Save Water With Artificial Turf

Desert climates like those found in Nevada and Southern California do not feature much as far as green plants.  The simple reason for this is that the area is too hot and dry for these types of plants to grow naturally, and instead of seeing grasses and flowers growing naturally these environments will see different types of plants that are more easily able to survive in the harsh conditions.  Plants will generally be more brown in color, lower to the ground and compact, and have tougher external leaves.  These desert plants are also less desirable for landscaping projects due to their less-colorful look.  Outside of desert environments, few people will include cacti and plants that are native to the desert into their landscaping plan.  As a result of this, most people's visions for landscaping their homes will not include much as far as desert plants.  While there is a move in recent years within desert communities like Las Vegas to create more attractive landscapes that are also more appropriate for the environment, the "xeriscaping" movement has not fully taken hold at this point.  There has been a large-scale movement to adopt these types of landscaping principles over the course of the past few years due to increased drought conditions, and the money that can be saved.

"Xeriscaping" is the concept of using elements that require little to no water as landscaping features.  It is more of a philosophy than an actual landscape plan, as there are many different methods of accomplishing a xeriscape.  The goals are to use beautiful elements that are natural to a desert community in a way that create a dramatic visual look and yet do not use water from external sprinklers or irrigations systems in order to maintain their look.  In areas like these that have little to no rainfall, the use of elements like rock as far as a groundcovering instead of a grass lawn fits into the xeriscaping philosophy.  Use of low water plants like cacti or even dramatic walls and firepits will also fit into the desert landscaping ideals, as long as there is no installation of water systems to maintain the look of the element.  One of the most obvious aspects that differentiates desert landscaping from traditional landscaping is the elimination of sod, and the traditional grass lawn as the groundcover.  This poses a challenge for many, as the grass that they are used to as a ground covering is softer and more inviting than the crushed rock or cement that would be used in a desert landscaping situation and require no water.  For this reason, artificial turf has become far more popular over the course of the last few years in desert landscaping plans.

The inclusion of artificial turf as a groundcovering is being promoted by regional water authorities, due to it not needing water to keep it's look.  A typical square foot of sod in the desert of Las Vegas needs more than 55 gallons of water each year just to survive, and the counties believe that the 55 gallons that would be used for watering your grass is better spent for drinking water for citizens.  Drought conditions in the southwestern United States have dropped reservoir levels to critical points, and required conservation efforts to be imposed to save water.  Many communities will not only encourage the removal of sod and the replacement with a water-smart groundcovering, but they will actually provide rebates and incentives to do so.  Because artificial turf installed professionally with an underlay material will look and feel just like traditional grass, many people choose to go this route in their landscaping design.  It may not look like traditional desert landscaping and it may not be xeriscaping as we have come to know it, but it serves the function of being an eco-friendly and water-smart choice for your desert home.