In Sacramento, one man has an idea of how to keep lawns green during the drought, and he’s selling that idea to those wanting to restore their verdant lawns; paint the grass green.
Bill Schaffer, who started his company, Brown Lawns Green, two months ago, said it started with a conversation with his girlfriend: “One night I said to my girlfriend, ‘Ya know, people are going to have to start painting their lawns green if they want green lawns this summer.’”
Shaffer told CBS Sacramento that the paint, comprised of stone pigments and oil that help it stick to the lawn, is nontoxic, and thus safe for children and pets.
He stated that it lasts roughly six weeks, adding, “In July you should be able to get about 6, to 8 weeks out of it, because you are not cutting your yard as much.” Shaffer has sold his services to roughly 25 people so far.
The idea of painting grass green is not new. The New York Times reported in 1992 that turf paint had been utilized in the face of a severe two-year drought in Southern California, with hundreds of instances of lawn-painting in Santa Barbara.
Golf courses have used the technique for years; Rick Sall, the head superintendent at Toscana in Indian Wells, told the Desert Sun that he thinks dormant Bermuda grass can be turned green with a colorant. He acknowledged, “Paint will be the next evolution in the desert.”
Golfcourseindustry.com reported in 2013, “PGA West knows where to turn when they’re showing off their course on national television. The golf course in La Quinta, Calif. has used TV-readiness Endurant for the past two winters, giving it a wow-factor for players and viewers of the Golf Channel Am Tour National Championships.”
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