Hi, I currently have an area of lawned garden which doesn't get much sunlight and is more of a threadbare boggy mess at the moment, I have two young children which are getting to the age where they can play outside and I was just wondering if anyone has artificial lawn, what are peoples views on it and where would be the best place to get it from. Thanks

On 10/21/11 6:42 AM, Loobylou_82 wrote:
Hi, I currently have an area of lawned garden which doesn't get much
sunlight and is more of a threadbare boggy mess at the moment, I have
two young children which are getting to the age where they can play
outside and I was just wondering if anyone has artificial lawn, what are
peoples views on it and where would be the best place to get it from.
Thanks

Artificial grass was developed for use indoors, in enclosed sports
arenas. Consider it to be no different than carpet with a strange
texture.

If it gets any sun, it might be too hot for a child to walk on it
barefoot or to sit on it. Since it generally is not porous, it can
create a drainage problem in the rain. And it certainly will not absorb
CO2 to help reduce global warming.

There are LIVE grasses that actually do best in shade. Consult a garden
centre near you.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

On 10/21/11 6:42 AM, Loobylou_82 wrote:
Hi, I currently have an area of lawned garden which doesn't get much
sunlight and is more of a threadbare boggy mess at the moment, I have
two young children which are getting to the age where they can play
outside and I was just wondering if anyone has artificial lawn, what are
peoples views on it and where would be the best place to get it from.
Thanks

I have relatives and friends who have it, some in pretty good sized patches.
The best things I can say is that there is a difference in them, and you get
what you pay for. Installation is critical, and if you have any drainage
issues, address them BEFORE you put the grass down. Cheap stuff won't last
long. Maybe like a French drain.

Pay a reputable company, and get a good guarantee. I was skeptical of it at
first, but now have seen it down for 5-7 years, and it looks like new. You
do have to keep care of it, and I would say that means actually vacuuming it
to get organic debris and flying sand out of it and maintain the space
between blades. I can think of no reason not to do it, and if I had that
situation, I would not hesitate.

I just did 3500 sf of live sod, and it looks great. But that's in the
country, and I get cheap agricultural water. If I had a little spit of yard
or somewhere to cover, I'd go fake, and have one less thing to maintain.
Some of it, you have to get up to about ten feet from it to tell if it's
real or plastic. People say it may be too hot to walk on. My grandkids
have it in their yard, and they live in Las Vegas, and I have never noticed
it being hot to walk on. They could destroy an anvil, but have yet done any
damage to the fake grass.

YMMV

Steve

On Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:42:32 +0000, Loobylou_82 wrote:

It's +/- commonly used for sports fields here on the wet side of the PNW US.
http://www.syntheticturfcouncil.org/...articlenbr=91#
B
has some background information, possibly a bit slanted g
And a quick search at the National Institute of Health journal database:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?t...ificial%20turf

FWIW, we have a 100 lb labrador who can tear up a wet lawn easily just by
running on it. I use wood chips, about 8 inches thick, on areas of greatest
dog damage in the winter, our rainy season. I do know there's a thriving
business here with used artificial turf taken from sports stadiums that
are upgrading. Some dog trainers I know use it for runs and the like, as
it usually comes with stripes that can't be removed -- so often not suitable
for lawn replacement.

"David E. Ross" wrote:
On 10/21/11 6:42 AM, Loobylou_82 wrote:
Hi, I currently have an area of lawned garden which doesn't get much
sunlight and is more of a threadbare boggy mess at the moment, I have
two young children which are getting to the age where they can play
outside and I was just wondering if anyone has artificial lawn, what are
peoples views on it and where would be the best place to get it from.
Thanks

Artificial grass was developed for use indoors, in enclosed sports
arenas. Consider it to be no different than carpet with a strange
texture.

If it gets any sun, it might be too hot for a child to walk on it
barefoot or to sit on it. Since it generally is not porous, it can
create a drainage problem in the rain. And it certainly will not absorb
CO2 to help reduce global warming.

There are LIVE grasses that actually do best in shade. Consult a garden
centre near you.


Original AstroTurf was designed for indoors, but it come a long way since
then. It has to drain well for outdoors. For playing fields there is a pad
underneath. I got scraps of both when they did an athletic field. It's
still hot and you get bruises and scuffs of your body.

Many installers.

Greg

We've made our raised beds from old floor boards and a set of pine bunkbeds that no-one wanted on freecycle. Also made small raised beds from old truck tyres.