The precursor to our modern synthetic turf originated in the early fifties in the USA. It was the product of the Ford Foundation\u2019s Education Facilities Laboratory, Monsanto Industries and Chemstrand (a company owned by the American Viscose Corporation and Monsanto). Initially encouraging people to use their artificial carpeting in the fifties, they moved their attention to sports playing surfaces in the sixties.<\/p>\n
The first of these early playing surfaces was installed in Moses Brown School in Rhode Island in 1964. It was next installed in the Houston Astrodome<\/a><\/span> in 1965 and renamed Astroturf in honour of the Astrodome. In 1967, Indiana State University became the first outdoor stadium to install this turf.<\/p>\n Artificial turf evolved again in the seventies by using polypropylene yarns that were less abrasive than the original Astroturf. In the nineties, this synthetic turf was once again improved using polyethylene yarn and also infills to create turf that was softer and less likely to cause injuries than earlier versions.<\/p>\n In the last 20 years, we have seen leading manufacturers come to the forefront when it comes to producing of artificial grass and synthetic turf. Strategies such as manufacturing locally and using local yarn, and ensuring the grass is made to stay cooler in hot climates, has seen a rise in the popularity of high-tech fake grass. Other advantages are that these grasses don\u2019t require watering, fertilising, whipper sniffing, edging or mowing. And they are pet and kid friendly, and don\u2019t fade in the harsh climates where there is hot sun and heavy rain at different times.<\/p>\nThe high-tech synthetic turf evolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n