Artificial garden lawns - what a weird world

[Figmentofmyimagination]

Another installed on our street. I just don’t understand it. Why would anyone do this?

There is a petition to ban their sale for installation in residential dwellings if you want to sign it:

It’s only got 5,900 signatures so far, which seems a pretty low number, given how much of a no brainer this is, imo. Maybe that’s just me.

petition deleted by MNHQ as we don't allow them, we're afraid.

Here's my horrible nasty evil nature free garden from above.

They're not great but as most people have pointed out, not every piece of ground will have good enough drainage or may be too shadowy to actually grow anything on, especially if the house is a new build. So it's artificial grass, mud or paving for people with that type of garden.

Exactly.

I am lucky enough to have a large garden, full of grass and moss and it has a swampy muddy bit at the very end. It also has a paved area and some decking near the house. It's easy for me to say ah don't worry about the mud because we can easily avoid it, we have plenty of room. But if you have a small garden and it's full of mud are you really going to want to use it? Barbecue in your wellies in a muddy bog? Buy some expensive planters, plant some beautiful flowers in them and plonk them into the mud? Wouldn't it be better to have a useable back garden that you can naturalise as much as possible using pots and borders?

not every piece of ground will have good enough drainage or may be too shadowy to actually grow anything on,
😂Now I've heard it all...

The only people on this tread patting each other on the back about their plastic grass are the only people who do not understand the complexity of what they are talking about, its like watching a group men in a pub putting the world to rights with out any actual clue what they are talking about. Seriously some of the ignorance of the actual science behind why people are against is is lost on these people.

It's not that complex, it's grass. It doesn't grow well in boggy shadowy gardens full of hardfill. I don't have artificial grass but I can congratulate myself on not being a wanker on an artificial grass thread I suppose, which is more than can be said for you.

Your lawn is mostly hidden @DrRuthGalloway I can’t see it properly.

And that, darisdet, is why real grass won't grow.
We really really tried.

I don't like plastic grass and would never buy it myself but I think some of the nastiness in this thread is really unpleasant and unlikely to win anyone over. Sneering that people must be low iq and that you couldn't possibly respect them is a bit much.

I think it would be better to educate people more and present them with other low maintenance garden options, gardening can be too much for some people. People who buy a fake lawn probably choose it over paving because they actually want greenery in their garden but don't know how to achieve it.

I think we should be trying to get more people focused on increasing biodiversity in their area and try and cancel out the impact made by those who don't give a shit. My neighbour had a green plastic lawn complete with fake trees and trellises with fake leaves, the birds just flew over his garden to hang out in mine.

"So they're all childless vegans without cars who never travel and live off the grid? I doubt it. In fact some have been quite explicit that they aren't."

That sounds like whataboutery.

I'm sure those genuinely concerned about the effects on the environment would not confine that to plastic lawns only. That wouldn't make sense.

It's not that complex, it's grass. 😂

So your ignoring the hydrology, the ecology, the soil science, the biology, the geo morphology, the botany, the effect of bioaccumulation of microplastics on benthic macroinvertebrates from leaching, just to name a few of the things this affects. All these processes are affected by your naff grass and you call me a wanker! Come back when you actually learn some science and can have a discussion with out shear ignorance.

Come back when you actually learn some science

Like what? That grass doesn't grow well in certain conditions?

What particular grass are you identifying please? let me know which particular species of grass you are defining? I guess you know how to identify grass types?

How many NVC surveys have you done on habitats?

Also there are plenty of other alternatives to having a pristine lawn, or Plastic shit, get a grip and learn some thing.

This is a wonderful example of someone knowing more about a subject, but not having the first idea about how to communicate that knowledge in a way that persuades and encourages other people.
"These are the facts so believe what I do and if you don't you're a bad person or stupid" isn't really going to win the day, and however invested you may not be in how much random people agree with you online, a change like banning artificial grass does mean putting across an argument in a way that moves a majority to your way of thinking.
My point of view is that, shockingly, there needs to be some nuance about any rules in the future. For example; how much of the garden you can cover, and where the garden is - my garden backs onto a 400m x 75m field, if I covered half of my garden in artificial grass (the half that doesn't already have a wildlife pond and trees/shrubs) I really doubt there would be a significant impact on the local environmental diversity. I'm sure others will put me right, however.

What particular grass are you identifying please? let me know which particular species of grass you are defining? I guess you know how to identify grass types?

Ask the numerous people on this thread who have told you that they've tried to grow grass and haven't been successful.

"These are the facts so believe what I do and if you don't you're a bad person or stupid" isn't really going to win the day

You wouldn't think people needed to be told such a basic, but you'd be wrong 😆

No mowing but they look awful

What about a auto mower that sits outside in corner of garden

Fake grass looks dreadful , you would be better putting chuckies or something down.

@TheKeatingFive They have no botany skills obviously and rather than educate them self's they buy plastic grass and defend it like you, with ignorance.

here a free link for you
www.fscbiodiversity.uk/blog/new-guide-identifying-grasses

My tiny bit is over concrete. It just adds a bit of greenery and I have a border and pots. You can hardly see it.

I agree with PietariKontio.

orchiddottyback You may know your stuff but you don't sound like a nice person.

They have no botany skills obviously and rather than educate them self's they buy plastic grass and defend it like you, with ignorance.

have we not learnt by now that calling people ignorant is the last thing that works to change their behaviour?

You've probably rallied more to the fake grass cause than you have dissuaded

Its not a case of being a nice person, its of case of people arguing with some one who knows the science and telling them they are wrong.

Also its about people calling just because I understand all the science, i obviously live in a huge house, with hundreds of holidays, multiple kids and drive a 4x4. Get a grip!

I don't need to be nice to people who intentionally do not read the entire thread and argue against the scientific facts. If you are not willing to learn or accept the truth, no I have no time for stupidity.

The fact is I have no interest in trying to persuade some one like you, who has no intention of listening as can be seen by every single post in this thread. If you want to act ignorant get all defensive rather then become slightly more educated that's on you not me.

If you are not willing to learn or accept the truth, no I have no time for stupidity.

There you go again. I for one have learnt something and I'm not stupid.

That's rubbish. It's hardly rare for people to fight the environment fight as long as it's banning or restricting something they're not interested in.

If anyone piling on @TheKeatingFive does fly, buy unnecessary electronics or have a large family, I don't see why she can't call them out on it. Why is not hypocritical for them to criticize her when they're taking their own dump on the environment in other ways? Dismissing it as whataboutery is just trying to avoid being pulled up for your hypocrisy.

That grass doesn't grow in certain conditions is not a good enough argument, sorry.

We have a north facing garden which was built on an old industrial site. When we moved in the garden was mostly rubble and earth. Over the years we've had to put down more grass seed and for a long time when the kids were little it was full of muddy patches, it can get quite boggy in winter. But that doesn't matter, nature loves muddy patches.
Now the kids are teens we leave the 'weeds' aka beautiful wild flowers, to take over and just mow a path down to the pond/shed.
My grass has never been a perfect lawn and never will be but the insects & birds seem to love it. We have newts, slow worms, dragonflies, foxes, squirrels even badgers visit, oh and bats fly over at dusk/night to catch all the insects above the grass.
There are so many alternatives to grass (as pps have mentioned) that will grow in a shady spot.

Barring disability there really is no excuse, and even then as @Bearsan's lovely father showed, you don't have to resort to plastic grass.