Grass Is Always Green in Cyprus

At this time of year many people’s thoughts turn to warmer places, perhaps recalling a great summer holiday in the sun or even looking ahead to summer 2014. The Mediterranean is a popular holiday destination for many people so we thought we would take a look at that area and its connection to artificial grass.
Amongst the destinations to choose from is Cyprus. With its subtropical climate, mild winters and warm to hot summers it holds great appeal. It does rain but generally that is in the winter. The main problem for the island is that summers can be arid and dry with frequent droughts – not a climate to grow and keep lovely green lawns. So if you have a holiday home or run a holiday complex on the island, what are the options for avoiding yellow, patchy grass and cracked, hard earth?
Option 1 – concrete and tile the areas immediately around the building. A low maintenance option but not really that welcoming for most people.
Option 2 – You can xeriscape your garden. Essentially you concentrate on drought resistant plants. This can be a good solution but maintenance is required and water is of course needed for the plants.
Option 3 – You can install artificial grass. Forget those worries about summer droughts and the need for maintenance. Also, the latest artificial grass carpet products are strongly resistant to UV light so will not fade or turn brittle.
Earlier this year our Buzz Luxe grass was installed at holiday accommodation on the island to provide a luxurious, green lawn as a compliment to the large swimming pool and its surrounding paving.

As you can see from these 2 different views, the artificial lawn holds great visual appeal and, for the accommodation owners, affords greater peace of mind when it comes to the drought season.

Ultraviolet Light and Grass

As experienced suppliers of artificial grass we have a natural interest in the history of our product and its development. Today we’d like to share with our readers an insight into just one of the technical aspects of grass carpet production – the effects of ultra violet light.
It is well known that early forms of artificial grass suffered from degradation through exposure to ultra violet light. This would be visible, as follows:

a) by a whitening of the strands (a chalky appearance)
b) by a loss in their tensile strength

In countries with a high number of annual hours of direct sunlight this degradation could start to show within as little as 2 years. NOTE: To be fair this impact relates to all plastics and not just artificial grass – eg. think of the plastic climbing frames which many families have in their gardens. And how the older frames can whiten and crack.
The actual damage done by UV rays can be complicated by other factors as well. Such as the interaction with humidity and the actual ambient temperature. So when assessing the likely life of plastics you also need to know the geography of the placement.
How to counteract this UV damage? Thankfully, due to extensive research and testing over the years, there are now ways in which a manufacturer can tackle this including the addition of stabilisers, absorbers or blockers. Here at BuzzGrass our products are tested to ISO standards for UV resistance.
As a result of this UV protection, there has been a significant increase in interest to use artificial grass for desert and semi-arid environments. Think of the luxury hotels in Las Vegas or the Gulf states. And imagine the water needs to keep natural grass lawns lush and fresh.