If you are a retailer for gardening or other outdoor products or activities, you may have already been considering adding artificial turf or turf grass to your catalogue. Several things can hold us back, though – most importantly, we wonder if it’s worth it, or if no one is really interested in buying it anymore. Thankfully, it’s still one of the most widely used materials, especially in sports fields.
What makes it so appealing, though? Of course, appearance is one aspect of this. However, there are many other facets that make it so widespread and loved in the United States and beyond. To find out more about what they are, make sure you stick around!
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Are the Rumors True? Is it Environmentally Friendly?
It’s hardly a secret that more and more people are starting to care about the impact that humanity is having on the environment. Now, if you are unfamiliar with this, you might want to look at this page to get a brief overview: https://climate.nasa.gov/. It’s a good idea to educate ourselves on these things.
For a long time, I was one of the people who automatically assumed the worst of anything that is “artificial†or “synthetic.â€Â After all, I’ve spent most of my life hearing about how bad chemicals are and how they’re killing us and the world. Is that really true, though?
Naturally, the answer isn’t so black and white. Rather, there are plenty of gray areas, and something we need to remember is that chemicals exist in nature. It’s only when they are pollutants that we need to worry.
Turf or turf grass can help with those pollutants, interestingly enough. You see, because of the microbiomes they foster beneath the surface, the fungus and bacteria that consumes and filters those pollutants tend to grow more. This is a good thing, of course, and results in less going out freely into the ecosystem.
Additionally, it can aid with reducing soil erosion or runoff into our water systems. There are other properties that make it environmentally friendly too, but I think you get the idea. There is not much basis out there for saying it’s harmful, at the very least.
How we Use it
Have you gone to a sporting event recently? What about a park? Chances are, you saw some turf or turf grass there. You probably even walked on it, especially in the latter case.
It’s utilized in these spaces largely because it can cushion falls and is inherently cooler than a material like concrete. In fact, it can be up to thirty degrees cooler than other ground materials – that’s a huge difference. Many places use it, including large cities, in their public athletic fields. You can learn more about that on this page.
However, there are plenty of unconventional ways we have come up with in addition to this when it comes to installing turf. One of my favorites is as a surrounding to pools, especially when they are outside. It’s a fun way to line them and is usually safer than a natural lawn would be in this scenario as well.
Another intriguing one is to disguise any appliances or storage units that we keep outdoors with it. Since they can come in nice strips, laying them on surfaces around a trash can, for example, can make it look much more visually appealing while not being a hassle to clean.
Still, athletics is the largest application. Pretty much any sport other than hockey uses it on their fields. In fact, there would probably be a lot more injuries in something like football if natural ground was used, since turf often has cushioning underneath the blades of grass for this very purpose.
That’s what makes it so great for playgrounds, too. Some parents have even taken to making indoor play spaces with it to simulate the outside world even on days where we can’t go out because of the weather!
So – is there a Market?
As you can probably imagine based on all of the examples I provided above, there is definitely a market for turf and turf grass. That might be why finding a Distributor of Turf is so simple today, and you can even find one with a quick search on any engine of your choosing. The most difficult part of it is making your selection.
As far as advice on this front goes, I would say make sure you do your research and determine what types are popular in your area before you decide on what varieties to sell. Consider inquiring with the local schools or fields and see if they need a new provider. This gives you a chance to insert yourself into the market quickly!
Inquire with whatever distributor you are thinking of going with and ask about potential partnership programs, too – just make sure you do what is best for you and your business!