Artificial grass has come a long way in the last few years. Many of the better quality artificial turfs now look so realistic that you will be hard pressed to spot the difference between them and real grass. As a result of its many benefits, lots of people are now opting for artificial grass over real turf when landscaping their gardens. But is artificial grass really the right choice for your landscaping project?
Acres of perfectly maintained turf look fantastic, especially in the summer when we love to spend time outdoors, enjoying the seasonal weather, playing with the kids, and working on our suntan. However, it takes time and effort to maintain a pristine lawn and unless you have an ample supply of both, it probably won’t be long before your lawn starts to look worse for wear.
A lawn is a living, breathing thing. When there is plenty of sun and rain, grass grows alarmingly fast, but under drought conditions, grass will die and your lawn will end up with patches of dead grass. Grass needs cutting regularly in the summer, feeding to ensure it stays healthy, watering in dry weather, and dosing up with weed-killer to keep the dreaded weeds away. Even if you do have the time and inclination to keep on top of your lawn care schedule (or the money to pay someone else to do it), too much wear and tear from kids and pets can cause problems.
Artificial grass is low maintenance. Once you have installed your artificial grass, you won’t have to mow it, water it, or do anything else. In the summer, this is an absolute blessing, Instead of spending every Sunday afternoon pushing the lawnmower up and down the garden when you could be doing other, far more interesting, things, you can relax instead.
An artificial lawn doesn’t require any weed eradication either: dandelions, clovers and moss can’t grow on artificial turf, so your lawn will be a weed-free zone.
With an artificial lawn in place, you won’t need to cringe with embarrassment when friends pop over and you haven’t cut the lawn for a fortnight.
Another benefit to installing artificial grass is that it is eco-friendly. You are not using fuel to power a lawn mower or buying chemicals to kill weeds or fertiliser to boost growth.
Artificial turf looks good all year round and is arguably just as attractive as real grass. Real grass tends to suffer during the summer from prolonged periods of low rainfall, and in the winter, it often turns into a boggy sea of mud. Installing artificial grass instead means you won’t need to worry about pools of water of mud patches – artificial turf offers excellent drainage, so water disappears into the ground very quickly.
Kids and pets are perfectly safe on artificial grass. Our artificial turf doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals, so kids and pets can play all day long on it. They won’t damage the grass either. Artificial grass has been used on sports pitches since the 1970s and it is highly resistant to wear and tear. Kids can play football all day, every day, and it won’t impact on the surface of an artificial lawn.
Artificial grass isn’t just a good choice for the home – it can also be useful in commercial environments. You can use artificial turf when landscaping around businesses or in public areas. Artificial grass is ideal in this type of environment because it won’t wear out and is low maintenance. As long as you choose a heavy-duty product, it will last for many years and still look as good in ten years as the day you installed it.
There are some disadvantages to artificial grass. It can be costly to install artificial grass over large areas, which might not be appealing if you don’t have a big budget. Artificial grass can also become a bit hot in summer and if you are the type of person who loves the scent of freshly mown grass or enjoys spending time weeding and feeding your lawn, artificial turf probably isn’t for you.
But if you hate gardening and you work long hours, artificial grass is a smart choice. It isn’t perfect, but for most people artificial grass sure beats the hassle of cutting grass and continually fighting a losing battle against weeds.
For more information about the types of artificial grass we install, speak to one of our customer service team today – we are always happy to offer advice on the installation of artificial turf.
