthetic, and if it is professionally installed it is going to feel exactly like real grass as well. When we install artificial turf we use a compacted filler material as the underfill, this gives us the ability to shape the ground as well as giving it adequate drainage so that water does not pool on top. This material makes the turf spongy exactly the same way that real grass feels, and when it is appropriately staked and finished it will be tight and secure to the ground. This makes for the perfect areas for children and pets to play, or even for adults to play if you have something like a putting green installed. No matter what, the drought is coming back and if you are not prepared it is going to cause some pain. Why not invest into your lawn in a way that doesn’t need water this year?
