To astro turf my garden?

[hibbledobble]

I put beautiful turf down and it's sadly looks like the pennines now: bumpy and lots of dead patches.

Astro turf would mean minimal maintenance and would look good, not good for environment though and pricey.

Wibu to astro turf it? If not, how does one maintain a lawn?

I was tempted to go for artificial grass on the front - its only a small patch of grass but has been totally taken over by ants - can't mow it, it looks patchy and brown and just eeugh. hadn't considered the eco-side of it tbh - might just try getting rid of the ants first

I wonder if astroturf would completely get rid of the ants? Would they just burrow under if it is only a small patch? I guess if you have that problem you're lawn is quite dry and sandy - the opposite problem to some of the pps on here! Maybe after trying to remove the ants, you could look into options for changing the condition of the soil to prevent them from returning.

squishysquirmy last year son dug up the turf where the nest were and we put those ant killer things in the soil and patted the turf back down! Wretched things have just move a foot to the right! All our soil seems quite clayish but could be different on the front where the sun is. I know I should live and let live with the ants but they just make me shudder !!

Thank you veuve

The gardener is mainly to quote and advise on the real lawn option. I have got an astro turf quote from a specialist company already.

When the gardener is with you, ask him what he'd have

katetheshrew totally agree. It's actively making a choice to be environmentally hostile that upsets me about it. My lovely mossy, flowery 'lawn' might not look perfect but it's doing good. Today I've been watching a neighbour line his previously lawned garden with plastic and tip ten tonnes of gravel onto it. It looks fucking awful.

DameDiazepam, the gardener probably has astroturf as he doesn't have time for his own lawn!

We have astroturf at home as we spend all our gardening efforts on our allotment.

Actually I was out in the garden this morning and walked over the grass barefoot. It stays cool in the heat and it feels kind of silky soft under foot. I was actually thinking of this thread at the time.

There is lots of daisies now, and something else flowering, which could be the grass itself, as well as little blue flowers poking through. It's also got moss sprinkled about.

From a distance it looks lovely. Like a soft green carpet. Up close it looks , well, like summer time.

It really doesn't take a lot to maintain a lawn, not if it's well laid in the first place. But if you leave it and don't touch it for a year, it will look shit, as will Astro turf. The issue I think is the op hasn't touched her lawn for s year, so even if she gets Astro turf, she's going to be in the same situation, if not a lot worse as she has a dog. It'll stink like a portaloo at the end of a festival.

Another question for people with lawns. If you have a lawn and a dog, how do you stop their urine from destroying it? I think it's partly why my 'lawn' is so patchy.

Does dog pee spoil a lawn? I've never had that issue.

You can try dog rocks, or I've read that putting tomato ketchup in your dog's food works but I've never tried it and I wouldn't know how much you need to give them.

To the OP, if you want to astroturf then fine, but I don't think you can really call it a garden then. To me a garden is a natural living thing. My lawn may look a bit rubbish at the moment but I get more pleasure from watching the hedgehogs snuffling about on it than I would from admiring a perfect 'lawn'.

Dog pee doesn't do any damage to the lawn, but depending on what you lay it on, it might smell
Ours is laid onto packed sand, so can smell a bit on hot days
We just give it a quick blast with a power washer every few weeks during the summer, literally a 90 second spray, and it is fine

When the dog has had the runs, we've also washed it off with the hose and it was all gone in seconds

Sorry, my post is about astroturf, not a grass lawn!

Sparechange that could still be good advice for a grass lawn as long as you see the dog having a wee and chuck some water over it straight way (the grass not the dog ). Diluting it is sure to make a difference.

Someone up thread mentioned the work involved in clearing leaves off a real lawn. But leaves fall on plastic too and need clearing surely?

I tried dog rocks but they don't work. The reviews online all said they are rubbish.

Watering afterwards would work I'm sure but would mean I would need to constant watch dog to know when and where. I just don't have the time for that!

Do others really not find that dog urine kills grass?

I'm curious as to why my lawn is so dead then!

Rolf - I don't get the leaf thing either. I've never cleared a leaf off a lawn. They rot down by themselves and the worms have them.

I shove most of the leaves onto the flowerbeds, as a sort of lazy autumn mulch. One year I will get around to collecting them into plastic bags to rot down into leafmold. I can see why if someone had a lot of leaves on a lawn they might have to clear them up, to prevent the grass underneath being smothered. But at least on a lawn the ones you miss will get broken down and disappear - wont they just go horrible and slimy on astroturf?

Yes dog wee kills lawns, we've got 5 female dogs and the lawn is covered in yellow circles, it recovers every winter when it's wetter then looks awful in the summer.

I've never found anything that works.

I think half the reason our lawn was always dead was because we had cats who no doubt urinated on it.

We've had 4 dogs
Only one's wee scorched the grass, we thought it's because he has a lot of medication and that changes his wee, more acidic, or something!

Apparently bitch urine is more acidic so that may be why her urine is so good at killing grass. She is fit as a fiddle and not on any medication.

Drainage of the grass lawn is also an issue, but perhaps relaying will help.

Hibble did you make a decision, and if so dare you share it on here?

Haven't read the full thread so forgive me if I'm repeating.

But, what do people do with AstroTurf & dogs? I have two dogs, would you have to scrape the poo off and then get a wipe to get it off the plastic? What about diarrhoea, wee

Just put a fence in so the dog stays off the grass, once she ha had a wee let her run around.
We thought we would have to returf our lawn but a lawn specialist sorted it inntwwo treatments cost £80, and we have a decent sized garden.
We are replacing all the tarmac and concrete areas with plants. For the wildlife.
www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/News/2017/greening-grey-britain-garden