高溫致草坪枯黃 屋主噴漆應對
今夏，美國各地遭遇高溫天氣，各家的草坪也因此變得枯黃，甚至乾死。不過，紐約和新澤西州一些社區的草坪卻格外翠綠，原因是他們的主人給這些草坪噴了純植物的綠漆。據悉，這種噴漆爲可生物降解性質，是從植物中提取、無毒的草坪顏料，每平方米的噴塗價格爲1.61美元；除草坪外，還可用於灌木和樹木的噴塗。如果草坪的草確已乾死，噴塗的綠色可一直持續到次年春天新草長出；若是草坪還在生長，那麼要等草坪割過兩三次以後顏料纔會消褪。隨着高溫乾旱天氣的持續，草坪噴塗服務的需求不斷增長，而且人們的要求也不限於草坪綠色。據悉，曾有客戶要求在美國獨立日前將自家草坪噴成美國國旗的顏色。不過，該業務發起人表示，目前還沒有研製出紅色和藍色的顏料，不過可能性還是有的。
Despite the summer's persistent heat waves, the grass really is greener in some neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey.
Homeowners with brown, dried-up lawns are turning to "lawn painting" to liven up their yards.
Business is booming, according to Joe Perazzo, who launched his lawn painting company in New York's most suburban borough of Staten Island a few years ago, inspired by the tinting process used to color professional athletic fields. Other companies have sprung up in the region and elsewhere in the country.
"We've had a lot more calls and jobs in the past few weeks," said Perazzo, who added that this season's heat has been particularly hard on lawns due to a lack of rain.
For about 15 cents a square foot ($1.61 a square meter), or $150 for 1,000 square feet ($161.40 for 100 square meters), Perazzo will spray a plant-based, non-toxic turf dye on lawns or even dried-up shrubs and trees.
The biodegradable spray can last up until next spring's new growth if grass is truly desiccated, he said.
For lawns with a bit of life left in them, the paint will last for "two to three mows," he said.
In such hot weather, with temperatures hovering near the triple digits, lawns are not growing very fast, he said.
Rich Pacailler of Howell, New Jersey, had his 1,500 square foot lawn sprayed this week.
"It gave me the green lawn I've been working for," he said. "I come home and see I've got the greenest lawn on the block."
He said it was very natural looking, "like new sod."
"It's not hampering the lawn, but really showcasing it and giving it that curb appeal," he said.
Perazzo said he can custom mix the lawn shade, "depending on how yellow or brown the turf is."
Someone recently suggested painting a lawn red, white and blue for the Fourth of July holiday, he said.
"I haven't gotten into blues and reds," he said. "But I've researched it, and it's a definite possibility."
