Going green, even in a drought

June 26--REDDING, California -- Scott Elford remembers when he got the idea for his lawn-painting business.

"My neighbor was tearing out his lawn and he was grumbling, 'I wish I could just paint my lawn,'" Elford said. "I thought, 'That's an idea.'"

So Elford started doing research on the computer and saw that there are businesses, many in Southern California, that do paint lawns. He also discovered that the lawn-painting craze had yet to take off in Redding.

So about a month ago, Elford, who also has an insurance business, started Insta-Green Lawn Service. He dubs his startup, "Green grass without all the water."

Elford has been hired to paint lawns at about 10 homes in the month he's been in business. He emphasized that he's not telling people to kill their lawns and paint them green. His service is a way for people to cut back on watering and keep their lawn green, he said.

Elford uses Green Lawnger, a turf colorant he says is nontoxic and will last about three months. He charges 24 cents a square foot.

Mieke Sheffield, Redding's stormwater management program coordinator, said the city "looked into to the use of landscape colorant and did not find evidence that would prevent us from issuing a business license."

"It doesn't really go away, but it will dull after three months," Elford said. "The way you get rid of the product is to mow your lawn."

Elford's service is an example of the different approaches homeowners are taking as California labors through this historic drought. Redding residents have been asked to cut their water use by 36 percent.

"I'm hoping it's going to grow, obviously, but it's going to take people just becoming aware of the service and we will see where it goes from there," Elford said.

Jeff Gerety, of Gerety's Professional Landscape Service in Redding, said interest in synthetic grass has gone up. But the switch from natural to artificial isn't cheap.

"We are actually doing more putting greens and they are beautiful when done well," Gerety said. "We do them in backyards, so it's not just a lawn but it's actually for entertainment. They hold up well and the maintenance is low."

Gerety has installed putting greens that cost up to $100,000 and others for about $30,000. He said the technology has come a long way since the rock-hard artificial turf found in multi-purpose sports stadiums of the 1970s.

"The high-end stuff is awesome," Gerety said. "They are cooler than the old ones. They do get warm to the feet in the summer, but the new ones are really soft and they are just beautiful."

Gerety said he gets a lot of calls for synthetic turf, but some people shy away from the idea when they discover the price.

But even with the drought and fewer watering days, there are ways to keep your natural lawn green.

Brian Dixon, Redding branch manager for Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Products, said retrofitting your sprinkler heads and other changes to your irrigation system can do the trick.

"If you have a very inefficient system, applying more uniformity can cut back on the water and still maintain the turf quality," Dixon said.

Ewing does business with many landscapers in the North State. Dixon said he has seen more people putting in Bermuda grass, which fares better than fescue in the summer but tends to go dormant and brown-out in the winter.

"The fescue is a cool-season grass that does OK with heat and does really well in winter," Dixon said. "The problem is it takes a lot more water to keep it going."

Gerety said if an irrigation system is installed right, then cutting back on water shouldn't be a death sentence for your landscape.

"We maintain a lot of yards and if they are installed with a good irrigation system and good soil preparation, the lawns getting water three days a week, they are not missing that much of a beat," Gerety said.

Dixon thinks home landscapes will continue to evolve to accommodate the rising cost of water and the potential for more dry years.

"Lawns will be smaller and there will be a lot more drought-tolerant plants in the landscape. They will look good; they will just use a lot less water," Dixon said.

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