Artificial grass

[Madisonsha]

Hi, I am currently doing my garden and we decided to lay artificial grass. We are looking after 40mm depth grass but I don't know where to look to buy. The grass has so many names. Please someone suggest a place and good turf. Thank you!

It's very ugly

I'm assuming all the peopl shouting against artificial grass never get on an airplane or have gone on a long haul flight? And are all vegetarians? And don't have pets? Or children?

All bigger contributors to climate change.

I have a concrete yard which had a dangerous pond. Grass would not have grown (as verified by two gardeners). Was very unsafe for my toddler. We replaced the concrete with artificial grass. Wood chips would have been impossible to maintain (we have a dog and a cat so cleaning up v difficult). I agree that artificial grass impacts on the environment. However we were not getting rid of any natural habitat to put it in.

We can't afford to move and so this provides my child with outdoor space, which was much much needed for everyone's health and wellbeing. we have sunshades up for the summer. It was fine and meant we made our lives much happier and more livable.

A Relative at the time sent me an article telling me how artificial grass was dreadful for the environment. The same person goes on at least 2-3 long haul flights per year, drives car everywhere and isn't a veggie. Go figure.

We all make decisions about our personal lives which have better or worse effects on the environment. Unless your own record is literally unblemished (it won't be) then don't make judgemental comments on other people making decisions that are best for their own lives

(Btw I have never got on a long haul flight. I haven't been on a plane in over 4 years. I have been a veggie for nearly 20 years. I run or walk everywhere. If there was a way of measuring individual impact on climate I would argue my own is pretty low/good in spite of the evil dreadful artificial grass).

No need to get defensive. Just own it. You got the grass knowing it’s bad for the environment, but felt on balance that it was the right decision you. Long haul flights, vegetarianism, children etc we don’t need to know about your saintliness in that respect. The OP is asking about this specific decision and people have opinions on it.

Rubbish. We can't all always be 100% "green"
But we can avoid unnecessary shute like plastic grass

We had artificial lawn pit down about 7 years ago which wasn’t ideal but our garden was so awful and we’d spent £1000’s of pounds having gardeners in to try and improve the soil (as it was horrendous) plus have it re-turfed twice. None of it worked and our garden was permanently awful with consistently dead grass or bald patches where grass wouldn’t even grow 😢

We had two young children and ultimately we wanted a garden that they could use and so rather than continue paying out to try a fix problem that we’d already tried to fix twice, we just had artificial lawn put down.

The downside, like a previous poster said, is that the grass gets so hot when the sun is out that you cannot walk on it barefoot or lay your hands on it for much longer than 10 seconds.

Also, when it rains there is no mud to soak up the water so the grass gets wet and even going out the next day can still result in getting wet socks or wet resulting in wet foot shaped patches through the house.

We do still have lots of little bugs in the garden as they all live between the cracks of the patio and on the lining of the artificial grass. We also have loads of potted plants in the garden so we still get bees and butterflies and little insects creeping around in the soil. It’s not as ideal as natural grass obviously but the insects we do get seem happy enough.

I’ve never washed the lawn but I have swept it a few times, normally in the autumn when leaves off the next door neighbour’s tree drop into our garden.

It may not be considered as good for the environment but a lot of things aren’t. As a previous poster said, driving and flying aren’t good for the environment either but that doesn’t stop people doing it. I don’t think my small artificial garden is anywhere near as damaging as other factors that affect the environment.

We would have much preferred a natural lawn but it wasn’t to be for us.

So yes, there are upsides and downsides to it, as there are with most things in life, so just weight it all up OP and go with whatever decision suits you best.

@Brefugee

Great. I hope every time you get in your car or on a plane you ponder the necessity of it.

I doubt anyone does anything thinking ah yes I'd really like to f up the environment. The back biting is so unnecessary as is the judgement. The same comments are not made about people talking about holidays or cars. So fine if you're evangelical about all environmental matters then do carry on. But if you have something specific against artificial grass because you think it looks shit or is tacky or trashy then say that rather than dressing it up in faux environmental concern.

Personally I wouldn't judge someone else on their choices eg going on holiday by flight because I know I have also made environmentally bad choices for my own benefit . I assume those critiquing artificial grass must be completely carbon neutral.

Ugh, trashy.

Don't do it.

However much you spend on it, it looks shit and suggests that you're so inept at gardening that even growing grass is beyond your capabilities.

I love mine! After spending thousands on trying to get grass to grow in a heavy clay soil I moved to artificial lawn. Best thing I ever did. I got drainage put in so the flooding I always got with grass/clay soil stopped. It doesn't get hot in summer and I've never had to wash or hoover it. I have loads of pots filled with flowers and shrubs as well as honeysuckle and clematis climbing up the fences, which attract birds, bees and butterflies to the garden.

I can now use my garden all year round, whatever the weather and would never go back to the scrappy, muddy garden I had before.

Don’t do it. It’s naff, tasteless and bad for the environment.

Honestly should be banned. Please reconsider…

One of our stipulations when we moved recently is we wouldn’t view anywhere with a plastic lawn. The estate agent was entirely unbothered and said a lot of people refuse to view properties for the same reason.

sanctimonious twaddle. You have no idea how much i do or don't in respect of sustainability.

Again: it isn't that we will ever get 100% people doing 100% sustainable things 100% of the time. It is doing as much as we can on a personal level, while pressuring our governments and big companies to pass appropriate legislation.

Plastic grass comes under the "don't do it, it's not sustainable" part that we can all avoid.

It is not down to all the people who advise against plastic grass to prove to you or anyone else that they are 100% clean in that respect. In the modern world it's impossible.

tbh this is the kind of soft pressure that people need: if they know the resale value of their house will be affected, they might make more appropriate decisions.

TBH i think paving it and having lots and lots of insect friendly tubs of shrubs is better than astroturf

Please, please, please don't. Even if you're not bothered about the environment, this stuff actually heats up in summer and acts like a radiator. So your garden will be hotter than the surrounding areas. Trees and vegetation make it cooler.
Also, it looks dreadful when it starts to deteriorate (shedding microplastics into the soil and water along the way) and will then go to landfill. And you'll have to buy another one.

Well said @Brefugee