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.

I absolutely love mine and removed all the hedges and the garage. It's doubled the size of the garden and we can have a dog now as the garden is now secure. The kids can play football without it just turning into a muddy postage stamp and the ball popping in the hedges. It is one place I can sit on my outdoor sofa and have nothing to do but read a book unlike 2000 jobs in the house. It has helped my mental health hugely and the garden is used all the time now.

Oh God, you not only got rid of the lawn you destroyed the hedges too 🙄 At least PP's have said they have other areas for the wildlife.

We got rid of our hedges as well. They were starting to die and we knew it would be too much for DH to cut them at some point so decided to get rid while we could. My hibiscus bushes have gone this year as well as they were looking diseased but they've been replaced by lavender and sedum so it's bee friendly at least.

I give up, hedges too - why on earth would you take out hedges? What have they been rep,aced with?

I totally get that hedges CAN be a pain. The problem with “nature” when you see it every day, is you don’t always notice how much it grows. Mine have got out of control and am taking steps to remedy it - and then keep on top of it myself.

please don’t rip out hedges, get them under control as best you can. Especially this time of year, hedging shouldn’t be decimated due to nests etc.

@R2G
What do you wash it down with to get rid of the smell of dog wee?
I don't like artificial grass but don't think it should be banned - the answers to this post show that sometimes it is the only option but it's a huge shame that they can't be made of something more biodegradable. They don't sound any easier to manage though with the hoovering and sluicing them down. Perhaps if they looked a more natural colour with the odd daisy or weed.... 😁

@Billandben444 some people on here have mentioned zoflora, so adding to the environmental disaster by washing it in that toxic shite.

For us there were various reasons. When we moved in the bins were kept on the pavement but the council cracked down and we had to move them into the front garden. The hedge took up a lot of space in the garden and it was patchy so we took it out to make a bin area.

The hedge by the side of the path was patchy and was over 6’ tall and was a pain as it grew across the shared path and the alley the other side. DH cut it down to 4’ but it looked a mess. Nothing ever nested in it (probably because the cat slept under it when he was allowed out!), it was a manky old privet so we got rid and now have a fence with pot plant in front.

Well we went for the best we could afford so it looks realistic and is soft. I don't find it smells. At spring time, we have a disinfectant thing that you watee on, leave 15 mins and wash it off. Just to santise it at the start of summer and again at the end. Dog poo we just pick up and if it was dirty there, we would wash it away with the hosepipe.

Replaced it with fencing. The garden is now completely secure so we can have a dog. So much better for us.

Nope no wildlife. Nothing to cut, grow, or water. Nothing to do at all. Just what I wanted I couldn't cope with it and never used it. The garden is secure now and after removing the garage has doubled in size. It's transformed our lives and we are outside as a family all the time. I try and support the environment in many other ways, but I have zero regrets about this for me and am thrilled with it.

I don’t think it should be banned but should require planning permission.

@R2G sounds utterly horrendous and what a lesson to teach your kids, there’s nothing of joy to grow and watch growing…nothing but plastic to hoover.

We did have it in our old house I will admit but we tried everything else first and grew plants in pots etc. In our new house it’s all real grass which fills out garden bin with one cut. It’s much nicer now but the old house just flooded the grass and it became a mud bog.

Well the Op asked why on earth would anyone do it. My answer was family time, mental health, and creating a secure back garden so we could have a pet. My children are teens, they spent growing up in a garden 3ft by 3ft with hedges that popped their ball every time they kicked it. As I say, it's doubled in size, they can play footy, play with the dog, sit out with their friends, have bbqs with the dog running around. We all really enjoy the space now. Nobody hoovers it, not necessary, it's about the drainage. I'm not trying to teach them anything about growing plants, haven't got the time, inclination or energy. Op asked, I answered!

Is the dog plastic too?

The dog was rescued and he came to us when he was 1. The kids love being part of his training sessions and he can now mix with other dogs. He's made us closer as a family and we have a lovely time in the garden each night with him after school and again after work, the weekends when it's nice we are all put there with him. The dog has made massive changes to my autistic sons life and wellbeing, and has really helped my son with his gcse anxiety and me with insomnia, depression, anxiety to have a regular routine. I'm so glad I was able to make these changes as we couldn't have had him without the secure garden. The benefits listed above could maybe come from growing some grass or tomatoes but none of us are interested. The post asked why, I answered my 'why'.

I don’t understand how astroturf or artificial grass makes a secure garden? You can still have a dog and real grass and grow things. The post doesn’t really make sense.

Why on earth would you install fake grass, there’s a million different reasons why it’s so awful.
But what concerns me the most is how alarming the rise of microplastics in our environment.

Alongside the increased risk of flooding from carpeting and paving over all the natural spaces.
I swear some people just want to watch the world burn.

I know, it doesn’t make sense.
My garden is perfectly secure with a lawn (going mostly wild for no mow May) shrubs, trees, plants, flowers etc around the edge. It’s secure for our dog and any wee soaks into the grass, I don’t have to be out there every few days scrubbing it with zoflora (WHICH IS HIGHLY TOXIC TO PETS ffs, let alone aquatic life/wildlife).
Surely a fence is all that is needed for a dog to be secured in the garden?

No you're right. I was referring to the question that someone asked why I'd rip out hedges and put fencing.

Yes, I was answering the question of why I removed the hedges and put fence. I don't zoflora my grass or use zoflora in the house. We have v natural products, eat mostly vegetarian and if we do it meat it's organic, grass fed or wild caught. I wonder how many people on this page eat sweetcorn and can tell me the damage of their gmo crops. We holiday UK and don't take planes. I cycle to work. Anyhoo, I fookin love my garden. I do care about the world, but I also am really happy with my decision and feel I've answered why now several times. Nobody is perfect x

Wild caught fish before any one thinks I'm wrestling boat

@R2G
A lot of thought went into your garden plan and you've put your family first - something every mumsnetter does despite the negative comments on here 💐

Personally I loathe artificial lawn. And paving an entire garden area. Terrible for the environment and wildlife.

Yes it did, thank you x