Best bet for arid small property

Cat – posted 01 May 2004 21:50

We close on our house on May 7th. It is in a new development and on a tiny (1/10 acre before counting the house/driveway) lot. Our front yard is zero-scaped and cannot be altered appreciably. I plan on xeriscaping the side swaths, which are barely worth mentioning. We are thinking of putting turf in our back yard, which is roughly 15’x50′.

We are in Albuquerque, NM, and the lot size is at least partially determined via water ordinances — water is really scarce here, with the last few years being in drought *for the desert*. Water conservation is the most important consideration for us.

I grew up in an area where rainy days outnumbered clear, and I adore carpet-like grass. Andy and I would also like our lawn to be green year-round, if possible. Pet-wise we have two strictly indoor cats and we may be adopting an Aussie/Healer mix.

What are peoples’ recommendations? I’ve searched the web and read the forums for information on low-water sods, Turtle Turf and the artificial grass sold by a local company. It looks like most of the information on Turtle Turf so far is speculation, which doesn’t surprise me since it’s a relatively new product. Does anyone have further reviews, perhaps after using it?

If anyone lives in the ABQ area, has any turf worked especially well or especially badly here? Is there such a thing as a low-water, soft and thick grass which stays green year-round and, if so, what is it and who delivers it locally?

Thank you in advance for your help, and I look forward to hearing from anyone.

[This message has been edited by Cat (edited 01 May 2004).]