Artificial turf

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Temperatures here in the desert can get in to the 100's so creating a "mini-oasis" can be quite soothing. Palms and cycads look especially nice near grass. But growing grass in the desert is very difficult, especially in a small area. In the summertime the shade needs of cycads can make growing Bermuda grass (which requires lots of sunshine) impossible. In the winter, Bermuda grass goes dormant and turns brown so it's necessary to "overseed" with rye grass, a ritual that starts in October and uses an enormous amount of water, not to mention seed and fertilizer. So about five years ago I invested in artificial turf. If you remember the old "Astroturf", you will be surprised to see how natural this stuff looks these days. I've had people walk on it and not realize that is was artificial until they reached down to touch it! It's perforated to allow water to flow through and the only maintenance it needs is to be blown or raked ocassionally and rinsed off (if you have a dog).

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