AUSTIN (KXAN) — Green grass is hard to come by nowadays in Central Texas with this intense heat and drought.
Local landscaping companies like Good Neighbor Lawn and Landscape said these weather conditions are impacting business.
“The drought and water restrictions have greatly affected my business. Our busiest season is now our scariest,” said owner Chilee Navarro.
Navarro and her husband have owned Good Neighbor Lawn and Landscape in Austin for 15 years. But recently, she said they had to get creative.
“We’ve added lawn paint to the services we offer,” she said. “Keeping lawns green without all the watering.”
Navarro said the product they use is called lawn colorant that’s commonly used on golf courses and football fields.
“It is an organic pigment that was developed specifically for live grass,” Navarro said. “It’s non-toxic. It is eco-friendly. So it’s not going to harm your lawn. It won’t harm the Earth. It’s safe for pets.”
She said the paint dries after two hours and does not wash off. Since offering this service, Navarro said they’ve been getting 15 to 20 calls for it per week.
“We’ve come out and painted the lawns and get them ready for listings,” Navarro said. “We’ve done a couple homes where people want their lawn green for a party or a backyard barbecue.”
As the heat persists year after year, Navarro said they’ll continue adapting with it.
“Trying to find new ways to you know, to get creative and still stay in business,” she said.
‘A growing trend’
Amanda Pixler, Central Texas Chairperson for the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association, said along with lawn paint, xeriscaping is a growing trend.
It’s a type of landscaping that reduces or completely removes the need for watering.
“Making sure we’re planting things that aren’t, you know, taking up too much of our resources,” Pixler said. “It’s a multifaceted, beneficial thing to design landscapes that are able to withstand a lot of these temperatures.”
Navarro said lawn painting and xeriscaping are what they get called most for right now.
KXAN’s Sarah Al-Shaikh will have more on this story. You can watch on KXAN News at 6.