Use of SYNLawn Artificial Grass is Still Growing

Several yeas ago, Bryan Peeples, whose family owns Universal Textile, SYNLawn, AstroTurf and other related companies, donated artificial turf to the Bright School for a playground project, said the family representative, Keith Bonnell.

This spring, more synthetic turf (donated by Mr. Peeples through Crystal Turf Products) was used in a second playground at the school.

When he first heard the words "artificial turf," John Brown, senior landscape architect in the Chattanooga office of Nashville-based Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Canon, was dismayed. "I thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to be really tacky,'" he said. The new playground was located on a shady, eroded slope, he said. Pounding feet and sliding bottoms had created and unsafe, unattractive mess, he said. Mulch washed away. He says he is impressed with the artificial grass installation. "It looks so real," he said. "And it's obviously really low-maintenance." "Eventually kids will wear out a grassy area, especially on a slope," said Bright School Headmaster O.J. Morgan. "Synthetic turf is a lot more expensive than planting grass, but in the long run, it's almost maintenance-free." Landscaper Alan Kelley, co-owner of Mountain City Landscape on Amnicola Highway, discovered synthetic grass this fall when he landscaped a storage facility in North Chattanooga. The owner's family member recommended SYNLawn -- an artificial turf produced in Dalton, GA. that looks like St. Augustine, Fescue or Bermuda -- for a tough spot on the site, Mr. Kelley said. The fake grass worked, Mr. Kelley said. Best of all, it's green all year-round. "We're in a tough zone for turf, and there's a big debate between Fescue (green in winter) vs. Bermuda (green in summer)," Mr. Kelly said. "This resolves both of them." Before laying down a swath a plastic green, Mr. Brown said, there are two downsides to think about. Synthetic grass is more expensive than natural grass, at least on the front end. SYNLawn ranges from $2.29 per square foot to $6.29 per square foot, according to the company Web site. The product is expected to last seven to 10 years, Mr. Bonnell said. Sodded lawns, on the other hand, cost from 14 cents per square foot to 60 cents per square foot according to sodding.com. In an ideal setting, a sodded lawn can grow forever. In tougher situations, its life span may be much shorter. And artificial lawns heat up in the summer, Mr. Brown said. Use it in a shaded area if you can, he said. Homeowners may even need to install an irrigation system to cool the artificial grass, he added. Even with its two cons, Mr. Brown and Mr. Kelly said they planned to use it again because of the pros of synthetic grass.

"We're using it on a retirement townhome community here in town for a putting green, and I'm considering using it in my yard in areas where the kids play," Mr. Brown said.

Courtesy of Chattanooga Times Free Press