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!

@Ihaventgottimeforthis

Given the many unavoidable ways that us humans shed artifical materials into the natural environment, I find it quite sad that some people think that a muddy lawn is such an inconvenience it is justifiable to literally lay a sheet of green plastic over their garden.

I don't need to justify it. It was here when we moved in, but we would have laid it anyway. I'm disabled. As I have already explained. So mud is a justifiable inconvenience to me.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam I still think it's unfortunate that this was the best option for you.
Plastic lawns are a very recent invention.

Love mine. I now actually use my garden.

[quote Ihaventgottimeforthis]@AllThingsServeTheBeam I still think it's unfortunate that this was the best option for you.
Plastic lawns are a very recent invention.[/quote]
It was here when we moved in. It's around 10 years old now I'd say and still going strong. I have no plans to replace it.

Best money we ever spent . Garden is always tidy all year round easy to maintain . Disconnect it few times from spring to autumn due to having a dog . No muddy paw prints in the house when it's raining and ours is never boiling hot in summer .
Yes I agree they are not environmentally friendly but my garden still attracts insects and birds in the borders .
My advice is if you have pets or children they are fab ( sorry to all the haters ) 😂

I am a gardener and Landscape Architect.

Astroturf wont solve your drainage issues. You will just have soggy astroturf instead of lawn.

If you can solve the drainage issues enough to put in astro - then you can also for turf.

That aside I hate maintaining astroturf. Its 50 times more maintenance IMO than a lawn. Hoovering, brushing, jetwashing, blowing, picking random feathers out of it. A flipping nightmare! So I would strongly consider whether you have a bird population and whether you have nearby trees or anything which will create debris, leaves or sap etc. because these will all just make it a nightmare.

@LemonSwan

I am a gardener and Landscape Architect.

Astroturf wont solve your drainage issues. You will just have soggy astroturf instead of lawn.

If you can solve the drainage issues enough to put in astro - then you can also for turf.

That aside I hate maintaining astroturf. Its 50 times more maintenance IMO than a lawn. Hoovering, brushing, jetwashing, blowing, picking random feathers out of it. A flipping nightmare! So I would strongly consider whether you have a bird population and whether you have nearby trees or anything which will create debris, leaves or sap etc. because these will all just make it a nightmare.

Literally don't need to touch my lawn apart from pouring the cleaner over it twice in the summer and spraying it with a hose. You certainly don't need to hoover it!!!

I have it & I love it, very popular where I am. We all have tiny gardens & young dc & the fake grass is super practical.

Ours is like the photo

I know of three handkerchief size owned by pensioners.They all look great no grass growing through just need the occasional clearance with a broom or blower.No worrying about mowing the lawn or paying people to do it.

Literally don't need to touch my lawn apart from pouring the cleaner over it twice in the summer and spraying it with a hose. You certainly don't need to hoover it!!!

Well lucky you lol! All the astroturf I work on are under silly things like mature trees. Sure I dont need to do it. But then it just looks pants and dirty.

Only time it looks perfect is after the annual jetwash. I assume the hose is doing a similar thing so good job there.

If you don’t want lawn, why have something that pretends to be lawn? If you want somewhere for children to play, why not have that bouncy black stuff they have in playgrounds?

It's vile. It's bad for the planet, for the animals, for our goddamn eyesight.

Its madness. The world is bonkers! Rip up grass and replace it with plastic grass.

Moronic.

@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.

Exactly. Same here, it's turned the garden from horrid and unusable for most of the year to being used all year round. In the summer it's like an extra room in the house, we basically live on it in a way we never could with grass. It doesn't look like grass, but it's SO MUCH better in all the ways that matter to me. Never had to clean it or mow it, and it drains very freely because it was installed properly. Can't recommend it highly enough, we paid for a more expensive version and would do so again.

@driftcompatible

It's vile. It's bad for the planet, for the animals, for our goddamn eyesight.

Its madness. The world is bonkers! Rip up grass and replace it with plastic grass.

Moronic.

I find your post particularly rude. I am not moronic for choosing not to have a bog of a garden that my children can't use. Yes, ideally I would have a lovely real lawn but that is not possible so this is the best alternative for my situation.

Best alternative for you personally but not best for the planet.

@MereDintofPandiculation

Best alternative for you personally but not best for the planet.

You can say that about almost everything! People don't NEED to eat meat, but they do and that's terrible for the planet. Drive, fly, etc etc.

@MereDintofPandiculation

Best alternative for you personally but not best for the planet.

I assume you don't eat meat or own a car or travel by plane? And that every other life choice you make puts the planet first before your family's needs?

The amount of life in your lawn is remarkable. Please don’t destroy it.

I genuinely don't get why everything on here turns into a bun fight.

OP, I personally don't like it and so, if buying a house, it would put me off (all other things being equal). But then I am off the persuasion that opts for a messy garden that is 'used' for watching wildlife.

Clearly, for some, it would be a draw so this may not be an issue. But worth knowing it might limit potential sales if and when you come to sell (or might encourage them, depending on your viewing demographic )

No don't, it's so vile. Unfortunately I'd judge whoever had it as having zero taste.

If you have dogs, the reek of dog piss in the height of summer is horrific. I'm saying this as a neighbour of someone who has artificial grass (and only one medium sized dog!).

Not that my judgement means much.

@Douchebaggette

I genuinely don't get why everything on here turns into a bun fight.

OP, I personally don't like it and so, if buying a house, it would put me off (all other things being equal). But then I am off the persuasion that opts for a messy garden that is 'used' for watching wildlife.

Clearly, for some, it would be a draw so this may not be an issue. But worth knowing it might limit potential sales if and when you come to sell (or might encourage them, depending on your viewing demographic )

Because some posters are incapable of expressing a simple opinion without insulting anyone who holds the opposite view. See the poster who described it as 'moronic' and the recent poster saying they would judge anyone who has it as having zero taste.

@ChachiChichi

If you have dogs, the reek of dog piss in the height of summer is horrific. I'm saying this as a neighbour of someone who has artificial grass (and only one medium sized dog!).

They obviously don't clean it then. Mine doesn't smell.

@Douchebaggette

I genuinely don't get why everything on here turns into a bun fight.

OP, I personally don't like it and so, if buying a house, it would put me off (all other things being equal). But then I am off the persuasion that opts for a messy garden that is 'used' for watching wildlife.

Clearly, for some, it would be a draw so this may not be an issue. But worth knowing it might limit potential sales if and when you come to sell (or might encourage them, depending on your viewing demographic )

People just love to judge others, all the time, about absolutely everything that other people do differently to them. Pathetic really.