No-mow lawns are sprouting up

[Steve]

Have you seen a rise in interest in such lawns? How do you feel these types of lawns could effect the industry?

No-mow lawns are sprouting up (http://www.mcall.com/features/custom/hg/all-hg-g-lawns-070706,0,7418324.story) - No-mow lawns are not so low-maintenance that they'll allow you to park the lawn mower permanently, but these special low-growing grass blends take almost all the work out of a lawn. They save time, gas, water and fertilizer.
"We don't even recommend using fertilizer," says Neil Diboll, owner of Prairie Nursery.
Prairie Nursery's no-mow lawn seed is a mix of six slow-growing fescue grasses that forms a dense, tough turf. The grasses develop deep roots, which help them tolerate drought, and they will thrive even in light shade. Instead of weekly mowing, Diboll recommends mowing a no-mow lawn once a year.

[tiedeman]

I personally think that the lawn maintenance industry is already dead, but we just don't know it yet.

[Steve]

Why do you feel that way and what do you feel is next?

[tiedeman]

Reasons why I feel that it is dead and what is going to happen:
1. Water restrictions are getting tighter and tighter
2. Rise in fuel prices are closing businesses or having homeowners do their own lawns.
3. Increase in sales of ZTR homeowner units
4. Customers are going to start installing fake grass
5. Customers are going to start to just landscape their entire lawn and have no grass
6. Pesticide restrictions are getting tighter
7. Customers will look for ways to save water, time, and money by installing zero maintenance landscapes.
8. New grass species are being developed for slow growth
9. Growth regulators are being used more and more to slow the growth of already established lawns