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Take a look at the picture above. Is the lawn real or fake? 19 out of 20 people make a mistake. Test yourself.

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As a drought becomes a major concern in California, the idea of replacing old lawns with artificial grass becomes more and more attractive to home and business owners. In the interview with Ken Wayne, Fox News, San Francisco, Jim Luthi, the homeowner of Newark, confessed he has bit the bullet and replace the sod with artificial turf: "Thirty something years of having droughts on and off. "

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As every homeowner knows, a nice lawn takes a lot of work and water, and for some it doesn't worth it anymore.

"A few years ago I wouldn't have got this because I didn't like the artificial turf, but they've gotten so good now that I figured you know what, I'm going to do it. And I wanted to lessen the workload on myself a little too," Jim said.

Michael McGinnis, a landscaper, loaded his pick up with a giant roll of artificial turf at Global Syn-Turf's warehouse in Hayward, California. He says he is getting a lot more business installing turf.

"It's becoming extremely popular. People can't get enough of it I guess," he told KTVU.

The artificial grass industry is exploding. Global Syn-Turf, the largest artificial grass manufacturing company in America runs 45,000 square foot warehouse in Hayward. But that's only a small part of their business. They carry artificial turf products all around United States, including large metropolitan areas in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, New York and East Coast. Residents and landscaping businesses in Southern California pick up turf directly from GST's huge Los Angeles and San Diego warehouses. With increasing popularity of artificial turf in United States, most manufacturers run out of products quickly, but not Global Syn-Turf.

Dave Maronic, a company vice-president, told KTVU the business is booming. "We've doubled, tripled every month," he said. "Different engineered blades is the way of the world right now."

Global Syn-Turf produces more than 65 types of artificial grass of different colors, heights and weights. Engineered blades are designed for high performance, impeccable resilience, super-natural looking turf. It is not your old-fashioned, carpet looking Astroturf.

"It looks just like the real thing, feels like the real thing. It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic.

With the late concern about a crumb rubber linked to health issues and used by other artificial grass manufacturers, Dave Maronic made it clear that Global Syn-Turf has never been in favor with the use of old, used crumb tires, and always recommended natural infill solutions to their customers.

"It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic. "There's different padding to meet G-Max ratings for fields that you don't have to use that rubber. So it's not something we carry. Not something we sell," he said.

G-Max is the measurement of the shock attenuation of sports surfaces. The performance values of an artificial grass field can be understood as a reflection of the field's G-Max rating. With the G-Max below 120, the surface is too soft and may not provide enough energy return to the athlete, and leads to premature exhaustion. When G-Max rating is above 180, it creates an overly hard field, and will cause a performance hazard introducing the risk for severe injuries. The use of crumb rubber is not required to achieve perfect G-Max rating, and there are other ways to achieve a maximum level of protection to athletes.

This year, Global Syn-Turf installed a million square feet of turf at the Twin Creek Sports Complex in Sunnyvale, California.

You may think that installing artificial grass is a more expensive alternative to a natural sod, but in a long haul it pays for itself by reducing water bills and the maintenance costs. In California, major water agencies run rebate programs to help homeowners transition their lawns into the drought-tolerant landscape. According to professor of Earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz Lisa Sloan, who predicted a severe California drought back in 2004, "the actual situation in the next few decades could be even more dire that our study suggested." But even the scientists are wrong, for most homeowners swapping to artificial lawns makes more sense money and maintenance wise.

At least that's the thinking of Jim Luthi as he gazes at his pristine Newark yard. "I think it looks great. Looks fabulous. Looks like regular grass."

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Global Syn-Turf, Inc. today announced the release of new line of artificial grass developed with one-of-the-kind Double S shape technology designed to create super-realistic look and higher resilience of synthetic turf surfaces. With this latest release, Global Syn-Turf further satisfies the industry's demand for a proven and reliable outdoor solution which is inherently low-maintenance and zero-irrigation; a synthetic grass which provides greater resiliency, realistic appearance and lasting durability.

The latest enhancements with Double S shape blade allow wider than regular, texturized look to the end-product. This update nests neatly with core value of the synthetic grass - the capacity to withstand severe weather changes, intense and constant use in combination with a soft, plush touch.

