Geoponics Blog

Lawn Picasso provides eco-friendly green lawns in California drought with Endurant organic colorants

A business is painting the town—and beyond—to combat drought and brown grass in the most ecofriendly way possible as California faces the worst drought in history.

Grass painting business launched to provide organic green lawn & water savings as California faces historic drought

Launching Lawn Picasso

Teresa Humphreys launched Lawn Picasso in May with two environmentally friendly tools helping take on the water challenge: Endurant organic turf colorants and a zero emissions sprayer from ProEdge.

Lawn Picasso opened in Livermore, California, a city located in Alameda County on the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay area. Lawn Picasso is expanding to a larger canvass as the business is growing quickly to serve residential, commercial and municipal properties.

Environmental solutions

Humphreys is a longtime environmental steward in the eastern San Francisco Bay area. She is working diligently to share her values and the ideal solution provided by Endurant organic turf paint, a product offered by Naples, Fla.-based Geoponics.

“Education is paramount with this new concept. So, we really spend a lot of our time at community events, with city officials and with realtors; area marketing meetings with different groups, and allowing them to see and feel the end result with the Endurant product,” said Humphreys.

Award winning practices for water conservation

Husband Nathan Humphreys first found eco-friendly solutions to the brown grass, drought and water restrictions faced by California property owners and managers several years ago as director of facilities at The Athenian School, a school founded on environmental stewardship in 1965.

Many of the practices at the private school were proactive. When the drought continued, the practices became even more crucial to the property and region.

Endurant organic turf paint provided solutions for the 75-acre campus located in Danville, California, at the base of Mount Diablo. The school is a green school, water smart school and has used Endurant organic turf colorants to maintain that status while also maintaining optimal visual appeal.

Painting the town, expanding the canvas

As the drought worsened and lengthened, Humphreys realized more people needed help in understanding how to protect valuable natural resources—and that they could do so while still maintaining high standards for the looks of their landscapes.

She knew she could get the job done well and had the experience.

Humphreys spent months researching the best product and equipment to offer. ProEdge developer and designer Bill Johnson, of North Carolina, advised Humphreys that he and professional lawn care customers have long found Endurant Turf Colorant to be a superior product for the life of sprayers, eco-friendly aspects, ease of use and finished product.

“This is a brand new concept for many people in California, even though it’s been around for years. We used several products and found Endurant was our best option, primarily for its eco-friendly ingredients and longevity of the colorant,” Humphreys said.

Saving water & avoiding fines

Months into the drought, residents and government officials in affluent areas weren’t pleased with all the brown lawns. While many also seek environmental solutions, some homeowners (and even government officials as reported by TV investigative reporters here) were sneaking in extra watering at night to maintain their quality standards despite the water challenges & hefty fines for violating water restrictions.

Humphreys decided Endurant organic turf colorants could provide homeowners, municipalities, recreation centers, athletic fields, schools and parks a green lawn solution to their brown grass problem.

Using Endurant organic turf colorants and a zero-emissions sprayer from ProEdge, Humphreys is able to provide the natural looking, environmentally friendly and lush green lawns people long to maintain.

Regaining curb appeal means business is booming

There’s high visibility when you’re the one green lawn in the middle of a drought, Humphreys said.

As people become interested, they then learn it’s eco-friendly, is safe for pets and students and has a reasonable dry time to avoid tracking into buildings.

Lawns might average about 500 square feet in size with the starting costs to go from brown grass to green grass at about $200, depending upon the size of the lawn, she said.

With no rain in California, the grass isn’t growing and the Endurant organic turf colorant is lasting about 16 weeks with no discoloration, she said.

As for business, it’s growing fast.

“It’s been fantastic,” said Humphreys.

Interested in offering a green solution in your area? Contact Geoponics: info@GeoponicsCorp.com

1-877-ECO-GROW. www.GeoponicsCorp.com 

While there’s a wedding tradition: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue– blue turf was not the “something blue” that the bride had in mind. An old turf paint nearly ruined her wedding. Until an application of natural grass-colored green Endurant organic turf colorant repaired the blueish turf just before wedding day at a North Carolina golf course.

