7 min read

The Honest Case For and Against Artificial Grass

We install artificial grass for a living, so it would be easy to write a list of advantages and stop there. That is not much use to someone deciding. Below is the case for and the case against as we would put it to a customer sitting at their kitchen table, including the situations where we suggest a real lawn instead.

The genuine advantages

It is usable all year. A synthetic lawn on a decent base drains in minutes, so children are out on it in February when a real lawn would be a mud bath. For families and for anyone with a shady, north facing garden where grass never establishes, that is the whole argument.

There is no mowing, feeding, watering, scarifying or moss treatment. No mower to store or maintain. No hosepipe ban dilemma. It looks the same in the last week of August as it did in May.

It also holds its appearance in awkward places: strips beside a driveway, small courtyards, sloped banks and heavily shaded corners where real grass gives up.

The drawbacks worth taking seriously

The upfront cost is significant and lands in one go, unlike the drip of mower fuel and lawn feed.

It gets warmer than natural grass in direct summer sun. It cools quickly in shade or with a rinse, but on the hottest afternoons a large south facing lawn is noticeably warm underfoot.

It supports less wildlife than a natural lawn. Worms, invertebrates and the birds that feed on them do not live in it. Borders, shrubs, trees and a pond around a synthetic lawn make a real difference here and we always encourage keeping planting.

It is a plastic product. Good grasses are increasingly recyclable and the better installations last well over a decade, but it will not simply return to the soil at the end of its life.

Where we would not recommend it

Very large open lawns, where the cost is high and the environmental trade off is greatest. Gardens where the owner genuinely enjoys mowing, and there are plenty. Sites with serious standing water that has not been diagnosed, because grass over an unresolved drainage fault will disappoint.

Also, anywhere the ground is going to be dug up again soon for an extension or a garden building. Do the building work first.

Where it is an easy yes

Small to medium gardens, shaded gardens, front gardens, dog owners, families who want the space usable in winter, rental properties, and anyone who has stopped enjoying the maintenance.

Questions people ask us about this

Is artificial grass bad for the environment?

It is a plastic product and supports less soil life than a lawn, but it uses no water, no fertiliser, no weedkiller and no petrol mower for its lifetime. Keeping generous planted borders around it is the sensible middle ground.

Does it devalue a property?

In our experience buyers respond well to a tidy, usable garden. What puts people off is a poor installation with visible seams and ripples, not the material itself.

How hot does it actually get?

Warmer than natural grass but nothing like a dark patio slab. Shade, a hose or simply the end of the afternoon brings it back down quickly.

Can I still have flower beds and trees?

Absolutely, and the best gardens we build do. We cut the grass neatly around beds and tree circles, which keeps the planting and the wildlife that comes with it.

What happens to it at the end of its life?

It is lifted and taken away for recycling where the manufacturer supports it. If the base is sound it can usually be reused for the replacement, which cuts both cost and waste.

Not sure it is right for you?

We are happy to say so if it is not. Have a chat with us about your garden and we will give you a straight opinion before any quote is written.

Get an honest opinion View Artificial Grass 07535 661664