The new Double S fiber technology features multi-color emerald green and olive green blades with double thatching in brown and green for additional elaborate feel. First releases of Double S Blade line of artificial grass is available for distribution country-wide. Double S-72's pile height is 1 7/8 inches with 3/8 inches turf gauge and the face weight 72 oz.Double S-61 comes with the pile height of 1 3/4 inches and face weight 61 oz. The sturdy backbone of the fibers makes the grass stand up for a longer time and give the surface a remarkable resilience. This unique fiber blade significantly reduces glare to create super-realistic appearance.

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Gardeners like you can now start saving water through the use of artificial grass for their landscapes as replacement for the natural grass. The usual lawn is short, green and lush. When the weather is hot, natural grass should be paid with more attention and care. There is the need for more water, which means you will be spend more on your water bills for your lawn when the summer time kicks in. During this season, it has to be watered and maintained frequently and you may need to do it every day, perhaps.

When the weather is warm, the natural grass should be watered more often so as to keep the soil moist and to keep the grass in their healthy and good condition. If there is no adequate supply of water, chances are that your lawn will be in bad state as the soil would dry out and this will prevent the root zone of the grass from absorbing the essential nutrients from the soil. In times that there is no ample of supply of water, but you want to keep a beautiful landscape at home, you should turn to this option. Artificial grass will always make your lawn attractive throughout the year without commanding you to water and maintain it often.

With fake grass, you will never have to water your lawn. You don't need to install running sprinklers of water or any water watering systems that may cost you more. You will only need to clean and maintain the grass for some time throughout the year. Thus, your lawn will always look great and beautiful day and night, and whether it rains or shines.

If you're concerned regarding the environment or you just like to lessen your monthly utility bills, finding great ways to conserve water is the best place to begin. For more people, changing from the natural grass lawn to the synthetic ones is a way wherein they prefer to save water. You might not realize just how many water it needs to keep your landscape looking green and healthy yet when you see and realize the difference.

Saving water is more than a personal cost concern. It also helps to conserve the environment. It is fundamentally a desert which has been flooded with water-consuming lawns and swimming pools. The arrival of deviant moisture within the area has made the weather change and through switching to an artificial lawn, you are doing what you can do to help change this back.

One of the major reasons why it took time for the synthetic lawn to gain popularity and recognition is that the old-fashioned ones did not look much the same with the natural grass. There are some brands that were little more than green-painted spongy turf. There are some that are with blades which were very rough so they can cause abrasions and scratches once they come to contact with your skin. Today, artificial grass is very much appreciated by most homeowners and even business owners today.

To sum it up, artificial grass can help you save water in these ways:

• It does not need to be watered so you can save thousands of gallons of water every year
• There is no need to use any watering system that you usually need for keeping the natural grass healthy and in good condition
• Since it is made from a synthetic material, you will not have to water it every day. Your time and energy is also saved.

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Artificial turf is a new hit among baseball players. One high school team in Nevada had artificial turf installed in their baseball field and the players and coach love it. It cost the school a quarter of a million dollars to install the turf. This initial cost will be recouped later on in money they save on maintenance. The coach says that he's wanted to install the artificial turf in the baseball field for years. The main reason they installed the artificial turf is the weather. During the stormy spring season, for example, the team had to spend countless hours waiting for the field to be repaired after rainfall. Now that they have artificial turf installed, they can be playing on the field in as little as an hour after rainfall. The players love it too. The shortstop says that the artificial turf gives the field a uniform surface so that he can anticipate where the ball is going to go and how it will bounce on the field. No more bad hops. Also, when sliding into the base, he says it's like sliding on really nice grass every time. The coach expects the artificial turf field to last 12 to 14 years. ...

The crumb rubber controversy has reached two more cities. One is in Edmonds, Washington; the other is in Toronto, Canada.

In the first town, Edmonds, officials plan to install synthetic turf in a local school. Some parents have come out against the use of the crumb rubbers and cited anecdotal evidence in the media. Officials however, point to two studies by the Synthetic Turf Council and the U.S. Department of Public Health which say respectively that in 40 years there hasn't been any connection made between synthetic turf and ill health effects and that synthetic turf does not pose elevated health risks.

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Having a hard time installing artificial grass around trees? Watch this video for some helpful tips.

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