Resource

Artificial grass glossary

Name: Ocotillo Turf Co
Telephone: +16232640934
Price range: $$

The vocabulary that shows up in turf quotes and product sheets, defined plainly: fiber and infill specs, the base and drainage work under the grass, and the desert and Arizona regulatory terms specific to Chandler.

Face weight: The weight of turf fiber per square yard, measured in ounces, excluding the backing. Higher face weight means more yarn packed into the same area, which generally produces a denser, more resilient lawn that stands up to traffic. Residential turf commonly ranges from about 50 to 90 ounces. Face weight alone is not quality, but it is the single number most often used to compare products.
Pile height: The length of the turf blades measured from the backing to the tip, usually 1 to 2 inches on residential lawns. Shorter piles look manicured and recover better under traffic; longer piles read more like a natural lawn but can lie flat in high-traffic lanes. Putting greens use very short pile, typically under half an inch.
Infill: Granular material brushed down between turf fibers after installation. It ballasts the turf, holds blades upright, shields the backing from UV, and gives a natural feel underfoot. Options run from plain silica sand to coated, antimicrobial, and moisture-holding products. Infill choice is where pet, play, and heat considerations get addressed.
Silica sand: Rounded quartz sand, the standard and most economical turf infill. It weighs the turf down and supports the fibers effectively. Uncoated silica sand can harbor bacteria in pet areas, which is why coated or antimicrobial alternatives are common on dog runs even though plain silica remains the default for ordinary lawns.
Antimicrobial infill: Infill coated with an antimicrobial agent that inhibits the bacteria responsible for pet-urine odor. Sold under brand names such as Envirofill and similar coated products. Costs more than plain silica sand and is the usual specification for dog runs and pet-heavy back yards where odor control is the main concern.
Cooling infill: Infill engineered to reduce turf surface temperature, typically by absorbing and slowly releasing moisture so evaporation cools the surface, as with HydroChill and comparable products. It reduces peak surface heat rather than eliminating it, and the effect is strongest shortly after moisture is applied. Relevant in full-sun Chandler yards but not a substitute for shade.
Permeable backing: Turf backing designed to let liquid pass through across its entire surface rather than only through spaced punch holes. Standard turf uses perforated backing; pet-grade systems use fully permeable backing so urine drains everywhere it lands. The distinction is the single most important spec in a dog run.
Drainage rate: How fast a turf system passes water through, expressed in inches per hour. Quality turf backings drain at rates far exceeding any Arizona rainfall event, which is why turf itself is rarely the drainage bottleneck. The limiting factor is almost always the base and the grading beneath it.
Aggregate base: The layer of crushed rock, decomposed granite, or road base excavated in and compacted beneath the turf. It carries the load, holds the surface flat, and moves water. Typical residential builds run 3 to 4 inches compacted. A skipped or under-compacted base is the root cause of most turf that ripples, dips, or ponds within a few years.
Compaction: Mechanically densifying the aggregate base with a plate compactor or roller so it will not settle under use. Base built in thin lifts and compacted between them stays flat; base dumped and leveled without compaction settles unevenly. It is invisible once turf is down, which is why it belongs in writing in the quote.
Caliche: A cemented calcium-carbonate hardpan common in Sonoran Desert soils, including across Chandler. Water cannot percolate through it, so a caliche layer near the surface turns a yard into a shallow basin during monsoon rain. Installs over caliche require a deliberate drainage strategy, whether breaking through it, building drainage above it, or routing water off site.
Decomposed granite (DG): Weathered granite screened into a fine gravel, the default ground cover across Phoenix-area desert landscaping and a common turf base material. As a base it compacts firmly and drains reasonably well. Many Chandler turf projects replace an area of loose DG or sit turf alongside DG in the remaining landscape.
French drain: A gravel-filled trench containing a perforated pipe that collects water and carries it to a discharge point. On flat Chandler lots with nowhere for monsoon water to run, a French drain under or alongside turf gives the water a designed path out. Its presence in a quote is a sign the installer took the drainage question seriously.
Drainage grid: A rigid plastic panel system installed beneath turf to create an air gap and lateral flow path under the surface. Used mainly on pet installations and heavy-use areas where liquid needs to move away fast, and occasionally over caliche or hardscape where downward drainage is blocked.
Weed barrier: A permeable geotextile fabric laid between the base and the turf to prevent growth pushing up from below while still letting water through. It stops weeds from underneath but not windblown seed germinating in the infill on top, which is the more common nuisance and easily hand-pulled.
