I've learned a bit about it recently. It's better looking now than the old synthetic turf but it is expensive. It doesn't hold up well in full Texas sun so needs part shade.

I haven't seen it used in San Antonio yet and probably wouldn't see it in my neighborhood since we have large lots and trees. It's not something I'd consider because an expanse of green lawn, real or fake, is boring compared to all the awesome options out there.

I personally wouldn't ever plant faux grass ... what would I do if I didn't have the robins to watch pulling worms out of my yard? :) And I agree with rock oak in that there are so many other beautiful alternatives that enrich your soil, support wildlife, feel good to the touch/feet/grandkids' feet.

I do support overall reduction in the amount of grass we have in our lawns, though. Almost everywhere in Texas, we need to conserve water!

I actually have recently looked into that just for the area around the swimming pool - but, I keep thinking about having pets and the fact that animals are going to go potty on that from time to time. For some reason the thought of dog/squirrel/stray cat urine on it just grosses me out. Of course, I am totally grossed out by carpet, so maybe it is tied together. I feel like it would just be a giant blanket outside that I could never wash.

Artificial turf is a synthetic turf made of fibers and looks like natural grass. It is most often used in sports or Public Park. It provides a real alternative to natural grass. The maintenances of artificial lawn are very low. These are guilt-free lawns ready for all conditions. It can be used even at playing fields, racetrack and public open space. This is also adaptable to our backyards. They require less water, less fertilizer and no chemicals.

Here is a link that might be useful: Artificial turf

Yuck. It doesn't even look good on a football field. It can't possibly improve the value of your home or even that of your neighbors'. If you don't want to maintain a yard, move into an apartment. Sorry to be so harsh, but that's my opinion of it.

Friends installed some in nearly impossible to mow niches around their swimming pool about a year ago and are still VERY happy with it. I'm not a big fan, but think it does look nice the way they used it and a lot better than a few alternatives seen around the neighborhood.

I'm not a fan of the stuff either but another concern I have is what synthetic turf does environmentally. Wouldn't you just be trading one issue for another? The stuff wouldn't last forever, so you'd have to replace it. After being tossed in a landfill, I doubt it's biodegradable. Also, sure you'd be saving water but what would that do to the dirt underneath? What if someone wants to pull it up and put down grass? Wouldn't the soil underneath be unusable? That would be horribly expensive to rip out and replace. Not to mention that it would vastly lower property value. I'd much rather see xeriscaping than synthetic grass.

Depends on what it's used for, I suppose. I can't imagine it being good for the trees though as they rely on leaves for nutrients when they fall to the ground. I've seen a house with fake front lawn in full sun in my parents in law's neighborhood.

The latest models of fake turf look pretty good to me. Very durable which is very important for high school and college athletic events. I played in so called Astroturf in the mid 1990s and man, what we have now is so much better.

When we adopted our dog at the SPCA of Texas in McKinney in May 2012, I noticed they had "play areas" with artificial turf. But, they would not allow the dogs to use it in the late spring or summer because the temperature gets to about 160 degrees which would burn dogs paws. And, they even had a shade structure over part of the area, but it just didn't cover it enough. It is a shame that the person donating the money to have this installed there didn't also think about how hot this stuff gets underfoot to provide enough money for a shade structure big enough to cover the entire area.

It may be durable, but in Texas, it would get too hot to be enjoyed like a regular lawn.