NewsWest 9
MIDLAND - Triple digit temperatures and a drought in Midland-Odessa has everyone trying to conserve water to save money. One of the biggest blows to your bill, watering the lawn. But some West Texans don't have to worry about turning on the sprinklers. NewsWest 9 found how they're going green, literally.
The sign posted outside the Bradford Inn on Wall and Midkiff is pretty straightforward: No mowing, no watering needed. It may look real, but this grass is pure plastic.
"It's a very exciting product," said Thomas Sparks, owner of Plush Turf 365. "It's made out of polypropylene, and it has a weed barrier underneath it so you can't have your old grass growing back up through it.
Sparks said the synthetic grass like the kind he installed in several Midland homes isn't all that common in the Basin. However, he said it can save a lot of time and energy.
"There's no watering, there's no mowing, no weed eating, it's environmentally friendly because it saves the water. You don't have to put any fertilizer on it, no weed killer on it. In fact, it minimizes the amount of bugs you have around your house because there's nothing for the bugs to feed on," explained Sparks.
Sparks said little maintenance is needed to keep it clean. You may want to wait, though, before you think of replacing the entire front lawn with this turf.
"It runs anywhere from around 5 to 7 dollars a square foot typically," said Sparks.
A cost that can add up pretty quick. He said if you do add the synthetic grass in your lawn or business, he said it's a good investment years down the line.
"They estimate that this stuff pays for itself somewhere in the five to seven year range typically speaking," said Sparks.
