More and more San Jose residents are replacing their scruffy worn out sod lawns with fake grass. This trend was first identified during the drought years of 2007 and 2008 when water shortages and the cost of watering thirsty lawns reached record levels. The association seemed sensible at the time but the reality was that San Jose homeowners continued to install artificial grass in increasing numbers through the El Nino winter of 2009 and all of 2010. What was prompting an ever-increasing number of synthetic lawn installations? The answer is simple: San Jose citizens were tired of looking at their scraggly lawns.
South Bay residents enjoy sunny hot summer days and they enjoy spending that time out in their yards, whether it’s having bar-b-ques, letting the kids run through the sprinklers or having a friendly game of football. They are all about enjoying their outdoor living, unfortunately their lawns take a beating in the process. Inevitably, the rainy season turns those well-worn lawns into mud and slime. The following summer, the muddy areas have become bare and so the cycle continues: the mess and the wear and tear. Consequently, San Jose home owners are now investing in fake lawns in increasing numbers. Today’s artificial grass looks fantastic all year around, year after year. There is one catch, however.
Not all San Jose artificial lawns are equal: most of them use infill to help keep the blades of grass standing up. Infill is a mixture of sand and rubber pellets made from old car tires. Most people have seen infill on astro-turf type soccer fields around the South Bay. Unfortunately, infill is messy. It gets in your shoes, it gets in your pet’s paws, and wind and water move it around. In short, it migrates into places that you would rather not find it, like your house, your car, your carpet and your clothing. Why would anyone trade one type of mess for another?
That was the question the owners of onelawn® asked themselves when they were searching for an eco-friendly, beautiful alternative to the traditional sod lawn. Their search took them all the way to Dalton, Georgia where they discovered an artificial lawn company that could provide them with a luxurious estate quality residential synthetic grass that look and feels like real grass without any infill! The onelawn® product line is now the fake grass that more and more San Jose and South Bay residents are installing in increasing numbers.
For more information about this unique product, you can contact the friendly folks at onelawn® by calling 415-479-1234 or go their website at www.onelawn.com.
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The majority of dog owners love their dogs but hate what their dogs do to their lawns. These areas (sometimes referred to as dog runs…other times referred to as ‘what used to be my back lawn’) significantly benefit from the use of artificial grass. Muddy or barren patches caused by these energetic pets are restored permanently as animals cannot cause damage to quality turf surfaces.
Dog urine or excrement will not discolor artificial grass and the smell will not be retained within the grass. Simply hose off the area. There will be no muddy mess since synthetic grass drains ten times better than a sod lawn. The synthetic surface will also naturally clean itself when it rains. When dealing with dog dirt, simply treat the mess the same. Pick up the larger pieces and let the small sediments drain down through the crushed granite base as you wash it off.
Pet owners utilizing artificial grass have often commented that animals appear to treat the new artificial lawns just like the genuine article…they love it! This allays any concern that dogs might not take to the fake grass. The only issue for man’s best friend is their inability to bury bones! Artificial grass is truly a pet friendly solution.
If you live in the Bay Area and are interested in an artificial lawn for your pet, contact The Good Nature Company by calling 415-479-1234 or visit their website at www.onelawn.com. Onelawn is an infill free product. That means no messy rubber pellets and sand getting picked up by your dog’s paws and tracked into your house. Pet friendly and people friendly: onelawn!
Cross-section
Are you researching the possibility of installing an artificial lawn for your home? Do the different companies and the artificial grass that they offer seem to all be about the same? Perhaps one of the biggest differences is what you CAN’T see, and that is what’s hidden beneath the blades. This is the definitive guide to how an artificial lawn is installed – from start to finish with details on what should be best practice, and what you should watch out for.
First, make sure to take the time to investigate each company’s specific installation methods. Synthetic lawns should last 15 to 20 years. It is important that the installation process and materials are of the highest quality. There are good ways to go about installing an artificial lawn and there is the best way to go about the job. You need to know the difference.
Here are the procedures for installing an artificial lawn.
1. Excavation: Standard procedure in the industry for installing a residential artificial lawn is to first excavate the area to a depth of 3 ½ to 4 inches. If there is an existing irrigation system, most companies will cap it off or redirect your water for free. Removing the soil should also be part of the installation cost. If you do not need any excavation, a per square foot price reduction should apply.
2. Bender Board Installation: The best bender board is made entirely from recycled products. It is waterproof and won’t crack, rot or chip. It should measure 3 ½ by 1½, not 3 ½ by ¾. The best method of installation is to install the plastic bender board around the entire perimeter. This provides a secure edge for the installers to staple the grass to. They should use galvanized staples placed at three inch intervals.
Some companies will only put bender board where there are no existing concrete borders, such as the soft landscape areas that border flower beds. Unfortunately, this does not guarantee that tripping hazards will not develop over time or that critters will not lift up or burrow under the edges that are without bender board. This short-cut may save their company time and money but it is not best practice.
