In Las Vegas it is difficult to grow grass. By saying it is “difficult” we are actually saying that it is a situation that has improved over the way it used to be. There was a time not so long ago when it was “impossible” to grow grass in Las Vegas, simply because Las Vegas is a desert. We do not have enough natural rainfall to allow most plants to grow here, and the plants that do grow have adapted to the situation. These plants are not considered “beautiful” by most people, and would rarely be used as landscaping elements that beautify your home. But about 75 years ago the Hoover Dam was constructed and a water supply for the Las Vegas valley was created, allowing people who lived here to have running water in their homes. The dam captured a huge amount of water, and because there were not a huge amount of people living in Las Vegas at the time, water was plentiful. People began experimenting with reshaping their spaces that they control, using the water to grow plants that could have never grown here before. The introduction of large supplies of water made it easy, as the sunshine was plentiful so growing grass was suddenly possible. The good times drew many new people to the area, and as a result the water supply started to become less plentiful.
While there is still plenty of water typically being held in Lake Mead, sometimes there are stretches that go by that brought water levels down too low to assure that all citizens would have access to drinking water, and during those times mandatory watering restrictions go into effect. These times are difficult for your landscaping as you cannot water it enough to keep it healthy, and many times results in the death of areas of your lawn, if not the whole thing. This is why the county provides incentives for the removal of grass, which is one of the biggest wasters of water in our desert community. The county will generally provide some form of rebates for the removal of grass and the replacement with a ground covering that does not use water, being either a desert landscaping type or even artificial grass. You can see upwards of a 2 dollar rebate per square foot that is transitioned over to a water smart landscaping concept, as long as you follow the procedures and have it professionally installed.
Synthetic grass is a perfect solution for those people who absolutely must see that patch of grass in their yard, and who cannot find an affinity for the desert landscaping concept. Artificial turf provides the soft and lush look and feel that real grass does, and is perfect for play areas for children and pets. Because it does not use any water, you will not need to maintain it or water it, and as a result you can enjoy it while everyone else is wondering how to make their grass survive. Grass was a bad idea in Las Vegas, isn’t it time to ditch it once and for all and move to a better solution?