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 is the issue actually with drainage in your garden as it is so boggy? Won’t that just mean you have puddles on top of artificial grass? I would consider consulting a landscaper about drainage first.

@elbea

They are absolutely horrible, we laugh at a house near that has loads of insect houses and hedgehog houses in their plastic lawn.

Why you would rip up grass and lay a big slab of plastic that is constantly shedding micro plastics into the ground is beyond me.

I think they really bring down an area too, they always end up looking shabby.

Because I can't use a lawn mower and I can't wipe my dog properly. It's changed my life in all honesty.

@PattyPan I'm not sure if it comes up well enough but I'll definitely look into it. Luckily I have a gardener friend so once we're in I'll ask him to take a look.

It's all well and good saying don't get it, it's vile, bad for the environment etc, but what do those posters suggest people do when they have a north facing clay soil garden that doesn't drain and you have small children who want to play outside? If it wasn't for artificial grass our garden would be unusable for our children between October -April. A hard surface like paving is no good with small children and neither is bark or stones when they want to play football.

I’m guessing the people with plastic lawns also have cars and fly so I’m not sure what the point is.

@togymornottogym

It's all well and good saying don't get it, it's vile, bad for the environment etc, but what do those posters suggest people do when they have a north facing clay soil garden that doesn't drain and you have small children who want to play outside? If it wasn't for artificial grass our garden would be unusable for our children between October -April. A hard surface like paving is no good with small children and neither is bark or stones when they want to play football.

Same here. My kids play out all year now

Following this thread with interest!

Our lawn is in bits because of heavy traffic, kids playing and dogs. They've worn out large parts of it and it's just mud. We've had it returfed already and back to square one within a year.

When we bought the house the garden was gravel, so we had to replace that. It's just the same as anything in a house - kitchen / bathroom / carpet etc People have different taste and you can't appeal to everyone. For every person who thinks they're horrible someone else thinks they're practical.

How do they fair with dog poo? Is it easy to clean up?

I notice everyone who actually has one on this thread is very pleased with it.

@togymornottogym yes mine is North facing, I am disabled so cannot mow anything hence why the front and side garden are all planted up. Dh has severe grass pollen hayfever and this has been a life changer for him to be able to kick a football around with his sons without his eyes swelling shut.

It is a solution to a problem. Why do people keep suggesting moss? You cannot play football on moss I believe. Yes it is plastic but I assume no one on here had any plastic toys for their children, all using bamboo toothbrushes, washing clothes without detergents in a cup of water etc.

@PattyPan

OP is the issue actually with drainage in your garden as it is so boggy? Won’t that just mean you have puddles on top of artificial grass? I would consider consulting a landscaper about drainage first.

She said in the OP that she had it taken up 2 years ago, drainage layer added and new turf.

The cats in my neighborhood will dig and shit on it regardless of whether it's plastic or real.

At least if it's real grass the shit will degrade and feed the grass which will regrow. Plastic on the other hand...

There is enough plastic in the world without doing this. Awful.

@Chickorma

The cats in my neighborhood will dig and shit on it regardless of whether it's plastic or real.

At least if it's real grass the shit will degrade and feed the grass which will regrow. Plastic on the other hand...

Don't you pick up the cat poo on your lawn?

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda

They are vile ecological disasters.

If your garden doesn’t work with a lawn due to the conditions, I’d landscape it instead with appropriate plants (shrubs, trees, whatever works in the space with aspect and soil type). That’ll help with the moisture too.

This! Please don't use artificial grass.

A relative has had it for several years and has been very pleased with it.

@Chickorma

The cats in my neighborhood will dig and shit on it regardless of whether it's plastic or real.

At least if it's real grass the shit will degrade and feed the grass which will regrow. Plastic on the other hand...

It's easier to see and pick up

@frogswimming

Following this thread with interest!

Our lawn is in bits because of heavy traffic, kids playing and dogs. They've worn out large parts of it and it's just mud. We've had it returfed already and back to square one within a year.