Some installers will use wooden stakes to secure the bender board in place. This is fine when the bender board is up against concrete boarders such as sidewalks and driveways because ultimately it will be pinned in place between the compacted substrate and existing concrete, but remember this: wood rots. Make sure that the installers use plastic stakes, not wooden stakes, out in the soft landscape areas, otherwise, the wooden stakes will rot over time and the bender board may capsize, ruining your lawn.
Most companies guarantee their installation for five years. It may take five years plus for the wooden stakes to rot and you could end up paying for the repairs yourself. Again, the bender board and stakes should be part of the installation cost.
3. Substrate Installation: Crushed granite will be brought in and raked out and compacted to 100% compaction. This provides excellent drainage for your lawn. The crushed granite should be installed in such a way that there is a slight crown in the middle which insures proper water run-off. Some companies use two inches or more of base rock and top it off with decomposed granite. This is how pathways in parks are constructed.
The problem with this method is that the decomposed granite gets harder and harder over time and also, it continues to decompose. Synthetic grass installed over decomposed granite feels like a carpet lying on pavement. The crushed granite remains firm but never hardens, which results in a more natural feel. Crushed granite is more expensive, which is why so few companies use it.
4. The Turf: First, a little information about the grass itself. Artificial lawns are basically large carpeted areas. In fact, there are only seven manufacturers of synthetic lawns in the United States and six of them are located in Dalton, Georgia, (the carpet capital of the United States).
The synthetic grass comes in 15’ rolls and has a variety of backings. The best backing is made from polyolefin. It is also know as Duroflo. It has a number of advantages over the more commonly used urethane backings: it is completely permeable throughout, rather than relying on holes punched into the backing for drainage, which can become clogged. It also functions as a weed barrier, which the hole punch variety can not guarantee. Finally, the backing and grass fibers are 100% recyclable. Synthetic turf using urethane backings are not.
5. Artificial Lawn Installation: The installers will roll out the artificial lawn and install it with some of the same tools that a carpet layer uses. They will custom cut and fit the lawn to the designated areas as they go using carpet knifes and carpet kickers. The perimeter will be stapled in place with pneumatic staple guns and galvanized staples. The area in the middle, known as the field, will be anchored in place with six inch galvanized foundation spikes placed at one foot centers. Think of these as really big nails.
Some companies use u-shaped ground hooks to anchor the grass down. These wire u-hooks are most commonly used to hold drip system tubing in place. They are easy to put in but unfortunately they also come out easily. They are very thin and they are not galvanized so consequently they will rust away over time. They will not last for the lifetime of your lawn. Companies use them because they cost about three cents a piece which is about ten percent of the cost of the foundation spikes.
6. Blooming: Once the lawn is in place, the installers will use power brooms to ‘bloom’ the fibers to get them to stand up straight. If you have purchased a no-fill product, this is the final step. If not, the installers will fill in between the blades with sand and a top coat of rubber granules made from recycled tires.
A word about infill: it can be messy. It gets in your shoes and if you have kids, it will get in their shoes and clothes. If you have any pets, it will get into their paws. Water and wind move it around. It migrates. The reason no-fill products don’t need fill is because they have more blades per square inch and they also have an additional thatch layer which lives between the backing and about half way up the length of the blades. Think of it as the distinction between fine linen and regular bedsheets where the stitching per square inch makes the all difference.
Once your lawn is installed, the only tools you will need to maintain it is a nylon rake, which the synthetic grass company should provide, and perhaps a leaf blower.
If you happen to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to speak to someone about installing an artificial lawn, feel free to call the professionals at onelawn. They will happily walk you through the process of installing an artificial lawn whether you buy from their or not. They can be reached at 1-877-661-5296 or one through the contact form on site.
The San Francisco Bay Area has always been at the forefront of the ‘green’ movement. Looking to preserve and conserve, more and more concerned residents are turning to artificial grass as a green alternative to “natural” sod lawns.
Natural lawns are anything but natural. Because they are not indigenous, they need an inordinate amount of watering, fertilizing, pesticides and maintenance to keep looking decent. This national preoccupation with maintaining a beautiful green lawn has resulted in some very serious environmental consequences.
Now that spring truly has arrived it is time to consider a kinder approach to residential lawns. Here are ten very good reasons why an artificial lawn is a greener alternative then a traditional sod lawn.
1. GAS CONSUMPTION – Each weekend, roughly 54 million Americans mow their lawns! This results in the use of over 800 million gallons of gas per year.
2. GAS SPILLED – According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled all across America filling up lawn care equipment! Just to give this fact some perspective: the Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters of all time. That vessel spilled 10.8 million of gallons of crude oil, or 37% less than the gardeners of America spill each year. These spills result in a huge volume of emissions of hazardous air pollutants like nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, like carbon monoxide. They also contribute to soil and water contamination.
