Homeowners rethinking lawns due to drought

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Even though it can be pricey to switch out your landscaping and lawn, many homeowners are finding now is the time because of the severe drought. And businesses that specialize in drought-tolerant surroundings can hardly keep up with the boost in sales.

Selling synthetic grass these days in the Central Valley doesn't take much of a sales pitch. Many are ditching sod for fake lawns.

Several times a day, Matt Price with SynLawn hears the same thing from those who stop by to see the artificial turf.

"I'm tired of watering my lawn. It's brown, I can't keep it clean. And now this $500 if you have excess watering, I think that's scaring a lot of people," said Price.

At the Home and Garden Show at the Fresno Fairgrounds on Friday, there was no shortage of companies to choose from. Even if you aren't ready to buy a lawn, there are other options to cut back on water use, like applying a specialized fertilizer that provides nutrients that extend the green in your lawn. But, if you want to reduce water use by as much as half, there's always the option of coloring your lawn.

"Now it's a one-time application that will last three to four months and it will keep your grass green while allowing you to lower your watering. So, typically if you lower your watering, it will turn brown, but with Turf Medix it's going to allow your lawn to stay green," said Michael Schutz with Pro Turf.

Many new homeowners are leaning toward a waterless lawn. They like the year-round green with low maintenance. The only downside is the initial investment -- the lawns can cost around $7 to $9 a square foot.

"The price can be pretty steep, that's one of the things that's kind of holding us back right now from doing it, but over the course of time, I think it is going to save you money," said homeowner Stephen Kileen.

If you still want to keep your lawn real, some are opting for a drought tolerant landscape design.

"Everyone thinks that we need to have a desert scape to be water wise and that's definitely not the case," said Jennifer King with Creative Escapes. "There are many places on the planet that have low water but still have very interesting plants, like the Mediterranean, or New Zealand, or Australia, so you can use a lot of those plants to get a lot of color."

Many companies say business is so good, they are booked months in advance into winter.

Now, if you want to spruce up your landscaping yourself and save water, many plants at stores like Lowe's and Home Depot are marked as drought tolerant so you can do it yourself for less.