Grass Fit For A Falcon

Artificial grass has many applications and it's nice to occasionally cover some of the more unusual ones for the benefit of our readers. Previously we have talked about it being used as vivarium grass where owners of lizards and snakes find grass carpet ideal for vivarium lining. Well, here's another interesting use involving 'live' creatures - falconry.

Falconry displays are quite commonplace these days. You can either go to a falconry centre or even chance upon a display whilst out and about in the country, perhaps visiting a special event at a castle or country fair.

So where does artificial grass come in? Well, in between their flying, the birds have to sit and rest on wooden posts/perches and if you look closely you'll find many of them are covered in artificial grass. One of our team recently saw a falconry display where the posts were covered like this and so asked the event manager (Geoff of Frontline Falconry) why.

Apparently, artificial grass serves 2 purposes:

• it provides an undulating surface (as opposed to smooth wood) which is important for the birds' feet to have good circulation. Poor circulation can apparently lead to 'bumble foot'.
  
• it offers the birds a good surface grip when landing/moving on their posts
  

If you haven't seen what we're talking about here there's a falconry website that shows artificial grass on the posts: http://www.gallowayfalconry.co.uk/

Artificial Grass - Environmental Benefits, Usage

A recent news article shows nicely how artificial grass can both support environmental concerns and enhance your lifestyle. The Prince of Wales had upgraded his Range Rover to run on biodiesel but was then faced with the difficulty of how to avoid problems caused by low overnight temperatures. Apparently as the temperature drops below -5 degrees centigrade then the biodiesel becomes thick and lumpy.

What was the solution? His Royal Highness turned to artificial grass as a covering for his garage floor in order to keep the temperature above freezing point. Whilst this was obviously a welcome endorsement for artificial grass, it serves as a reminder of the many different uses to which it can be put.

Here are just a few examples:

1. Putting greens - we have seen putting greens laid out inside buildings, even a small one in an office and recently we installed one as a leisure area for the use of delegates adjacent to a hotel conference room. Read more....

2. Swimming pool surrounds - traditionally natural grass doesn’t fare very well around swimming pools; the wear under foot creates a worn, bare and faded turf. Artificial grass is the ideal solution.

3. Roof gardens - planting shrubs and flowers in tubs is fine but when you want to really forget where you are and capture the feelings of being in a real garden then you need grass as well. Natural turf is generally not an option here but artificial grass is ideal.

4. Exhibition stands - if you sell outdoor products it helps to show them in an outdoor environment such as garden furniture etc. Conference centres and exhibition halls are not ideal for natural turf, but artificial grass can add a truly authentic look.

5. Airports - the grass verges of runways can be difficult to maintain, as they need regular cutting and maintenance. If also in a hot dry climate, they would need regular watering. Using artificial grass makes all these issues much easier.

There are many more ways in which artificial grass can help promote a better lifestyle as well as support environmental issues. 

Tip: Owners of cars with biodiesel engines are well catered for when it comes to options of increasing garage insulation.In addition to using our artificial grass as a floor covering, you can now buy insulated roller garage doors to help increase energy efficiency.Just as with artificial grass, you can even do the fitting yourself. More power to the DIY enthusiasts!