Experience of Astro turf (good or bad)

[BiteyShark]

So after a miserable wet winter the grass at the side of our house is now mostly moss and mud. This is the area we play ball with the dog so thinking of biting the bullet and getting artificial grass installed before the next winter.

Does anyone have any experience with it in regards to dogs? It is a shady area so won't get hot in the summer but my biggest concern is whether it would be bad for his paws when he runs and skids to get the ball.

[BiteyShark]

If anyone has seen my other posts BiteyDog is too ill as the moment to appreciate his new lawn.

Just to update we went for quite a deep pile grass and I can honestly say it looks lovely although feels quite 'springy' underfoot.

Will be interesting how it holds up to BiteyDogs skidding about when he's better but at the moment it's making my other 'real lawn' areas look at bit rubbish

[agedknees]

We have it, it’s fantastic. We have had it 3 years now and no smell. Mind, we get a lot of rain.

But no mess in the house and it looks good all year round.

[damnsandra]

We got ours done this time last year. The chap was booked in months in advance. He had to halt during January when the ground was frozen but so, so worth it.

Loads of hardcore, rubble, sand etc for the foundation. No way is urine sitting on top. It's actually sort of raised anyway so gravity would mean it is always draining down and away from it (and the house)

[BiteyShark]

Our mind is made up having seen how realistic some of it was and if it lasts us the lifetime of the dog I will be more than happy as it will mean we can play out in it instead of it being a stinking mossy bog

The question is when to get it done as I was thinking summer but maybe the sooner the better so we can take advantage of it now.

[damnsandra]

Just noticed this thread. We have it. Worth every penny. Never smells.

Dog2 was ill last week. Love being able to hose off any mess so it's definitely clean and no residue.

[BiteyShark]

Well we had a quote and the most expensive is the nicest and realistic looking grass . It does seem worth splashing out more for better looking stuff as the cheaper grass looks so fake but the expensive stuff really did look natural.

Discussed the issue with smell and it's due to some people using sand as a base which causes the urine to sits underneath whereas they use limestone which means it drains away.

Just need to get the pennies together now

[BiteyShark]

We do have disinfectant for use in kennels that is also paw friendly so I plan to use that if he toilets on it and I guess I will just have to factor in hosing it off in the summer. At the moment that area has slimy green moss type stuff all over it so god knows what it's breeding and even the dog is now refusing to walk on it

[SwimmingInTheBlueLagoon]

I had some at my last house and despite drainage holes the urine doesn't soak away. It needs jet washing every 1-2weeks otherwise it positively stinks of urine (which I don't think will do the fake grass much good in the long term). Also you mustn't use disinfectant on it as it will get into the ground below, plus some will stay in 'grass' and thus come into contact with dogs paws. I would not use it anywhere dog may toilet.

[BiteyShark]

missbattenburg I am waiting for the days to be a bit lighter in the evening so my DH can be here when I can get some quotes as he wants to quiz them on all the work that needs to be done for a good foundation. I think we have decided we will have it laid in the summer ready for next winter so it's just down to which company we trust/want as there appears to be a couple close by. I had read for a good quality installation it can be around £55-65 per square meter and some suggest even more but honestly I can't see any other option for a surface that we can use with the dog in that area of the garden. Will let you know what we decide and costs so you have a reference point if you decide to do the same.

blue my understanding is that yes it can get hot but that is something we won't need to consider much with all the shade

[bluetongue]

I’ve considered it for my place I only have a small yard so hopefully pricewise it wouldn’t be too bad. Problem is my dog like to lie on the grass (or what’s left of it) in the sun and being in OzI’m worried it would get too hot.

To be honest the grass was struggling before I got the dog. There is lots of shade in the yard. Great for keeping the house cool but not so great for grass to grow.

[missbattenburg]

bitey - as someone with a spaniel that has bloody RUINED the lawn I'd be really interested to hear how you get on and whether you go ahead. It's something I have always been a bit sniffy about (astro) but recently had to get right down off my high horse because the garden, that survived two JRTs without issue, has fallen to the constant pounding of a young springer.

It's is cry-yourself-to-sleep expensive, though so not a decision I'll be making lightly.

[FuckyDucky]

My neighbours in our last house had it done and they had a dog. Honestly it really stank but then I don’t think they ever hosed it down.
I’m sure if it’s cleaned regularly it would be fine.

[Abhorsen]

My friend did this and I was very sceptical until I saw it in real life. It was fine, didn’t smell at all (although in Scotland it rains so often that you possibly get away with not washing it down!) and looked a million times better than my mossy weedy patch of grass. If it wasn’t so expensive I’d do it in a heartbeat.

[BiteyShark]

Thanks everyone, I think we will go ahead and get some quotes and try not to wince about the cost as it looks like it's a workable surface for us and the dog

[Singlebutmarried]

Hi Bitey.

We just had ours done. 2 large dogs.

Dead easy to clean up. Will be hosing (or jetwashong on low) weekly with a disinfectant. No different to when I hose the patio.

[BiteyShark]

Shade is due to next doors house so nothing we can do there. We really want a surface that you can throw and bounce balls on as that is all my ball chasing spaniel loves. We had toyed with trying shade friendly turf but think in another year we will be back to the same problem. Wood chip won't be good for bouncing balls. We could pave it but we have had several paw injuries from him sliding on hard or sharp surfaces so that's out the window hence being concerned about how paw friendly the artificial stuff was.

[numbereightyone]

That sounds tricky. What is the source of the shade? Do you need a lawn? If not, what about making the area into a woodland area with a covering of bark or other natural material with lots of woodland plants?

[BiteyShark]

If it was grass and mud like a playing field in the winter it wouldn't be so bad. But with it being in the shade it's now mostly moss and mud with the occasional tuft of grass and is becoming unusable for anything. Even the dog turns his nose up to walking on it when it's particularly boggy so we are going to have to do something with it but trying to work out the best thing to do.

[numbereightyone]

Dogs are messy.
Personally I would prefer the smell of mud and grass than stale urine and disinfectant but everybody is different.

[BiteyShark]

Ok so I need to weigh up the hassle of watering with disinfectant the grass so it washes the urine away if he decides to pee on it and it stinks versus him stinking of mud and dirtying the house when he has walked and played on the current surface

[numbereightyone]

I don't have it personally but I have been in a garden which does and it stank of urine. Even with drainage, the urine smell doesn't go away, unless you constantly disinfect it.

[BiteyShark]

The stuff I looked at had drainage just like grass so I am not sure about urine sitting on top. numbereightyone have you had some then with dogs and found that was a problem?

[BiteyShark]

He tends to pee and poo elsewhere and I agree the stuff I have seen does look artificial but the place we are thinking off is not visible to anyone including us as it's at the side and hidden away so isn't really of use for anything else other than the dog.

[numbereightyone]

I don't like it. Unlike turf which breaks down the urine into the ground, it sits on the plastic. It absolutely stinks. I wouldn't like to have to disinfect my garden to make it sanitary.

[Elphame]

A friend of mine has it and loves it with her pug. I dislike the stuff. It's horrible for the environment and doesn't look very nice at all.