We first heard of homeowners spray-painting their lawns green last summer to avoid local “brown lawn” fees on the West Coast, a trend that has only grown now that grass isn’t growing amidst California’s current drought. The owner of one such service that provides landscape painting says he’s taking more orders than ever before, as lack of rain keeps lawns thirsty and dry.

The owner of a West Sacramento business says business is booming. He charges about $0.25 per square foot, which is much cheaper than replacing an entire yard with drought-friendly plant material, another alternative.

“I probably have about seven appointments scheduled in just the next week or so,” he told News 10 (warning: link has autoplay video).

If you’re worried about things that creep and crawl, he says the dye he uses is an all-natural earth pigment that won’t hurt pets or people.

“It’s just like the regular old grass when they eat it,” he explains. “It won’t hurt them at all.”

Painting lawns green is big business in Sacramento [News 10]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.