Considering an artificial lawn, thoughts?

[AnxiousPixie]

We have fought with our lawn for years. It's always wet and boggy and covered in more moss than grass. I even invested a couple of years ago to have it all ripped up, a good drainage layer put down and new turf. After two years and most of that maintenance being done by a Gardener we are back to square one.

So I am looking at artificial grass.

Looking after lawn tips are welcome but looking specifically for any advice/pros/cons of artificial lawns please!

Thanks!

OP if you've got pets or children be careful because it gets really hot in the summer.

I've seen some artificial grass that looks ok but never any that looks like real grass.
If you want good quality you have to pay for it.
Although even then you'll probably be disappointed.

@Yumperwumpee my Nan used to hoover her real lawn whenever she thought it looked untidy. Possibly the strangest thing I ever saw her do!

It was a seeling point when we purchased our house. I am disabled so a lawn wasn't an option. I love mine. It's about 10 years old and is still going strong. Hasn't faded or anything.

Selling point*

And the heat thing, gets no hotter than our decking or flags

Personally I hate it and would rather transform it with slabs, raised beds, large planters etc.

@Shmithecat2

Fuck me. Some of you are spiteful. OP asked for pros/cons and tips, not derisory remarks and fake shock at why someone would consider AstroTurf. Assuming that the OP has young dc, a moss lawn or hard landscape with shrubs might not be the most suitable alternatives.

How do you use your garden OP? Kids? Any apparatus, swings slides etc? How big is the space?

Perhaps, but it many make important points/cons about the ecological damage and the reaction from many suggests it is likely to be divisive on adding any value if the Op wants to sell.

if grass doesn't grow, how about a different type of garden? decking / patio / woodchip or something else. there are lots of interesting possibilities that look nice and don't fill the landscape with plastic.

Artificial lawns also get wet and boggy. My neighbours have one and this time of year it's just wet the whole time right through till spring. Also can be really slippery.

Isn't there an issue with the stink of animal urine lingering on fake grass?

I would definitely think about a moss lawn, or other options potentially like a micro lover lawn - they don't need mowing as the clover stays short - I keep considering switching mine to one but not sure how it would cope with boggy areas.

I wouldn't want to buy a house with a plastic lawn (or I would have to research the cost and difficulty of replacing them at the very least), so I would wonder if it might put people off in future, depending on if you plan to sell any time soon.

Obviously if there are no other options which suit your family then that's one thing, but I'd look at other options first at least.

@Shmippy

Isn't there an issue with the stink of animal urine lingering on fake grass?

You can hose it down and disinfect it easily

Thanks all, interested in all views.

The ecological side does bother me, that's what I am grappling with the most. But at the moment we have two young children and 50% that we can't use for most of the year as it is so wet and boggy. The kids get about four weeks in the summer when it is playable. The other 50% is already hard landscaped so I wasn't keen on doing more of that and it's just as ecologically damaging.

Thanks for those coming on and saying you have had it/like it. Would be really interested to hear about what type you went for and why? Any one come across any companies to avoid.

We haven't decided and I do still have planters in my garden and wondering whether there is more I can do to compensate the poor wildlife. Bug houses on the walls etc. I know it's not the same though.

I also loathe plastic grass.

I suggest you contact the helpdesk at the RHS if you're a member; if not, their website is really good and you may find some alternative ideas.

www.rhs.org.uk/membership/rhs-gardening-advice#:~:text=RHS%20members%20can%20contact%20our,one%2Dto%2Done%20support.

@Shmippy

Isn't there an issue with the stink of animal urine lingering on fake grass?

Really easy to clean. We just fill a watering can with the solution in. My dog tends to pee up my plant pots in the yard anyway.

@mogkat

Artificial lawns also get wet and boggy. My neighbours have one and this time of year it's just wet the whole time right through till spring. Also can be really slippery.

Their drainage must be shit. Ours is never boggy.

Yuk. Despise the things. Be more imaginative and follow the suggestions given pleaae.

Re the boggy factor - why is that?

I won't lie, I hate fake lawns. Great for events, used them a lot for those but was amazed when they started to get popular as lawn!

But also....don't forget the flooding you will get from them. Heavy rain has no escape through fake grass.

And moss is cool. And you can grow damp loving plants.

No, they are naff and terrible for the environment.

No! What about nature ?

@EmmaH2022

Re the boggy factor - why is that?

I won't lie, I hate fake lawns. Great for events, used them a lot for those but was amazed when they started to get popular as lawn!

But also....don't forget the flooding you will get from them. Heavy rain has no escape through fake grass.

And moss is cool. And you can grow damp loving plants.

Good drainage. My garden has never flooded

@AnxiousPixie, if you haven't been able to get your drainage under control by now, artificial grass won't fix it. You may get away with it for a couple of years, but then it reverts to being a boggy mess under a layer of plastic.

We have it. Debated for ages for all the reasons above. No regrets whatsoever.

Our garden is postage stamp sized and the teeny lawn was a bog in winter and an ants nest in summer. We use it about 5 times as much now including all through winter.

Contrary to a PP it drains far, far better in heavy rain than our real lawn used to.

We have Quickgrass, Woburn I think. We were warned off Easigrass and NoMow by our independent fitter.

Do get samples before choosing, and do get it professionally laid with all the under surface prep etc, otherwise it will not drain well and will look crap in a year or two.

Do NOT hoover it as this pulls up the layer of fine sand which helps keep it weighted and draining freely. If you have flowerbeds round the edge it’s easy to brush any leaves etc into those.

Only downside, if you are S facing it does get hot on very sunny summer days.

We have “compensated” by having lots of plants and trees around the edges, planters on the paved area and also heavily planting up our front garden which was fully paved.

I agree with the poster who said make a moss lawn. I actually have no issue with miss in my lawn.

I would lose a bit of respect for someone who put down a fake lawn.

@JayAlfredPrufrock

Grimmer than a grim thing.

And I judge anyone that has one. 🤷‍♀️

Even people like me who had one when we moved in? I’m not going to rip it out and waste it, that’s bad too 😢 (I do judge the past owners 😂)