No more blue turf: Other grass paint brands fade to a fake-looking blueish colored turf

Endurant organic turf colorant applied on the blue-colored turf repaired the grass just in time for a wedding at Ridges Golf Club, located in the Smoky Mountains of Hayesville, NC this October.

Attempting to green up the property for eye appeal, golf course superintendent Daryck Beetham, who just recently began improving the course and property as part of the Ridges Golf Club’s new management from Sequoia Golf,  found a bottle of turf colorant in the chemical closet.

“I built a little green in front of the club house. I went into the chemical room and found a bottle that said it was green pigment. It didn’t come out the way I wanted. It turned out very blue,” said Beetham.

I panicked, he said.

Endurant Organic Turf Colorant provides natural looking green

“The staff at Geoponics called me back in minutes and came over and sprayed with their colorant,” said Beetham.

The woman getting married asked what we did about the blue turf just before the wedding day.

“‘We painted it for you,'” Beetham recalls telling her.

“She was ecstatic,” he said.

Beetham was very pleased with his first experience with Endurant Turf Colorant.

“It is like August Bermuda grass color,” he said.

Ridges Golf Club’s turf grass inclues Bermuda tees and fairways; Kentucky blue grass fescue mix rough and bent grass poa annual greens.

Up next for Endurant TC will probably be some par 3 tees, said Beetham.

Get natural green grass!  The professional’s choice in turf colorant is Endurant organic turf colorant. BUY NOW!

Endurant PR organic turf colorant prepares Desert Mountain course for 120 million household viewers during Schwab Cup Championship

Watch the Golf Channel coverage of the Schwab Cup through Sunday and check out Endurant on the course, providing lush colored fairways as Desert Mountain Cochise becomes the first course west of the Mississippi to apply the brand new Geoponics Endurant PR! 

The Charles Schwab Cup Championship will return to Desert Mountain through 2016 as executives cite the premium quality of the golf course and facility as reason for the high profile event returning to the Scottsdales, Ariz. course, Cochise.

Endurant organic turf colorants have been used on the courses at Desert Mountain in previous years, but 2014 is the debut of using the rich Endurant PR, perennial rye, colorant.

“The Schwab Cup will be the first time Endurant PR was applied west of the Mississippi,” said Nick Lubich, of Fertizona-Fennemore.

Lubich worked with Shawn Emerson, director of agronomy at the largest private golf community in the country, who has been diligently preparing for the event. The Schwab Cup airs on the Golf Channel each day through Sunday, Nov. 2. View the tournament and TV airing schedule for the Schwab Cup here.

“We were looking for a color that would look great on television,” said Lubich.

The Cochise course, mostly a perennial three-way rye grass, is overseeded, but needed an extra wow factor, made possible by Endurant PR, said Lubich.

Following the recent decision for the Schwab Cup to return to Desert Mountain through 2016, Desert Mountain’s Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Robert Jones told Champions Tour Staff that the decision will bring consistent exposure to the award-winning private club and to the city of Scottsdale. 

“When you have a high-profile event that attracts 35,000 onsite spectators and another 120 million households worldwide watching on TV, that’s a golden opportunity to showcase Desert Mountain golf, our new amenities and our stunning location,” Jones said.

The complete PGA Tour article on the decision to remain at Desert Mountain through 2016 can be read here.

Emerson plans to return to Geoponics to share his choice in using Endurant PR in an interview following the event. Return here for an update.

Turf Paint      1-877-ECO-GROW       info@geoponicscorp.com 

Fort Lauderdale Country Club’s golf course looks great with Endurant organic turf colorants used for a great cause at the South Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association Missing and Exploited Children’s Tournament. Superintendent Todd Ingram painted with Endurant colorants for the agronomic benefits longterm and the great look short term of painted turf.

While Endurant is long-lasting, South Florida GCSA commitment to child protection lasts 30 years

Endurant organic colorants were used on the fairways and tees. The painted turf offers a lasting, natural green color, pleasing players and visitors. Geoponics is proud to be even a small part of the enduring commitment made by the South Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association (SFGCSA) to protect children. This 30th Annual SFGCSA golf tournament to support the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was held at Fort Lauderdale Country Club in Plantation, Florida. SFGCSA has supported the Florida division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, raising more than $550,000 for the organization.

