/ Thursday, February 21, 2013 / 6 Comments / ,

Artificial Grass or Real Grass?

In this third article of a series on garden solutions, Vickie Harrison shares benefits of planting artificial grass versus real ones.

Artificial Grass vs Real Grass: Which is Better?

The great grass debate has been raging for a while now, with each side standing their ground. Real grassers argue that their grass is natural and beautiful, while artificial grass advocates maintain that their grass needs no upkeep. So how do you decide which is best for you?



Natural and Beautiful

It might surprise you to learn that a lawn isn’t natural. The amount of maintenance that goes into keeping your lawn healthy, weed-free and green- cutting, mowing, edging, feeding, weed-killing, should tell you that lawns just aren’t supposed to be. A real grass lawn can also be environmentally damaging, despite the fact that it is a natural plant. The amount of water, fertilization and pesticides that are used in the upkeep of a lawn as well as the electricity or gas that goes into the lawnmower when cutting it.

However, it is difficult to recreate the look and perhaps most importantly, the feel of real grass underfoot. There is also the smell of cut grass, and the living creatures that benefit from grass that they can live and thrive in. Real grass has the advantage of absorbing a large amount of carbon dioxide, so it is environmentally friendly in this way, and you can source more natural products for use on your lawn to reduce the impact the upkeep has on the environment.

No Upkeep

An artificial lawn on the other hand, needs no maintenance, apart from the occasional hosing down, or a hoover to fluff up the grass’s surface. It doesn’t get eroded away through high usage like real grass, leaving a muddy walkway. The technology now employed in producing artificial grass means that they can recreate the look and feel of a real lawn.

The lawns from Great Grass, for instance, have tricoloured strands and a variety of thicknesses, densities and pile heights to create a lawn that will suit you and whatever your needs might be. They move in the wind like natural grass and this company is also working on a grass type that will smell like real grass too. They are suitable for pets to use and children can play on it without wearing it out.

However, artificial grass lasts for at most twenty years and the manufacturing of the grass itself may not always be very environmentally friendly itself, and may end up in a landfill at the end of its life. Some may argue the issue of artificial grass being harder to drain than real grass that does it naturally and can cause problems when urban flooding occurs. Still quality artificial grass should be permeable, and have holes that allow drainage into the earth below. This also means that animals can live below the artificial grass.

Is It For You?

Artificial grass is a personal choice, but if you’re considering it, then make sure you get samples. Just like a carpet or upholstery, ensure that you like the look and feel close up because you can’t always tell from a photo.

Vickie is a budding/beginner gardener based in the UK. In her spare time she can be found hanging out around garden centres looking for inspiration for her own small back garden that has been ruined by her big Labrador called Ernie.
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6 comments:

precisiongreens said...

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Perfectly Green said...

A very important and current article.
Touching further on your mention of synthetic grass. There are several advantages to investing. Predominant reasons being that it saves water. Not only that, it saves time, money, and maintenance. You'll never be affected by a hosepipe ban, and your lawn would remain the envy of your neighbours, as well as it helping the environment. In smaller sections too it can be a mobile grass area that you can simply roll up and pack away.
Great work

CalvertHughes said...

Artificial grass require low maintaining work and give more attractive look than natural one so doubt about that people will like more the artificial grass...I really enjoyed the differentiate between natural and artificial so thanks lot for sharing.http://www.syntheticlawnsflorida.com/artificial-turf-sports-fields/

Unknown said...

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David talpur said...

The first several months of my site there were no comments; just give it time; now they come in like crazy every day! Thanks. artificial turf san diego

Lisa Jones said...

There must not be any weeding after you are done with artificial grass installation. It is only possible if installation is done in the right way. Unfortunately, a larger number of people have no idea about how important it is to have a weed barrier. In absence of it, you will be surely left with the painstaking work of weeding the lawn. To avoid the hassle, ask the hired professionals to lay a weed barrier before fake grass installation
Seattle artificial turf

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Welcome

I enjoy gardening and visiting nurseries and garden retailers. Here I will share what I see with reviews and ratings, from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

My aim is to help you find a vendor near you and to encourage more people to be interested in greening the earth in a natural way i.e. by adding greens to their home!

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Cheers, Stephanie

Contact me, email mygreenfinder at hotmail dot com

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