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Technicians are now sure: only the hybrid turf system PowerGrass, allows a balanced coexistence between the natural and the synthetic grass, with numerous mutual benefits.

In 2011, dott. Niko Sarris, identified the solution that soon would change the way the sports fields are and were built. Despite his twenty years of experience in the fields of natural and artificial turf industry he was faced with countless problems and overcome many challenges to reach the PowerGrass hybrid turf system.

Dott. Sarris, aware of the value of its implementation, will file the first application for European Patent early 2012, in EPO (European Patent Office).

A year later present application of the patent to WIPO (World International Patent Office) for the extension in the rest of the World introducing new features and one alternative solution with the production method Woven for synthetic turf, also re-filed at the EPO.

Early 2014, will file a third patent application, daughter of the first, to protect a further characteristic that he discovered during his research.

On September 24^th, 2015, the European Patent Office has confirmed the granting of the first application of the patent to Dott. Sarris, with effect as of its publication in the Bulletin of the European Patent Office, the 21/10/2015

Hybrid turf systems are nothing new. The first system was patented in 1990 in the Netherlands and soon after in 1993, was introduced another patented in the United States. Most of them there designed for the premium league clubs and are very popular especially in UK.

Developing the hybrid grass system PowerGrass we had to deal with the state of the art in hybrid systems. In our research we had to study the characteristics of other older systems that, from a theoretical point of view, should be ideal to reinforce the natural grass.

The main goal of hybrid systems is to increase the resistance to wear and tear of natural grass. In our research we have identified three hybrid systems that met some success but, limited to the club with high budget because the cost for installation and subsequent maintenance is high.

One of the most obvious aspects, yet underestimated by many, it is that the grass does not grow willingly in artificial turf. It would seem a symbiosis impossible and for this there is the belief that hybrid systems do not keep their promises and in certain cases they are veritable "disappointments".

Some hybrid systems work in the first period, but the benefits quickly fade. In other cases, the grass is stressed as it reaches the desired density and the weather conditions are not conducive to growth.

In some cases, the surface becomes too hard and deoxygenated for the grass, that is hard to grow. Players complain because of the hardness of the field which causes problems in the ligaments.

Keep the balance to favor the growth of the grass inside the artificial grass, it often becomes an arduous and complex work by increasing the budget drastically. Technicians are often forced to use the Verti-Drain for loosening the sand based growth medium, repeatedly fertilize and reseed.

Experience has taught that in maintenance equal, the growth conditions of the grass are less favorable to the growth of the lawn in the same substrate without reinforcement and wear resistance in some cases is less. However, the surface stability is higher and often the evenness is perfect because they do not form dangerous divots.

The reinforcement of natural grass was studied by only a few individuals in the world, therefore, is the need to develop a hybrid turf of greatest strength and quality that can put a remedy to these issues and offer a real alternative to synthetic turf that, on the one hand, provides a high number of playing hours but, on the other hand provides more risks in terms of injuries and denatures the quality and the playing comfort.

PowerGrass solution!

The PowerGrass hybrid system has exceeded all the limits of the old hybrid systems, improving the conditions for growth in an artificial grass designed specifically, compared to an application with the same substrate without reinforcement. The natural grass so increases the resistance to wear and tear while protecting at the same time the synthetic grass from the sun's UV rays.

The PowerGrass hybrid system consists in using synthetic grass with a dedicated backing, non-biodegradable, draining and breathable on the whole surface. The three-dimensional structure of the backing, where they are securely fastened the artificial yarns, forms many interconnected pores that allow the grass roots to breathe, penetrate and grow also below the artificial backing, in the growth medium also designed ad hoc.

PowerGrass integrate Geofill PG

The Geofill PG is a patented organic soil conditioner that completes the invention of PowerGrass hybrid system. It consists in a mixture of 100% organic material based on coco peat and cork, renewable sources, to mix with silica sand in the construction site and then distributed under and inside the artificial grass, thus forming a growth medium ideal for agronomic and sport surface performance.

Characteristics, the most unique than rare differentiate this hybrid grass from all existing systems of mixed or reinforced grass!

PowerGrass project is not only an alternative to other hybrid systems that aim to reinforce the grass to play a few more hours, during the playing season, without tearing the grass sod in the stadiums of the professionals.

PowerGrass project, while maintaining the prerogatives of the game professional players love, seeks to offer a playing surface for more than 1000 hours per year which corresponds to the market demand for almost all the amateur clubs and the training fields of the professionals, and this is possible thanks to an innovation that combines the most unique than rare features, subject of three patents, which allow to:

1. increase the wear resistance of the grass and keep the surface planar without divots, by fixing ("tuft lock") of strong and resistant synthetic fibers to the support (backing) that allow grooming intensively until the fibers protrude 20-30 mm at the surface during infill with the growth medium; fibers protruding on the surface aggregate the sand based medium and protect the crowns of natural grass plants from the cleats of the players;
2. triple tear resistance of the grass sods, because the roots penetrate the backing and anchor from the first period of growth; this is possible because the air circulation is assured by an open support, with 3D structure, so the macro-pores are interconnected with different angles while, at the same time, the size and shape of the interspaces prevent the sand of penetrate the backing avoiding clogging and hardening of the support;
3. double the multi-year duration of traditional synthetic turf because the support is not biodegradable and is made from a special geogrid that does not ladder if punched from the tines of Verti-Drain, to withstand multiple maintenance operations such as: aeration in depth, grooming, thatch removing, re-seeding, scratch renewal of natural grass etc.; if the turf is maintained on a regular basis, it is estimated a duration of PowerGrass system of more than 20 years because natural grass will protect synthetic turf from aging;
4. improve the playing comfort by providing a softer surface for the players and improve growth conditions in the growth medium that is compacted less, so that, in combination with the greater resistance to wear and tear of the grass sod, reduce maintenance; that is possible because the support is elastic and very soft and reduces the surface hardness and, additionally, the integration of the gentle cork in the sand layer will reduce the density of the growth medium and enhance gas exchange, water retention, rainwater infiltration, softness of the sports surface and will reduce even more the compaction of the growth medium; the insulation proprieties of the geotextile and cork will mitigate soil temperature in the root zone