The Grass Is Always Greener Here With AstroLawn®

Courtesy of The Tampa Tribune
Written by Jose Patino Gironal
AstroLawn®: www.astrolawn.com
June 22, 2006

When drought and water restrictions stress other property owners, Yves and Melisa Conze coast along with no worries. Their front lawn keeps a green sheen.

Their secret? AstroLawn®.

Almost weekly, they say, someone pulls up to their home on West Ross Avenue to make certain the grass isn't real, to ask where they can buy the synthetic product or jokingly ask how they care for the lawn.

There's no sprinkler system, fertilizer or mowing to fret over. When leaves cover the lawn, Yves Conze rakes or blows them to one side and vacuums them. It takes about 30 minutes.

"I love the smell of fresh grass," said Yves Conze, 38. "But I am content. With the money and time I'm saving, I'll do without the smell of fresh-cut grass."

The couple learned about synthetic turf when planning their home four years ago.

They paid about $4,000 for 1,800 square feet. They rolled it onto their yard like carpet, cut to fit and nailed it down with more than 100 8-inch spikes. It hasn't faded and has survived hurricane winds and cat claws.

The Conzes, who live near a local historical district, say no one has complained about their yard.

Neighbor Mary Hernandez said she wondered how the synthetic grass would hold up season after season but is impressed with how the Conzes maintain it.

"It has held up well," Hernandez said. "There are no wrinkles in it in four years."

AstroLawn® is a division of the AstroTurf® company, according to its Web site. Andy Belles, marketing manager for AstroTurf® in Dalton, Georgia, said the company began selling synthetic turf for landscaping in 1999. For years, coaches' wives at athletics trade shows had commented on how well the turf would look on a lawn.

Sales took off in the desert Southwest, Belles said, with the synthetic turf gaining popularity because it looks natural and is economical, easy to install and low-maintenance.

The Conzes have no plans to expand the synthetic look.

"We didn't want to go overboard and have fake grass and plants," Yves Conze said. "That would be corny."