When the Houston Astros opened their stadium in the 70’s with a dome over it, climate control allowed people in the hot Texas summers to enjoy a day at the park watching baseball without frying in the heat. The cover over the field made it a perfect environment for people to enjoy the game, but it did create a minor problem on the field. If there is no sunlight, it is going to be nearly impossible to grow the grass in the outfield that we have become used to seeing. There are no actual rules that the outfield has to be made of grass, but this is the traditional way baseball was played so nobody wanted to change it. The result was the invention of a synthetic product that would look like grass, keeping the outfield looking like the fans wanted it to even though there was no growing grass there. The players complained that it did not feel like real grass, and the ball did not react the same way that it would when it bounced off real grass. Players had to literally learn how to play the game on this new surface, and adapt to it’s quirks. Some people loved it and some hated it, but most people agreed that it might look like real grass, but it sure didn’t feel like it. Most of those people would also agree that they would never install fake grass in their lawn and pretend that it was real, you weren’t fooling anyone.
The benefits of fake grass installations outweigh the cons. They are incredibly easy to maintain, and need no mowing or watering in order to look like grass. They do not dry out and have issues with some areas performing better than others. The problems that people had with fake grass was the way it feels when you walk on it. People’s interest in potentially using this product to solve their issues with landscaping lead to the development of more realistic fake grass products, and ultimately to the solution everyone was seeking with regards to the feel. A professional installation of fake grass is going to be over a prepared area of ground that has a weed barrier installed. This will prevent weeds from growing underneath and creating areas in the turf that look strange. The area that the turf is going to be installed over will then be prepared by spreading a filler material evenly, and then compacting that material as much as possible. This underfill that the synthetic grass is installed over provides the spongy feel of real grass, and also allows for better drainage. When it rains or a pet urinates on fake grass, it used to pool and look funny. When you walked on fake grass it felt hard and unnatural. Today these issues have been completely solved and fake grass actually looks and feels more realistic than many people’s actual yards. If you are interested in learning more about synthetic turf, or potentially having it installed into your yard, contact us today for a free consultation and estimate.