Golf Course Superintendent Todd Ingram of Fort Lauderdale Country Club did an amazing job providing gorgeous grounds, great for a Friday of Florida golf. Fort Lauderdale Country Club painted turf on the fairways and tees. Ingram painted turf with Endurant TE, an organic colorant with turf enhancer for actively growing turfgrass. The paint was applied at a rate of 20 ounces per acre.

More photos of the people and painted turf

Photos from the Oct. 24 South Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association’s Missing and Exploited Children’s Tournament are provided by Keith Eubanks, of Geoponics:

Endurant turf paint trampled on the practice of overseed at a South Carolina race track. Preparing for one of the biggest horse race events this fall, the superintendent of Springdale Race Course located in Camden, South Carolina, ditched the idea of overseeding. Instead, knowing the course would be drawing the attention of visitors from around the world at the upcoming Colonial Cup, Endurant turf paint was selected to prepare the course.  This was the first time the course managers opted to paint the race course and Endurant organic turf colorant was the obvious choice.

Why Endurant turf paint?

Springdale Race Course, home of the Carolina Cup and Colonial Cup horse races, is located next door to a golf course. Seeing the effectiveness of the Endurant turf paint used on the golf greens for years finally prompted the change in direction at Springdale from overseed to Endurant turf paint. The benefits of painting with Endurant turf paint versus overseed are numerous, including saving water and time. Endurant turf colorants are used by golf course superintendents, landscape and lawn professionals to make vibrant, natural-looking turfgrass pop with color year round.  As turfgrass approaches winter dormancy in many areas, it’s turf painting time. Golf courses superintendents, landscape managers, sports field operators and home owners alike choose to turn that brown grass to green using Endurant organic turf colorants. Whether dormancy is approaching or a big event nears, shop turf colorants here.

Springdale also found some unique benefits using Endurant turf paint instead of overseed before their upcoming steeplechase races, where thoroughbred horses will be leaping over obstacles and kicking the green grass up into the air. One problem Springdale Race Course had was a lot of weeds among the bermudagrass. So when overseeding, the weeds would just grow back up through the overseed. The weeds would become difficult to see and even harder to get rid of. An application of Endurant turf paint allowed the weeds to be easily tackled. Most helpful for the horse races is that the green Endurant FW, which is often used on golf fairways, will give the horses a better sight line during the steeplechase races. This advantage in vision due to contrast is a key reason golf course superintendents enjoy using Endurant turf paint for the benefits of their golfers’ sight line as well. Springdale Race Course, located in Camden, S.C., is one of the most well-known steeplechase tracks in the U.S.. Similar courses are all over Ireland, where steeplechasing originated. Endurant turf paint allowed Springdale to leap their turf obstacles much faster than overseeding. The application of Endurant turf paint will easily last through the big event in three weeks. Then, the course will be trampled by horses and even weeds’ roots would stand the test if not tackled with the help of Endurant. The time efficiency of painting the track versus overseed also just made the most sense.

The turfgrass on the race track is mostly Bermuda with some rye grass mixed in, along with the unwanted weeds. Unlike a golf course, the grass is higher and a bit less manicured without an irrigation system. Seeking a great, vibrant green color for an event that draws tens of thousands of fans and worldwide attention, Springdale’s superintendent chose Endurant FW to get the course up to par for all the attention. Endurant PR, with a perennial rye look, was their second favorite in color choices. The Endurant FW provided an easy to apply contrast in color to the two-mile European-style turf course that could not be achieved with overseed. See the full line of Endurant colorants here.

The historic Springdale Racecourse’s annual fall steeplechase race meet draws more than 15,000 fans and horsemen from around the world. The Colonial Cup, held Nov. 15, provides the steeplechase horse racing season’s grand finale and deciding national titles, including Jockey of the Year, Trainer of the Year, and Horse of the Year.  See more about the 45th Annual Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup here. Leap your own obstacles in turf here. BUY Endurant turf paint NOW.