The Pros and Cons of Artificial Grass for Home Lawns | ToughTurfSocal.com

Regardless of generational, cultural, or geographical differences, people love their lawns. Grass areas are wonderful for not only the environment but also provide functional and psychological benefits for homeowners and their families.

However, maintaining a beautiful lawn also comes with a degree of work. Whether your routine ranges from mowing when you just can’t stand the backyard field, or you painstakingly nurture each beautiful blade, taking care of a lawn requires skilful effort.

Turf diseases, drought conditions, insect pressures, and soil health issues present themselves as strong foes in the battle for lawn dominance. The busy or frustrated Southern California homeowner is often looking for a way to win this war and sometimes turns to the option of artificial grass for home lawns.

Artificial Grass for Home Lawns

Artificial grass has come a long way since the days of the AstroTurf in the Brady family’s backyard. Manufacturers are getting better at turning the old lime green carpet into products that more closely resemble real grass. Newer types of artificial grass combine innovative new textures and slight colour variations to mimic natural lawns.

Artificial grass is made from artificial fibres that are knit into a mesh backing material. This material is installed on top of stone and other impact-absorbing base materials. Since the fibres have a tendency to lay flat (particularly the longer they are), a rubber infill mix is then added to separate fibres and help them to stand up.

The Benefits of Artificial Grass

There are many benefits of artificial grass that make these products attractive to some Southern California property owners:

Artificial Turf

·         Irrigation is not needed to keep artificial grass alive

·         No mowing required

·         Maintains colour and thickness year round

·         No need for fertilizers or other lawn care products

·         Won’t die or lose colour from pet urine

·         More wear tolerant than natural grass

·         Lower on-going cost of maintenance 

At first glance, artificial grass for home lawns may seem like an obvious choice, but it’s one option to consider that isn’t perfect. There are also potential problems with artificial grass to consider when choosing what is best for your Southern California property. These include:

Surfaces get much hotter than natural lawns (some people actually install sprinklers to cool areas off during hot days)

·         Potential to melt if installed next to glass or surfaces that reflect a great deal of heat

·         Although lower-maintenance, areas still need to be cleaned, groomed, and infill added periodically

·         Mimics, but is still noticeably artificial when compared to real grass

·         More difficult to repair than natural lawns

·         Higher installation cost than natural lawns