Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 20th October 2021, 10:38 am

Hi Sam,

Thanks for your question about artificial grass and whether you should choose it as a low maintenance option in your garden.

I've written extensively on the pros and cons of fake grass which you can read here. To get to the point I would never advocate the use of fake or artificial grass in any garden after experiencing the cons first-hand in peoples gardens. I never fit it or design with it. Before we start it's important to note that artificial grass or astroturf is not recyclable so at the end of its life it has to currently go to a landfill. This is what the artificial and fake turf companies don't want you to know. See the environmental nightmare below at a waste site in Europe for fake grass.

The problem with artificial or fake grass is that it's sold as a low maintenance option. Fake grass is not low maintenance.

Whilst you don't need to mow fake grass there are certain tasks that need to be undertaken to keep it in a useable condition. Let's have a look below at some of these fake grass maintenance tasks.

1. Raking/vacuuming fake grass: Artificial grass will let water through, albeit at a slower rate to real turf, however, any debris like leaves or soil gets stuck with nowhere to go. Meaning with fake grass you have to either rake, brush or even use an outdoor vacuum cleaner to remove this dirt. If not it just builds up causing a very messy patch of fake grass. 

2. Removing dog or pet waste: Yes the biggest drawback with fake grass is if you have pets. Some people falsy believe its better for pets as the grass doesn't yellow with dog or cat wee. But if soil and leaves need removing from fake grass what do you think needs to happen with dog poo or cat faeces. You've guessed it! You have to remove it before it gets trodden or worn into the plastic matting. 

Unlike real turf where dog mess can over time break down into the soil with fake grass it can't. I've seen some absolutely gross artificial lawns where dog poo has become worn into the plastic blades and matting leaving an unsightly and stinking lawn. 

3. Brushing in sand each year: Another thing you need to do is brush in the sand to help disguise the gaps and matting that the blades of fake grass are woven through. This is to try and disguise the fact it's a plastic lawn. Even the best fake lawns still look unrealistic and some downright nuclear green! Any decent gardener can spot one a mile off! The below fake grass looks more like carpet than lawn turf!

4. Disinfecting problem stains and smells: If you've ended up with trapped waste, debris or smells in your fake grass then you then have either the option to lightly jet wash this crud elsewhere or use chemical disinfectant and scrub it manually. However, this is completely against organic gardening principles which we should be following. Adding these disinfectants in the garden plays havoc with soil health and will kill off all sorts of wildlife. It is scandalous that these fake grass cleaning sprays are even sold in garden centres. 

Alternatives to fake grass:

Even with a shady garden, there are multiple options rather than this unrecyclable mess of fake grass. Gravel, chipped bark or even shady grass seed mixes are all preferable and far kinder to wildlife. Real grass is far less maintenance, drama and is much kinder to the environment. If you can't manage a real lawn, then a fake one is no better for you so think of another garden design option.

Look below at the sea of fake grass, it doesn't look real and has zero benefits to wildlife. This owner in my opinion would have been better with a low maintenance gravel garden instead.

Ask yourself the question do you even need a lawn or could you create something far more suitable for your maintenance level, like an evergreen shrub based garden that provides year-round interest maybe with a seating area and chipped bark path? Far more inviting than plastic grass covered in dog poo!

Try and think outside the box or get in touch with a garden designer to help you. There's always a better solution out there.

So bearing all that in mind fake grass really isn't a low maintenance option at all. I'd go as so far as to say it's mega maintenance.

Go forth, be bold and don't follow the plastic grass crowd!

Lee