Take a look at the picture above. Is the lawn real or fake? 19 out of 20 people make a mistake. Test yourself.

As a drought becomes a major concern in California, the idea of replacing old lawns with artificial grass becomes more and more attractive to home and business owners. In the interview with Ken Wayne, Fox News, San Francisco, Jim Luthi, the homeowner of Newark, confessed he has bit the bullet and replace the sod with artificial turf: "Thirty something years of having droughts on and off. "

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As every homeowner knows, a nice lawn takes a lot of work and water, and for some it doesn't worth it anymore.

"A few years ago I wouldn't have got this because I didn't like the artificial turf, but they've gotten so good now that I figured you know what, I'm going to do it. And I wanted to lessen the workload on myself a little too," Jim said.

Michael McGinnis, a landscaper, loaded his pick up with a giant roll of artificial turf at Global Syn-Turf's warehouse in Hayward, California. He says he is getting a lot more business installing turf.

"It's becoming extremely popular. People can't get enough of it I guess," he told KTVU.

The artificial grass industry is exploding. Global Syn-Turf, the largest artificial grass manufacturing company in America runs 45,000 square foot warehouse in Hayward. But that's only a small part of their business. They carry artificial turf products all around United States, including large metropolitan areas in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, New York and East Coast. Residents and landscaping businesses in Southern California pick up turf directly from GST's huge Los Angeles and San Diego warehouses. With increasing popularity of artificial turf in United States, most manufacturers run out of products quickly, but not Global Syn-Turf.

Dave Maronic, a company vice-president, told KTVU the business is booming. "We've doubled, tripled every month," he said. "Different engineered blades is the way of the world right now."

Global Syn-Turf produces more than 65 types of artificial grass of different colors, heights and weights. Engineered blades are designed for high performance, impeccable resilience, super-natural looking turf. It is not your old-fashioned, carpet looking Astroturf.

"It looks just like the real thing, feels like the real thing. It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic.

With the late concern about a crumb rubber linked to health issues and used by other artificial grass manufacturers, Dave Maronic made it clear that Global Syn-Turf has never been in favor with the use of old, used crumb tires, and always recommended natural infill solutions to their customers.

"It's environmentally safe for the kids, for the pets," said Maronic. "There's different padding to meet G-Max ratings for fields that you don't have to use that rubber. So it's not something we carry. Not something we sell," he said.

G-Max is the measurement of the shock attenuation of sports surfaces. The performance values of an artificial grass field can be understood as a reflection of the field's G-Max rating. With the G-Max below 120, the surface is too soft and may not provide enough energy return to the athlete, and leads to premature exhaustion. When G-Max rating is above 180, it creates an overly hard field, and will cause a performance hazard introducing the risk for severe injuries. The use of crumb rubber is not required to achieve perfect G-Max rating, and there are other ways to achieve a maximum level of protection to athletes.

This year, Global Syn-Turf installed a million square feet of turf at the Twin Creek Sports Complex in Sunnyvale, California.

You may think that installing artificial grass is a more expensive alternative to a natural sod, but in a long haul it pays for itself by reducing water bills and the maintenance costs. In California, major water agencies run rebate programs to help homeowners transition their lawns into the drought-tolerant landscape. According to professor of Earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz Lisa Sloan, who predicted a severe California drought back in 2004, "the actual situation in the next few decades could be even more dire that our study suggested." But even the scientists are wrong, for most homeowners swapping to artificial lawns makes more sense money and maintenance wise.

At least that's the thinking of Jim Luthi as he gazes at his pristine Newark yard. "I think it looks great. Looks fabulous. Looks like regular grass."

Global Syn-Turf, Inc. today announced the release of new line of artificial grass developed with one-of-the-kind Double S shape technology designed to create super-realistic look and higher resilience of synthetic turf surfaces. With this latest release, Global Syn-Turf further satisfies the industry's demand for a proven and reliable outdoor solution which is inherently low-maintenance and zero-irrigation; a synthetic grass which provides greater resiliency, realistic appearance and lasting durability.

The latest enhancements with Double S shape blade allow wider than regular, texturized look to the end-product. This update nests neatly with core value of the synthetic grass - the capacity to withstand severe weather changes, intense and constant use in combination with a soft, plush touch.

The new Double S fiber technology features multi-color emerald green and olive green blades with double thatching in brown and green for additional elaborate feel. First releases of Double S Blade line of artificial grass is available for distribution country-wide. Double S-72's pile height is 1 7/8 inches with 3/8 inches turf gauge and the face weight 72 oz.Double S-61 comes with the pile height of 1 3/4 inches and face weight 61 oz. The sturdy backbone of the fibers makes the grass stand up for a longer time and give the surface a remarkable resilience. This unique fiber blade significantly reduces glare to create super-realistic appearance.

Are you considering putting artificial grass for your next commercial or residential landscape project? Or have you been wondering how to turn your lawn into luxurious, water-saving, environmentally friendly paradise? GST's, unique technologies will turn your dream lawns into reality with its state-of-the-art products. Their lead-free synthetic grass is safe for humans, children, and pets.