Seam: The join where two turf rolls meet. Seams are glued to seam tape or nailed, with blade direction matched so the join disappears visually. Poor seaming is the most visible installation defect: gapping, lifting edges, or a stripe where the nap runs opposite. Good crews plan roll layout to keep seams out of sightlines.
Nap (blade direction): The direction turf fibers naturally lean, a product of manufacturing. Turf looks noticeably different viewed with the nap versus against it, so all pieces in one area are laid running the same way. Ignoring nap direction across a seam produces a two-tone lawn even with a perfect physical join.
UV stabilization: UV-inhibiting additives compounded into the turf polymer to slow sunlight degradation. In the Sonoran Desert this is the difference between turf that holds color for a decade or more and turf that fades and grows brittle in a few summers. Fade warranties are effectively the manufacturer putting a number on their UV stabilization.
Polyethylene turf: The most common fiber for landscape turf, chosen for a soft feel and natural appearance. Polyethylene blades handle heat and UV well when properly stabilized and are comfortable underfoot, making them the default for residential lawns and pet areas.
Nylon turf: A stiffer, more heat-tolerant and more resilient fiber than polyethylene, used mainly for putting greens and very high-traffic surfaces. It recovers from compression well, which is what makes a putting surface roll true, but it feels coarser and costs more, so it is rarely chosen for a lawn.
Thatch layer: The short, curled fibers woven in at the base of the turf, usually tan or brown, imitating natural grass thatch. It adds visual realism and helps hold the taller blades upright. Turf without a thatch layer tends to read more obviously synthetic.
Surface temperature: The temperature of the turf surface itself, which in direct desert sun runs roughly 40 to 70 degrees above air temperature. On a 110-degree Chandler day that is a surface too hot for comfortable bare feet at midday. Shade, rinsing, lighter colors, and moisture-holding infill all reduce it; nothing eliminates it in full sun.
Evapotranspiration: The combined loss of water from soil evaporation and plant transpiration, the process by which living plants cool the air around them. Synthetic turf has none, which is why it stores and radiates more heat than a living lawn. It is the technical reason behind the urban-heat objection to turf in desert cities.
Xeriscape: Landscaping designed for minimal supplemental water, typically using desert-adapted plants, efficient irrigation, and mulch or gravel ground cover. Chandler and other Valley water providers offer conversion rebates for xeriscape built on living plants. Artificial turf, though it saves water, is generally not eligible for those rebates.
A.R.S. 33-1819: The Arizona statute preventing a homeowners association from prohibiting the installation of synthetic grass where natural grass is permitted. Associations keep authority over reasonable appearance and installation standards and over areas the HOA itself maintains. In practice a Chandler homeowner submits a turf plan for architectural approval rather than seeking permission to use turf at all.
Architectural review (ARC): The HOA committee process that reviews exterior changes against community standards. Most Chandler master-planned communities, including Ocotillo and Fulton Ranch, require an approved application before a turf install begins. Submissions typically include the turf product specification, the area covered, and a site drawing.
ROC license: A contractor license issued by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, required for contracting work above the state threshold. Landscape contractors performing turf installation hold an ROC license in the appropriate classification, and any license can be looked up publicly on the ROC website.
Monsoon season: Arizona's summer thunderstorm season, officially June 15 to September 30. It brings sudden, intense downpours and dust storms to the Valley. Its practical effect on turf is twofold: base grading and drainage must handle heavy short-duration rain, and blown dust settles into the fibers and calls for an occasional rinse.
Haboob: A large dust storm driven by thunderstorm outflow, common in the Phoenix metro during monsoon season. Haboobs deposit fine dust across everything outdoors, turf included. The maintenance response is simply hosing the surface off, which clears grit before it works down into the infill.
Overseeding: The traditional Phoenix-area practice of sowing winter ryegrass over dormant Bermuda each fall so the lawn stays green through winter. It means yearly seed, extra water, and fertilizer, and it is one of the specific chores homeowners cite when switching to turf, which stays green without the annual cycle.
Bermuda grass: The warm-season grass that dominates Phoenix-area lawns. It thrives in summer heat given ample water and goes dormant and brown after the first cold nights, which is why it gets overseeded with ryegrass. Retiring a Bermuda lawn is the most common reason a Chandler homeowner installs turf.

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