If you have ever gone to someone’s home and been in their backyard and noticed an absolutely perfect grass lawn, you were probably jealous of how nice the yard looked. You probably wondered how much upkeep there must have been in order to not only grow such a lush and perfect green lawn, but also how to keep it so perfectly manicured. The answer is probably a lot easier than you expected, and chances are that there is not very much as far as upkeep happening at all. Chances are you are looking at artificial grass and you don’t even know it. Synthetic turf is gaining in popularity, and especially in desert communities like Las Vegas is quickly becoming the standard. People are thinking hard about the mistakes of the past, of the attempts to remake the desert into something that it is not through the planting of grass and exotic plants, the wastefulness of these kinds of things and the consequences of our actions. Yes, a grass lawn looks great but what is the cost of it to both our bank accounts and our communities as a whole?
Planting a yard in Las Vegas means that 50 gallons or more of water is going to be wasted every year on every square foot. In an area where water is more plentiful this would not be an issue, but in an are like Las Vegas where Lake Mead s our only public water supply this is a huge issue. Our population has grown to the point of taxing our public water system past the comfort level, and an ongoing drought has brought water levels down to dangerous points. Today, Lake Mead is only 38% full, and the entire Las Vegas valley relies on it for drinking water. There is no end in sight to the drought, which means things are just going to get worse. The only viable solution is to conserve the water we have, and not waste it. Sorry, your grass is a waste of water.
The best solution to this issue is to remove the grass and to replace it with ground coverings that are water smart or need no water at all. Pavers, crushed rock and cement are all options that will save water, but if you absolutely must see that green grass in your yard why not improve on the real thing while doing good at the same time? You know how difficult it is to keep your existing yard looking good, and you know how much better it looked when you first planted it. The reason it is so tough is because this climate is completely wrong for grass to grow, and without the artificial water supply the grass will die within days. This is why artificial grass is such a perfect solution, it does not need water and yet it looks just like real grass. So if a solution allows you to actually improve on the look of the house while also saving water, why wouldn’t you do it?