When we bought the house the garden was gravel, so we had to replace that. It's just the same as anything in a house - kitchen / bathroom / carpet etc People have different taste and you can't appeal to everyone. For every person who thinks they're horrible someone else thinks they're practical.

How do they fair with dog poo? Is it easy to clean up?

I notice everyone who actually has one on this thread is very pleased with it.

Really easy to clean up. Even if they have a bad belly. You just need a watering can!

If the poo is easier to see and pick up that is another plus for me. My dog poos ALOT. And I have trees with brown leaves that fall on the lawn and hide and blend with the poo. It's like Russian roulette picking things up.

MIL tried very hard to persuade us to have an artificial lawn when we redid our (tiny) urban garden (around 6x8m) Neither of us are keen gardeners and the garden does become somewhat of an overgrown sodden mess in winter. We clean it up for the summer months, re-seed the lawn and and plant a few things in pots.

I'm so glad we laid turf instead. Our house is very well insulated and gets hot in summer. I love the cool feeling I get from lying out on real grass and the garden is often the only cool spot in summer. We hose the lawn down and put a waterproof picnic rug over it and it's a lovely cool place to sit, even if it's a bit muddy. My DC likes squelching the wet mud between their toes and 'painting' the fence with mud. In the winter, it's a mess but my DC still enjoys pottering around in it, digging soil, putting mud in buckets and 'cooking' with it and pretend planting things.

I think what we've decided to do here is just live with the mud. We keep wellies for us all and a waterproof all-in-one for my DC next to the back door so it doesn't matter if they slip and slide in the mud. They do trail mud into the house sometimes but we don't have carpet downstairs so it doesn't bother us that much. We're not particularly house proud though.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate those putting themselves out there and telling me about their installation. It's really helpful.

Also appreciate the opinions of those that hate them and all the other suggestions. We really have done all sorts to improve the drainage. The new turf we had a couple of years ago was professionally laid.

The type we are looking at is recyclable but I realize the landfill aspect is only a fraction of the ecological issue that everyone is talking about. That's on our conscience in the end I guess.

Also appreciate the points about house value. I had wondered about this.

@AnxiousPixie

Thanks everyone, really appreciate those putting themselves out there and telling me about their installation. It's really helpful.

Also appreciate the opinions of those that hate them and all the other suggestions. We really have done all sorts to improve the drainage. The new turf we had a couple of years ago was professionally laid.

The type we are looking at is recyclable but I realize the landfill aspect is only a fraction of the ecological issue that everyone is talking about. That's on our conscience in the end I guess.

Also appreciate the points about house value. I had wondered about this.

Like I say, it was a plus for me.

Sounds like you've decided to have it.

Awful snobbery on this thread. We have a small city courtyard garden, too small for a proper lawn, but wanted a soft surface for the children to play on, and it's been perfect. Looks better than gravel or slippery decking and is still giving strong after 10 years. Incredibly low maintenance. I don't disinfect it, I occasionally give it a brush. We have more birds in our little garden than many of our neighbours, as we have large planters with all manner of trees, shrubs and flowers growing in them, it looks great in the summer. Yes, it's a bit too perfect looking to be a real lawn, but being surrounded by small trees and shrubs makes it pretty convincing at a glance. I'd much rather have my artificial lawn than gravel, slabs or decking. Great when you have the paddling pool out too, no muddy patches and dries quickly. Obviously if we had a big country garden then I'd have a real lawn, but that's not possible for everyone.

It isn’t hypocritical to state that somethings are bad for the environment and should be avoided. Typical tu quoque logical fallacy.

People are reducing and thinking more about the environmental impact on their choices. This “whataboutery” doesn’t make any sense, if ever there is to be a general reduction in the consumption of plastics. The less micro plastics there are in soil and therefore the ecosystem the better.

@pompomsgalore not at all. There are clearly pros and cons. This thread had given us some really good food for thought.

It’s an environmental disaster.
If you care about wildlife at all please don’t.