3. AIR POLLUTION – Lawn care engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing 5% of the nation’s air pollution and 10% or more in metropolitan areas. The EPA also states: a single traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles. That works out to be the equivalent of an additional 2,322 million pollution producing automobiles on the road every week-end.
4. GRASS CLIPPINGS CREATE METHANE GAS – Grass clippings contribute to global warming by creating methane gas. Here’s how: in a densely packed covered landfill, grass clippings don’t have access to the elements, especially oxygen, that help them break down. With the absence of air, sun and rain, grass clippings decompose and create methane, a potent greenhouse gas 21 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number-one source of human-caused methane emissions to the atmosphere is buried waste. In fact, landfills contribute 10% of the gases that are warming the globe. This is the reason that over half of the landfills across America do not accept grass clippings.
5. PESTICIDES – Everyone knows that pesticides are bad for the environment. An estimated 70 million pounds of pesticides are applied to lawns in the U.S.A. every year – ten times more per acre than are applied to agricultural crops.
6. FERTILIZERS – Keeping the grass green is anything but ‘green’. 40%-60% of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to sod lawns end up in surface and groundwater, contaminating and compromising the ecological health of our rivers, lakes, ponds and coastal waters.
7. WATER USAGE – Did you know that landscaping accounts for almost 70% of the water Californians use at their homes? In fact, a small lawn of only 1,000 square feet uses an average of 55,000 gallons of water each year.
8. MOWER INJURIES – According to a report carried out over a period of 5 years in the USA, well over 60,000 Americans were admitted to hospital emergency rooms because of lawn mower accidents. The most common injuries were cuts and bruises but there were cases of bone fractures, limb amputations and even a number of deaths. Admittedly, the ride-on type of lawn mower was a contributor to the more serious types of accidents, however, power mowers and even push mowers were responsible for the lion share of injuries.
9. LABOR – US citizens will spend three billions hours working on their taxes, whether they like it or not. Coincidentally, that is roughly the same amount of time they will be voluntarily spending maintaining their lawns! The hidden cost to the environment is the impact that the lawn care industry has on the environment: trips to the store, trucks on the road delivering goods, gardeners on the road servicing homes, factories mass producing lawn care products, super-freighters carrying imports, the list is long.
10. HEALTH CARE – Sod grass contains microorganisms, pesticides, and herbicides which can harm pets and kids. Many people are allergic to grass as well. There are no such issues with artificial grass.
If you happen to be living in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in an artificial grass synthetic lawn, please contact us here at onelawn™. We are committed in our pursuit of environmental best business practices. We are partners with Trees for the Future in planting one hundred trees worldwide for every one lawn we install. Please contact us at 1-877-661-5296 or visit our website at www.onelawn.com.
My last entry described the very real possibility of injuries resulting from the use of lawn mowers. A few people thought the odds were with them on that one. Fair enough. Next time you hear your fence getting whacked by a rock picked up by your lawn mower blade, you might want to think about those odds again…however, today I want to cover a sure thing and that is grass clippings.
Those little green clippings seem innocent enough, and you’d think they’d just break down nicely like the table scraps in your backyard composter, but grass clippings dumped in landfill actually contribute greatly to global warming.
The reason grass clippings contribute to global warming is that in a densely packed covered landfill they don’t have access to the elements -especially oxygen- that help them break down in an aerobic process (unlike a well-functioning compost pile). With the absence of air, sun and rain, grass clippings decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and create methane, a potent greenhouse gas 21 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number-one source of human-caused methane emissions to the atmosphere is buried waste. In fact, landfills contribute 10% of the gases that are warming the globe.
For this reason, many countries around the world and approximately half of all of the landfills in the U.S. have made it illegal to landfill grass clippings. Additionally, grass clippings rot in the landfills, introducing pesticides and fertilizers as well as creating leachate which ultimately contaminates our community drinking water supplies.
The average lawn produces clippings at a rate of about 7.25 pounds per square foot each year. The average lawn measures approximately 650 square feet, resulting in a total of 4700 pounds or 2.35 TONS of clippings a year per lawn! That’s just a single lawn, folks. Last year Americans threw away a stunning 31 MILLION tons of grass clippings. Is there a “greener” grass out there?
If you want the look of a sod lawn but want an eco-friendly alternative, you should consider a product like Onelawn, an artificial grass that is 100% recyclable and will last 15 to 20 years. That’s 15 to 20 years of NO CLIPPINGS, which means no landfill, no methane gas and no water pollution. And did I mention no more mowing? Save your back and help save the planet. Install a synthetic lawn today! If you are interested in the San Francisco Bay Area artificial lawn of choice, contact onelawn toll free at 1-877-661-5296. www.onelawn.com
San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Solano and in such cities as San Jose, Oakland, Fremont, Santa Rosa, Hayward, Sunnyvale, Concord, Vallejo and Daly City.