Global Syn-Turf is a global leader in artificial turf manufacturing and has largest inventory of natural looking synthetic turf that stays cool in high temperatures. We provide a ten years warranty (turf only) with a projected life of 20 years under normal use. GST's products are eco-friendly and certified by independent laboratories.

Call us NOW at 877-SYN-TURF and get a FREE QUOTE.

How to Save Money with Artificial Turf

It is not questionable and it is not surprising to know that the upfront cost of maintaining artificial grass is higher than when you choose to have a lawn that is made of real grass. But, in the long run, your investment will just come back to you as soon as you start to reap the benefits of installing artificial grass.

Just the same with most highly efficient "green" products, there could a bigger upfront cost which will eventually pay for itself. That will finally help you save thousands of dollars in the end. Hence, you should not be discouraged if you learn that you will be spending more when you choose to buy and install an artificial turf lawn since the ROI is real and is practically guaranteed to everybody.

The initial cost or expense would offset by the truth that synthetic grass and lawns could help you save cash over time. The most impressive thing that you should learn about investing in turf is that the money saving returns are 100% guaranteed. Turf is among the safest investments that you can ever have. This will spare you from the increasing costs of gas, electricity and water bills. As you combine all these lifetime savings with individual state rebates which are provided to all turf owners, you are assured to be paid back for your investment and then you will get to realize the future savings that you can obtain every month.

With Artificial Turf, There Is No More Expensive Water Bills and Need for Mowing

If you are from one of the cities in the United States, you possible have a busy kind of life and keeping your lawn well-maintained regularly is one of your least priorities. The common solution considered in this matter is to hire a professional that will maintain the lawn for you. That can save you time yet your grass still looks not at its best sometimes. When the summer season comes in, you may find your grass losing its lush green color.

Global Syn-Turf aids you to understand how artificial turf could not just keep the grass looking beautiful and attractive throughout the year but save you cash on your water bill as well. With synthetic grass, you can already help save in the conservation of water. Synthetic grass can actually help to save thousands of gallons of water every year. You can also eliminate the usual problems of under or over watering your lawn through switching to artificial grass.

Since you are saving water, you will also save on your lawn maintenance costs such as weed whackers, lawnmowers, lawn services and so on. Just imagine having a perfect-looking lawn without the need to hire a gardener or do the job on your own. Since synthetic grass does not require watering, mowing and fertilizing, it is the consumer-friendly product which saves you time and money. No watering will indicate that you will be having lower water bills every year.

• Reduced water consumption
• No need for the application of fertilizers and other grass growth products
• No mowing with little to no maintenance
• Your synthetic grass will look and stay beautiful throughout the year

Tennis is popular international sport. It is recognized to be amongst the plethora of major league sports such as football and baseball. The one thing that these great sports have in common is the different types of playing fields the athletes play on. Synthetic grass or artificial turf is the one of the unique types of playing fields.

Tennis courts surfaces can range from clay, hard, carpet, or grass.

Traditionally, professional athletes played on grass courts. Clay courts, made of crushed shale, brick, or stone, are very common surfaces in tennis due to its inexpensiveness. But despite low cost Clay courts have a couple of disadvantages. They slow down the ball and produce a high bounce. It's also quite expensive to upkeep.

Grass tennis courts are slippery, helps the ball move quickly, and at the same time, unpredictable since the ball bounce depends on variety of reasons, the heaviness of grass, the time of its last mow, its health, wear, and tear. Disadvantages include high maintenance cost and heavy water use.

Most sports facilities transcend to more dependable and predictable solution, hard tennis courts. But still, grass courts are much better for players, as its softness is more compatible with a human body. There are also carpet tennis courts, but the carpet can only be used indoor.

Today, when we have artificial grass at our disposal, it's safe to say that the ideal solution for tennis courses is the artificial turf. It's inexpensive and can withstand a long period of use. Synthetic grass requires zero maintenance (except cleaning it once in a while.) It doesn't need to be mowed, or watered, and provide quick bounce and stable surface to play on.

Another good thing about having artificial grass on the tennis court is its cleanness. If the synthetic turf has been installed properly with the right slope for perfect drainage, the court will not get wet and muddy. You don't need to miss a game after a rainy night! No matter what forecast say, no matter where you live - in California or North Dakota, you can practice at any time. Artificial turf is wonderful when it comes to diverse weather conditions.

Artificial grass is now gaining popularity and you will be amazed at how it is making sense where home applications are concerned. It has even been found to solve landscaping issues! For those living in low water areas, artificial grass should be your next best choice and this is because you will save yourself a hefty water bill. If also you are one of those people who is always tired of maintaining the lawn time and again, consider switching to artificial grass. It is evident that most homeowners are also switching to artificial grass and this is because they are more concerned in saving time and water together with their backs!

You are a candidate of artificial grass if the below-mentioned apply to you:

• Water bills are usually too highs
• It is tiresome to you when it comes to weeding, fertilizing, watering and cutting real grasss
• You don't like using herbicides and chemical fertilizerss
• You are a believer that artificial grass always looks good or even better than real grass

Though artificial grass is quite expensive, it will do the following:

• Save you water
• Save you maintenance fees
• Significantly lower your water bill
• Is environmental friendly
• Is easy to maintain among others