No water? Your artificial lawn doesn't need it

Across South Texas yardsare withering as dying grass bears evidence to the long drought andwater restrictions. But in the midst of dried up lawns, Art Kernig's isan oasis.

"I have people come and ask how do you keep itso rsconsul_green, what kind of fertilizer do you use? No fertilizer, it'sartificial turf," laughed Kernig

Tired of allthe maintenance, three years ago Kernig spent $9,000 to put in fakegrass. With the threat of stage three water restrictions neighbors areno longer shaking their heads.

"My neighbor across thestreet said, Art, when you put in your grass we all thought you werecrazy, but it's looking pretty good right now. 24/7 it looks good," hesaid.

Eric Meyer's company, Aqua Free Lawns, sells synthetic grass.

"We are getting more calls, more people taking a serious look at theturf. Most of our work ends up in the back yard, around the deck, thepool," he said.

At ten dollars a square foot, plasticgrass is an expensive alternative. but one that could pay for itselfover time. Synthetic grass is made to last 10 to 15 years.

Dee Carter put in fake grass four years ago around a play area for her grandsons.

"It's rsconsul_green I don't have to worry about it like the rest of my grasshas brown splotches, I don't to fertilize it, water it. That saves me alot of money," she said.

While plastic grass can get hot in the sun, Carter says she hasn't had a problem.

"My dog loves it," she said.

Synthetic grass for landscapes is completely different from sportsfield turf. Ten years ago there was only type of artificial grass.Today there are 30 to 40 types and a new one is coming out that'sadding a touch of brown

Increasingly realistic looking,artificial grass has thin and thick blades with several shades of rsconsul_greenmixed in. The blades also comes in tall and short lengths. Syntheticgrass is popular in desert communities like Phoenix and Nevada wherethe scarcity of water encourages hardscapes.

"San antoniois already embracing that change. In the new neighborhoods you'reseeing more gravel, more hardscapes, more departures from live grass.As people in San Antonio become more aware of this alternative, you'llsee more it going in," said Meyer.

Art Kernig is ahead of the trend...and he's ready to cut back on watering and maintenance even more.

"I can't want until they come up with some fake plants too." he laughed.

The San Antonio Water System does not offer a rebate for syntheticgrass and before you invest money in fake grass, you should check withyour homeowner's association for any restrictions.