[editsam]

I'm a Sunset editor working on a story about the new synthetic lawns (like Synlawn) and I'd love to get your opinions. If you have the time, please answer the following questions. Post here or email me directly schoechs@sunset.com. You might get quoted in the magazine!

Thanks!

We want to know about your lawn (or lack thereof)

1. Do you have a lawn? Do you love it?
2. How are you dealing with your lawn in the current draught?
3. If you don?t have a lawn, what do you have instead?
4. Have you seen the new synthetic lawns and if so, what do you think of them?

[Sarah E]

In our backyard, we have an area of lawn. We water 3 times a week, with a sprinkler system that is on a timer. Currently, we are on water restriction, and those are the days we are allowed. Our water company may soon switch us to two days a week, but since our lawn is fairly well established, this will hopefully not be a problem. Our front yard is currently a distaster! We are planning on removing the reminants of lawn and switching to all native, drought tolerant plants, as well as some edibles. I have considered putting in a synthetic lawn, but my husband is against it. However, at my daughter's school, they switched to synthetic a year or two ago. The director of the school told me that with the wear and tear from the preschoolers, they were having to resod every year. After a new lawn would be put in, there would be a period of time that the children were not allowed on the grass. Then, as soon as they were, the lawn would get torn up, dug up, and generally worn down in a matter of months. For half the year, they would have awful looking grass, before starting the process all over again. Because of the constant upkeep, for the school, the higher upfront cost of puttinng in synthetic outweighed the maintence costs of a real lawn. They also no longer have to worry about children with allergies. There are some areas where weeds have still come through, and on the edges, you can see parts where children have pulled the "grass" up a bit. But overall, the lawn looks great after nearly two years of being trod upon constantly by a bunch of little feet! And of course, this is more wear than would occer at most people's homes. Based on the experiences of the school, I'd say synthetic is a great way to go for people who still want the appearance of lawn, but don't want to waste the water or time a normal lawn requires. If only I could talk my husband into it!

[windmill]

I have a lawn, that I love to hate. It's turning yellow. Time to make lemonade out of lemons and plant succulents. Sorry, I am not too fond of any type of fake thing.

[Linda_Sr]

My concern with synthetic grass is what it is made of. Actually, I am not even sure Doing a google search of synthetic grass, I have not found on any of the sites what it is actually made of. Is it plastic? So some type of oil derivative?
I have been learning more about the effects of plastics on our environment, particularly ocean life, and the picture is not pretty, and the negative effects are only beginning. I am trying to consciously do what I can to avoid the use of plastics boy it is everywhere, so I personally will not purchase synthetic grass. I encourage people to think of California as an arid environment, and lawns are simply not "Californian", and see about alternatives to the lawn look. Lawns are natural to those states that get rain all year long - my sister in New York never needs to work to make grass grow, instead she has to constantly mow it
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