Grass: Real or Plastic? As a continuation of the predicament the Nevada water situation is in, the water district is still paying $3.00 per square foot to replace natural grass with...

azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.

As a continuation of the predicament the Nevada water situation is in, the water district is still paying $3.00 per square foot to replace natural grass with something else. Now many people believe this is good because it saves water, right? But replacing natural grass with plastic turf is wrong in so many ways; You lose the carbon capture of the grass, you kill the earth under the plastic turf so no insects can survive beneath it, You expose more plastic to the sun and get polluting vapors, rabbits have nothing to eat etc. So let's hear how the global warming extremist elite view this one! Is there a universal agreement?

MrBob Loc: lookout Mtn. NE Alabama

IMHO natural grass is great but DO NOT use man made irrigation to keep it green... Exceptions would possibly be waste water reclaimed and reprocessed but then again a better use might be to allocate it to drinking water usage. Water is getting precious and Golf courses might become dinosaurs.

BebuLamar

If it's difficult to keep natural grass then perhaps pebbles or something like that. Something that looks like what it is rather than a prend tend grass. I am tired of pretend wood, pretend leather etc.. Also something like pebbles would allow water to go down and allows insects to live.
So the answer Real or fake? I would never choose fake of anything.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

The carbon capture ability of grass is actually fairly low, but the water demands are high, and the amount of nitrogen and other chemicals frequently applied runoff into our storm drains, into our creeks and rivers contributing to algae blooms. In addition to those negatives, it will likely be the most labor intensive thing you can grow. All of which is why we have zero grass on our 2-1/2 acres in the city. Instead we have periwinkle (Vinca) and mondo grass where a ground cover is needed and trees, shrubs and natural areas. I completely understand if you need a yard for children to play on, but for us, I’m pleased that we don’t own a lawnmower and instead enjoy the un manicured woods, the shade it provides and the assorted wildlife that fosters. As for astro turf, maybe on athletic fields, but not appropriate for home yards. Just my opinion of course.

Laramie Loc: Tempe

TriX wrote:

The carbon capture ability of grass is actually fairly low, but the water demands are high, and the amount of nitrogen and other chemicals frequently applied runoff into our storm drains, into our creeks and rivers contributing to algae blooms. In addition to those negatives, it will likely be the most labor intensive thing you can grow.

I couldn't agree more. We had Xeriscape installed in our front and half the back yard. Front looks great, but the back wasn't scraped enough, so the Bermuda grass grows and grows and can't be stopped. She would like to put fake grass where the grass keeps growing. I would like to put it all over the back yard: saving water, labor (mine), yet allowing water through to the ground and citrus trees. I'll win, but it might be too late for me. Worst waste of time, money and labor? The pool. The hundreds of thousands of pools in the Phoenix area.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

You are 100% correct; plastic is the absolute worst alternative to natural grass for so many reasons. Here in NH we have what the weather people call "flash droughts" that give us normal spring precipitation through April then May through August put us in a "severe drought" classification turning most lawns brown...or worse.

There are companies that sell "wildflower meadow" seed mixes that are a combination of wild flowers and prairie grasses. These survive on almost no water and unlike stones, pavers or other artificial surfaces provide food for pollinators. I'm not sure how well this seed mix will survive cold New England winters. Maybe someone out there knows.

edwdickinson Loc: Ardmore PA

azted wrote:

As a continuation of the predicament the Nevada wa... (show quote)

That and have you ever tried to smoke plastic? Yuck.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

edwdickinson wrote:

That and have you ever tried to smoke plastic? Yuck.

Ha! Good point! I'm not sure if the meadow mix includes those plants.

RainierView Loc: Eatonville, WA

edwdickinson wrote:

That and have you ever tried to smoke plastic? Yuck.

tcthome Loc: NJ

edwdickinson wrote:

That and have you ever tried to smoke plastic? Yuck.

andesbill

azted wrote:

As a continuation of the predicament the Nevada wa... (show quote)

You’re in a desert. You should not be using grass, ever. Go outside your city and see what nature uses, and copy that. Idiots that want to have a green lawn can paint the sand or rocks green. If you feel you need to have a green lawn of grass- move.

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

azted wrote:

As a continuation of the predicament the Nevada wa... (show quote)

Interesting. I'm not an advocate of plastic grass however with natural grass add the fertilizer used to green the grass and the pesticides used to kill weeds and insects including mosquitoes that multiply in the grass and where is the balance? In Arizona we grow gravel in our yards.

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

suntouched wrote:

Interesting. I'm not an advocate of plastic grass however with natural grass add the fertilizer used to green the grass and the pesticides used to kill weeds and insects including mosquitoes that multiply in the grass and where is the balance? In Arizona we grow gravel in our yards.

It requires a certain paradigm shift to "grow gravel." We grew up with the idealized version of what a house and yard should look like and that always included a manicured lawn. When did lawns suddenly become a necessity? Did people in the 19th century have lawns? Were these somehow a poor man's attempt to emulate sweeping immaculate properties of the rich, in earlier times?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The problem is a lack of water in your area. Watering lawns - and anything else - wastes a limited resource. They should be paying people to move out of the area.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

andesbill wrote:

You’re in a desert. You should not be using grass, ever. Go outside your city and see what nature uses, and copy that. Idiots that want to have a green lawn can paint the sand or rocks green. If you feel you need to have a green lawn of grass- move.

Hear, Hear!

Stan