When people visit your home, one of the first things that they will notice is the turf in your front garden.
Grass plays an integral part in landscaping. You can either have artificial or natural grass. The decision you make depends on several things that are critical to you. With this thought in mind, you could turn it into a reality. But now, will you use fake turf or natural grass?
Artificial grass vs. natural grass
Most people will argue that natural grass is aesthetically pleasing. It resonates with individuals who love the natural appearance and they may feel that using a company like itsartificialgrass.com to lay their fake lawn does not offer that.
However, artificial turf is gaining in popularity due to improvements in appearance and price, so the thought that only real grass brings that natural feel is outdated. Do you still prefer natural grass? This decision can be a bit tricky; that’s why we narrowed down some excellent pros on why you should choose artificial turf over a natural turf lawn.
Safety
Safety is another factor that you need to consider when deciding on which lawn you want to purchase. With artificial lawn there is no need to use weed killer, therefore you won’t have to stop your children and pets playing on the grass to keep them safe.
Natural grass is definitely a safe alternative if you don’t use chemicals, but unfortunately it’s very common to use insecticides and weed killer. It’s for this reason that most play areas turn to artificial turf over the real option.
Mowing
Mowing is one of the undeniable advantages of natural grass over fake grass. Nothing beats the smell of a freshly mowed lawn early in the morning. Innovative fake turf companies are even trying to develop a scent to spritz on to the artificial turf.
Despite most people loving the smell of freshly cut grass, the process harms the ecosystem more than you might realise. A Swedish study claims that running the lawnmower for an hour produces similar greenhouse gas in the air to a 100-mile car trip.
Irrigation
Irrigation is an essential part of keeping natural grass looking healthy. If you have a real lawn laid in your garden, you need to regularly water it. Some hot and dry locations will require you to water the lawn more often, for example in the morning and evening.
While in other areas, you may find you do not even have to water the grass once a day. Whereas with artificial lawn only needs watering occasionally when it requires a good clean. Hosing the fake grass blades down for a few seconds is enough to complete the task.
Environmental impact
The environmental impact that lawns can have is significant. Therefore, grass can help or hurt it.
For years now, fake turf has been gaining ground and is showing no sign of slowing down. It has an excellent reputation since you don’t require fertilizer, mowing, or watering. However, it has one con due to the pollution it creates during manufacturing. Plus, it’s not biodegradable.
Natural grass benefits the environment since it’s a living organism. It supplies oxygen, absorbs heat, and filters pollution. But, it has some drawbacks too. The pesticides you spray on it creates health hazards.
Installation
Another factor you need to know when deciding between natural grass and synthetic is the installation process. Both take very little time, and you might not even notice any significant difference.
Though you can grow grass from scratch, most people prefer to buy rolls and lay the turf themselves, since it’s already grown. Although you will still need to prepare the ground before laying the turf and avoid stepping on it for a number of weeks.
On the other side, you can install fake turf very quickly, but you must also prepare the ground first. Remove all stones, place down a base layer and apply a weed membrane, then once all that is completed lay the fake lawn down. It’s fine to step on it straight away.
Final verdict
Whichever choice you make they both have pros and cons, so it really boils down to your own preferences. Fake grass can look surprisingly real and a lot easier to look after and safe for children, whereas real grass smells and looks wonderful and will always have devoted fans.
