Lawn Issues Solved by Artificial Grass
Read-on as we explore the common problems of a traditional grass lawn that are solved by installing artificial grass instead.
Artificial grass or natural grass? This can be a real dilemma for some homeowners. More and more homeowners are considering synthetic lawn instead of a natural lawn because of the many advantages artificial turf can offer! Artificial grass can be a solution to some of the most common problems associated with a real grass lawn. These range from aesthetic issues to health and safety to financial burdens that can be caused by having natural grass for your yard instead of artificial grass.
If you're still trying to decide which landscape style is right for you, check out our guide to common law issues solved by artificial grass.
Natural lawns can look great- but that typically means hours of upkeep and dozens of gallons of water. Even then, natural lawns can be prone to common issues- like some of the examples below.
Bald spots can appear in the middle of your lawn and ruin an otherwise perfect natural yard. This is an issue that almost every homeowner that has natural grass deals with at some point or another. Bare spots can be caused by too much foot traffic, pests, or disease. If there are too many people walking in one area of the lawn, it can lead to compaction of the grass and soil which can kill off the grass in that spot.
Of course, if you have a pet - or a neighbor pet loves to set up shop in your yard - digging by animals can be the cause of bald spots in your yard. The only way to fix that is to re-seed that bald spot in your yard again and wait. In the meantime, you have to deal with the eyesore of a bare patch in the middle of your grass.
With artificial grass, you will not have to worry about bald spots. It will hold up to foot traffic, and will not be home to pests or disease that could cause the patches. And pets will not be able to dig through your artificial turf.
Brown or dead grass is another aesthetic issue that can pop up in your natural lawn unexpectedly. And like bald spots, brown or dead grass can also be caused by pets. Pet waste on real grass can lead to dead spots in your lawn. On a bigger scale, brown or dead grass can be caused by either over or under watering your real grass. Too much water, and the grass and soil becomes waterlogged and leads to a dead lawn.
On the other hand, if you live in an area prone to droughts, or you leave town and forget to set up your automatic sprinkler system, you could end up with brown grass because of too little water. In some places, like parts of California, the choice to water your lawn might be taken out of your hands. During the summer months, there may be city regulations on how much water homeowners can use.
With a synthetic grass lawn, you never have to worry about whether it is getting too much or too little water in the first place. It will be perfectly green year round, no matter what the climate is like or whether there are limits on water usage.
Weeds are the bane of many homeowners’ existence. Pulling weeds is a physically and time intensive process that most people dread to do. You have to sit out, usually in the hot sun - of course, and bend over to pull out each individual weed. Weeds are common to natural lawns and almost considered unavoidable.
Even with the weed membranes and weed barriers, weeds inevitably find their way up through your lawn. Weed growth cannot happen with fake grass. They will not be able to pop up through your artificial turf.
Waiting for the grass to grow is an issue homeowners that choose to have their yard seeded with grass seeds have to deal with. After seeding your yard, it takes a week to three weeks for the first seedlings to emerge under good conditions. After that, it takes another three or four weeks to have grass that is tall enough to mow.
Synthetic grass solves that problem! With artificial grass installation you will not have to wait at all for green grass in your yard. Once you install artificial turf, you have a perfectly green yard that is ready to go.
Some of the things necessary for the upkeep of a traditional lawn can be harmful to humans. For this reason, artificial grass can be the better choice for the health and safety of you and your family!
Pests can set up shop in your natural lawn unless you stay on top of that by using pesticides and other types of harmful chemicals. These pests can include ants, grasshoppers and different types of grubs. These insects can harm your real grass because they love to eat grass roots. This can lead to a dead lawn and that is why with a natural lawn you will need to spend time and money on keeping those pests at bay. If you have kids around, you will need to make sure they do not play on the lawn after you have applied pesticides as they can be harmful to their health.
With synthetic grass, there is no organic material for those pests to eat. So there is no need to apply pesticides to stop them from ruining your yard. Kids can play whenever they want and never have to worry about whether they will be exposed to harmful chemicals.
Unhealthy soil can cause your natural grass to wither away. Grass, being a living plant, needs food to eat. Most of the time, the soil in your backyard doesn’t contain the nutrients needed to keep your grass looking its best. Homeowners typically need to fertilize their lawns twice a year in order for the grass to be green and healthy.
Fertilizing during the period of time where the grass is growing fastest, so during the early summer, and right before winter are the usual times to fertilize. Unless you live on the edge of a forest, or your yard is attached to a meadow with a lot of organic matter there naturally, the soil likely will not be alive enough to support a natural lawn. Like pesticides, fertilizers can pose a health risk to children or pets that like to play in the yard. You will have to keep them off of the grass until the fertilizer has been absorbed and the grass watered.
Artificial grass to the rescue! With fake grass, it does not matter how healthy or unhealthy your soil is because it does not need to eat. You will not have to worry about fertilizing when you have an artificial lawn installed. It will be perfectly green year round. And there will not be any risk to children or pets playing in the yard.
Puddling from drainage problems can be an issue when there is too much rain or you over water your lawn. Poor drainage can cause a safety issue because it causes the grass to be overly slippery. Puddling can be a fall and trip hazard which can be a serious threat to older homeowners.
With synthetic turf, there are no drainage issues like that. Water will not pool up and cause puddles. And on top of that, the material that the artificial grass is made from will not be slippery even when it is wet.
Expensive water usage is a problem that comes along with having real grass. This is especially apparent during the hottest of summer months. To keep your grass alive, your lawn needs regular watering. Sometimes even twice a day! If you live in a drought-prone area, you may spend a ton of money on water for your lawn and still end up with a brown yard.
Artificial yards do not require watering to survive. You will not need a sprinkler system or to watch your water bill go sky high. The only water fake grass needs is the occasional spray from your hose or pressure washer to keep it clean and shiny.
The need for specialized machines is something that goes along with having a natural lawn. You need to get a lawnmower at the very least. Mowing the lawn is low on the list of favorite things to do for most people. With a natural yard, many homeowners also need to own lawn edgers and leaf blowers as well. Fake grass will not grow so you will not need those tools to cut the grass and keep the yard looking neat.
Artificial lawns, however, are not immune to having leaves fall down on them. So you will need a rake or a leaf blower to keep the leaves under control.
On top of needing to own the lawnmower, lawn edger, and leaf blower, you will have to spend time out of your day doing those chores. Not to mention, time spent landscaping your yard can be labor intensive. If you choose to pay a landscaping service, then it can be a financial burden to some households. With fake grass, the number of chores drops dramatically and you will not have to spend hours maintaining your yard. And you will not have to spend a lot of money paying a landscaping service to keep your lawn looking perfect. Artificial lawns are famously low maintenance.
You can relax and not worry about these problems when you have an artificial lawn installed. Artificial grass is low-maintenance and gets around many of the drawbacks of real grass. If you are convinced or have more questions about artificial turf installation, then do not hesitate to get in touch with our experts at Ergeon.
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Artificial Grass Guides
Artificial Grass Guides
