We've just had a plastic lawn put in. AMA

[Imdunfer]

As title.

If you're going to raise climate issues please make sure you have your facts right before you post. There is a lot of incorrect PR and social media comment about plastic turf going around at the moment.

Oh give it up, it's an AMA. No-one is asking you

What possessed you to start an AMA? Do you have a humiliation fetish?

There is no flooding risk, it drains.

I have watched 2000 house be built in the immediate area on hundreds of hectares of what was farmland 4 years ago when we moved here. I'm sorry if it offends anyone, but I simply cannot get concerned about replacing a few squares yards of bad grass with a bit of green of outdoor carpet.

Imagine being this pressed over someone else's garden that you have to start inspecting their fictional living room furniture. Go outside and touch your own real grass people, it might calm you down.

I genuinely thought some people might want to ask reasonable questions and I was also intrigued to see if the recent bad PR was getting through to people. It clearly is.

Oh that's all right then. Just so long as you are only contaminating the ground in your own garden with microplastics.

It might look lovely, but handsome is as handsome does.

Does it sustain any life? No. Does it improve soil structure? No. Does it contribute to the local ecosystem in any way whatsoever? No. Does it stay cool in extremely hot weather? No. Does it absorb carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and give out oxygen? No.

But none of that matters to you because it makes your outdoor room look nice.

I know they're not asking me. My point is that demanding a photo from the OP just so people can sit in judgment is ridiculous. It's a garden, not a court case.

It looks lovely.

No it doesn’t. It looks like plastic shite. There are thousands of accurate adjectives you could use before ‘lovely’.

We have it too - I didn't want it originally, but grass would not grow (it's a tiny space, and shaded on all sides). And I don't mean it was patchy coverage - we had a barren patch of dusty hard earth all summer. The whole street have the same problem - the people either side of us have just paved theirs entirely. I felt paving would have been worse tbh, as you're then not letting water drain away at all - this fake grass is dug in properly, rain drains through it. We've certainly never hoovered it (!) or washed it. I expect animals have weed and pooed on it - just like any grass. Nothing noticeable though. We sweep the leaves off it at that time of year, and the borders around it are absolutely bursting with plant and animal live. Plenty of insects, bees, birds, etc. Typical urban garden stuff.

No noticeable smell at all - either when it was put in, or 10 years on. It looks as good as it did, and I can't imagine we'll have to replace it any time soon. It does get hot in summer though, but again we're so shaded that that is really only a problem for about 15 minutes before we're back in shade again!

Nobody has demanded. They asked. Because, you know, it's an Ask Me Anything.

Why? There’s enough plastic on this earth already and real grass is better for wildlife. We had it when we moved in, ghastly stuff, we’ve laid real turf and sowed wildflowers

The garden is tiny, the cost was not, but you must get the base right for it to drain and not grow weeds, and the most realistic 40mm turf is not cheap.

But it has been worth every penny. Quotes varied wildly, there was a 50% difference between highest and lowest. We went lowest and got a pair of guys who had a real eye for garden design and did a fantastic job.

It's an 'Ask Me Anything,' not a 'Come and Insult Someone's Lifestyle.' Let’s not hide behind semantics when the tone of this thread has been pure judgment from the start.

We absolutely love it.

It did cost a lot but the whole garden was made over with new raised beds and a patio.

I believe the makover will improve the property value and the way it has been done it would not be a significant cost on a £450,000 house to take up the plastic and turf it.

I'll probably be dead before it's sold but if not I'd tell them to take a running jump. It would be much easier to return it to a good lawn now than making the old garden into a good lawn would have been.

Why would it? You're just a bunch of strangers on the internet and the world is a big enough place for us all to hold different points of view.

Some people can even do that without being rude.

I've seen fake grass with some very determined weeds growing through it !

Hello @Imdunfer 👋

We are contemplating this, we have a small garden, some would call it a yard lol. We have two dogs though, do you think it could withstand them? They rarely do their business in there as they are walked plenty but they are in there alot playing.
I used to hate the stuff but the quality is amazing nowadays and I need colour! We have tons of planters but in winter it looks a little drab.

Well unless you hold dual standards for my grass, then by your rules we should all be living in flats to take up the least ground area.

None of that is necessary. Your neighbour might have mental health difficulties.

Thank you. Enjoy it. Everyone should have their garden how they like. Except my neighbours who've got a massive tree in a tiny yard and it blocks all my light..haha. new family just moved in so last thing I wanna do is introduce myself by saying 'cut the tree down'?!

People play football on it, it will withstand some dogs, no problems. As long as you get it put down properly.

Bad ground preparation probably.

Do you think this from Plymouth University is fake PR/social media?

https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/discover/why-are-artificial-lawns-bad-for-the-environment

What have you got against bees and butterflies?