Artificial grass Lawns
Tampa Bay

The latest generation of synthetic turf is a grass-like ground cover that replicates lush natural grass in appearance and function. When used on athletic fields, it provides a consistent year-round, all-weather playing surface built to withstand extended use without downtime for recovery. As a landscape cover, synthetic turf provides a low maintenance, weed-free surface that doesn’t need to be watered or fertilized, and is available in styles that look like the grass types that are prevalent locally.

Most synthetic turf systems installed today include a drainage layer, a multi-layered backing system, and resilient “grass” blades that are infilled with a granular filler to resemble natural turf. “Infilled” means that the man-made grass blades are interspersed with a top soil created with sand and/or granulated recycled tire rubber or other infill materials that provide the necessary stability, uniformity, and resiliency. Each blade customarily stands above the infill material. The typical blade length and system characteristics are determined by the specific activity requirements. In some applications, the synthetic turf system includes a pad or elastic layer underneath the turf, often in combination with lower pile height and less infill.

Increasing demand for high quality playing surfaces and intense competition for field accessibility has given rise to a new generation of synthetic turf systems that replicate the look and feel of lush, natural grass. While the first artificial turf systems used in the 1960’s and 1970’s were hard, significant advancements have been made during the past few decades. By the 1990’s, the first synthetic turf systems with sand and rubber infill were introduced, which dramatically improved player performance and safety. Today’s synthetic turf, used by many NFL franchises, as well as member associations and teams of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the International Rugby Board and other international sports federations, combines the playing characteristics, look and feel of natural turf, with the advantages of increased frequency of usage, extra revenue generation, safety, longer playing sessions, fewer cancelled games, and lowest cost per playing day.

Synthetic turf is a smart solution for playing fields and landscape that have become unsafe and unsightly from overuse or severe climatic conditions. A grass field simply cannot remain lush and resilient if it is used more than three to four days a week, or in the rain, or during the months when grass doesn’t grow. This fact, coupled with an escalating need for durable fields that accommodate multiple sports teams and activities, the high cost of maintaining a grass sports field, and the need to conserve water, have prompted a rising number of schools and parks to turn to synthetic turf to meet their program needs. Today’s synthetic turf is designed to simulate the experience of practicing and playing on the best grass fields.

Synthetic grass for landscape, golf and other recreation applications is the fastest growing segment of the synthetic turf market. Over 35 million square feet of synthetic grass for landscape and recreation use was installed in 2012.

Thousands of homes, businesses, golf courses, municipalities, parks and tourist attractions like Disneyland and Steve Wynn’s Las Vegas resorts have turned to synthetic grass to provide a lush, attractive landscape solution that requires minimal resources and maintenance while saving millions of gallons of water each year. It is also a smart way to beautify public spaces such as highway medians and airport landing strips that would otherwise be difficult and expensive to maintain. Synthetic grass reduces city maintenance costs, freeing tax dollars for other purposes.

Synthetic turf has a measurable, positive impact on the environment. Depending on the region of the country, a typical grass sports field requires between 500,000 to a million gallons of water or more each year. During 2010, between four to eight billion gallons of water were conserved through its use. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water a day. Therefore, a savings of four to eight billion gallons of water equates to the annual water usage of over 27,000 to 55,000 average American families of four.

More than 50 independent and credible studies from groups such as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and state-wide governmental agencies such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Health and the California Environmental Protection Agency, have validated the safety of synthetic turf

Made with resilient materials for safety, synthetic turf sports fields are always ready to play on. Traction, rotation and slip resistance, surface abrasion and stability meet the rigorous requirements of the most respected sports leagues and federations.

No, there are a variety of different types of synthetic turf products and systems. Visit the Buyers’ Guide & Member Directory to browse synthetic turf manufacturers and system builders.

Yes, one of the important advantages of synthetic turf is its ability to hold up under very heavy use. While natural turf shouldn’t be played on during or immediately after a rain storm, after the application of pesticides and fertilizers, or during the months when grass doesn’t grow, synthetic turf is always ready for play. Regular maintenance is important to enable synthetic turf to withstand the heavy use that it is often subjected to.

The best artificial grass for residential is a long-pile polypropylene turf. It will look and feel like natural lawn, but it won’t need to be watered or mowed as often.

No, moulds can only grow in areas where there are high levels of humidity or moisture. The turf blades and backing on artificial grass create a very low level of moisture which means it’s unlikely that they will go mouldy as long as you keep the area around it clear from dampness and water.

No, there’s no evidence to suggest that your home value will increase as a result of installing synthetic lawn turf.

There are two types of artificial lawns that you can install in your yard: turf and non-turf versions. Turf type: The blades have a similar appearance to natural grass with fibres that resemble blades of hair which gives it its realistic look and feel, plus they’ve got a deep root system to help them stay durable. Non-turf type: These are made from polyethylene material and they’re usually installed on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt, where natural grass won’t grow in the first place.

There’s not a lot of work that goes into maintaining synthetic lawns. You just need to make sure you water it regularly and sweep off any dirt or debris on the surface with your broom, once in a while.