Drought conditions driving sales of artificial lawns

Zeroscaping, or the installation of an artificial lawn, has long been popular here in the desert Southwest, but now it’s catching on in the Midwest as the region deals with the worst drought in more than 50 years.

“Lawn sales definitely going up,” said Michael Bell of Southwest Greens. “A lot of it has to do with what’s happening in the Midwest. The attraction is water conservation.”

Here in the Southwest, the demand for artificial laws has steadily increased since 2009, with noted slowing during the peak of the recession.

However, industry experts said there is no signs of slowing as the number of homeowners who want to avoid the hassles of a natural lawn continues to rise.

Bell said the benefits of an artificial lawn include water conservation, no pesticides nor chemicals and no landscaping is needed.