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Is Artificial Grass Installation Right for Your Lawn? Here’s What You Should Know!
Artificial grass installations tend to have a bad reputation, often derisively dismissed as “Astroturf,” but synthetic grass is actually having something of a renaissance. New types of faux turf are far more realistic than past versions, and they can save you a lot of time and money as well.
Of course, this is a major overhaul to your lawn and not something to jump into without preparation. Still, if you’re getting tired of the effort, money, and water it takes to maintain a natural lawn, there are a lot of reasons to look into an artificial grass installation.
7 Things You Should Know About Artificial Turf
1 – Forget all the old scares
One of the reasons that faux turf previously had a bad reputation is that older types, from the 20th century, tended to be made from questionable or even toxic substances. This is no longer the case. Modern artificial turf is 100% safe and made from entirely non-toxic materials. You can let your children play on a modern artificial turf installation with no worries.
In many ways, faux grass can even be safer than real grass, since there’s no chance of poisoning via fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.
2 – Artificial lawn installations can be more beautiful than real grass
Modern faux turf is far more realistic than older types, and most people have to walk on it before they notice it’s fake. It won’t get scorched in the summer or wither in the winter or dry out due to drought. With artificial lawns, every part of your lawn is the greenest part.
3 – Faux turf reduces your water consumption
Water use and overuse is a major problem here in Waco and across the southwest. We’ve had numerous drought restrictions in recent years, which has made it difficult for some homeowners to properly maintain their lawns. This ceases to be a concern with an artificial lawn. You don’t have to water it, and cleaning is typically done via rainstorms. This can drastically reduce your water bills – saving you money – while also helping to preserve one of the most precious substances on earth.
4 – The long-term investment is excellent
It’s true that installing an artificial lawn will cost more initially than most other types of landscape installation – but it will quickly turn into a real cost saver. When you aren’t dealing with real grass, you don’t have to worry about:
- Mowing the lawn
- Weeding
- Planting / Replanting
- Fertilizing
- Herbicides and pesticides
These are all lawn maintenance costs that add up quickly when maintaining a real lawn. Artificial turf makes all those costs vanish, or nearly so. It’ll take a few years, but if you’re looking to live in your home long-term, it’ll absolutely pay off over time.
5 – Minimal maintenance
Artificial turf isn’t 100% maintenance-free. In particular, it can be vulnerable to staining. So, if you hold a lot of outdoor parties, you’ll need to be ready to quickly clean up spills and accidents. It’s kind of like a really big carpet, in that respect.
If you do a lot of grilling, be prepared to clean up any grease ASAP. Otherwise, it will become sticky, matting the grass, and attracting gunk.
Additionally, you will still want to periodically rake the grass, to keep it from getting matted down. Likewise, you need to stay on top of any leaves that fall on your artificial turf, since they can get ground into the substrate – and without as many natural processes to deal with the leaves, they can get stuck there indefinitely.
6 – Artificial lawns are becoming more eco-friendly
Aside from saving water, the materials used in faux turf are becoming “greener” by the day. Along with new interest from homeowners and businesses, those creating faux turf have increasingly turned to sustainable raw materials like cork and coconut fiber. Not every brand of artificial turf uses eco-friendly materials yet, but their numbers are growing, and it’s absolutely an option if you want the most ecologically friendly lawn possible.
7 – In an HOA? Be sure to check your bylaws.
One unfortunate issue we sometimes run into with artificial grass installations is the Homeowner’s Association (HOA) rules mandating a natural lawn. If your home is part of an HOA, we strongly recommend taking a look at its rules and regulations before you start planning on artificial turf. It may not be an option, although it’s always worth seeing if you can get an exception or get the rules changed.
On the plus side, many states – and even the federal government – are looking into laws that would prevent HOAs from banning artificial turf. These laws aren’t standard yet, but the situation looks promising. When faux grass has so many ecological benefits, especially the lowered water usage, its use should be encouraged.
Picture Perfect Lawn & Landscape Creates Perfect Lawns!
Picture Perfect Lawn & Landscape are your Waco experts in landscape design, hardscaping, water feature installations, and even full installations of artificial turf. We have the tools, materials, and expertise to create amazing landscapes that meet your every need.
