Artificial grass!

[autumngirl714]

Please can I have opinions on artificial grass from those who have it?

My reasons for wanting one -
I suffer from terrible hayfever from grass, which is obviously putting me off a normal lawn.
I live alone with my two children, I need something low maintenance.
I don't have any pets

My reasons for worrying about getting one -
I don't know what quality to get or where to get it from
I've read reviews of it getting hot (but also directly know people who say it's not an issue).

If anyone can give me any advice or suggestions for where to get it I'd be really grateful!

I would consider other options. I’ve heard from people who have been cursed with it that it is not low maintenance: weeds can grow through it; it gets dirty and requires regular cleaning; if you don’t maintain it properly it discolours and smells.

Especially stay away from it if you have pets or cats in the neighbourhood - if they wee on it, it isn’t sanitary and it smells very bad. (Unlike grass, bark, gravel or paving, the rain doesn’t wash animal urine off artificial grass.)

We had a large piece when renovating and had no garden- just dirt and mud. DH found it at the builders merchant on sale due to a hole, so I have no idea of brand/quality etc. It was handy when we had a puppy and a cover over it, but otherwise, I'd never buy plastic for the garden.

It was hot in the summer, so we needed a shade over the entire thing. It was too hot for me to go barefoot on it and obviously far too hot for the puppy. They also degrade in time, so you end up with bits of plastic everywhere.

Have you looked at grass alternatives for a lawn? Clover makes a mow free lawn.

It's ferociously expensive for decent quality. You could have turf laid, and a gardener to mow it for ten years for the same cost.

We had it put down a few years ago much the same reason I suffer quite badly with hay fever. It’s still looks good and don’t regret it at all. Yes we get a few weeds occasionally but they don’t take long to get rid off. We have not pets but a few cats near where we live cant say ever noticed a smell.
it wasn’t cheap but I wanted it to look real which it does but it is too perfect to be real if that makes sense.

Do you have grass now?

How is fake grass going to help with hay fever? You think next door's grass pollen won't just float over the fence?
I know this isn't what you asked but, environmental issues aside, I've never seen fake grass yet, whatever the cost, that doesn't look terrible.
Sorry.

The grass in a typical lawn is not going to produce pollen, unless you leave it grow until it flowers.

Helps hay fever because I don’t have to mow it which was what used to make it much much worse. I used to say the same and and yes real grass is always going to look better but for us artificial works.

How big is the area? I'd try and think of alternatives as there are so many drawbacks with artificial (not just environmental).

Are your children at the age where they play out/have a swingset or are they older and would be happy with a nice patio area with raised planters?

Alternatively I've seen some people planting clover instead of grass, how are your allergies with clover?

Please dont do it...youre creating drainage issues for your neighbors and environmental issues for everyone.

People in the UK get too hooked up on having a "lawn".

How about a Mediterranean style garden? Gravel paths, olive tree, lavender, rosemary, agapanthus, nice bench etc.

A regularly mown lawn doesn’t flower, so no pollen. Plastic is terrible for the environment, and a plastic lawn represents tens or hundreds of square metres of ecosystem (including topsoil) irretrievably damaged.

Quite apart from the fact that as it wears and ages, it will start to break down into microplastics.

Give the critters in your garden a break, please!

I have suffered terribly with hay fever (if un-medicated) for over 55 years. Never once has it occurred to me to rip up my lawn and replace it with plastic.

Not what you asked but I couldn’t have turf in my back garden either. I went with gravel. It doesn’t get hot, isn’t terrible for the environment and actually has lots of bugs and insects living in it. It’s been there 12 years and looks like it did on day one.