Artificial Grass - help!

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 11, 2020

This summer we are having the back garden ripped out - new fencing all round, levelling, new paving and decking the works. Having got past the cost (mini heart attack) we have decided for numerous reasons to go with artificial grass.
However with si many brands and types out there, pile lengths, different backings, different materials my head is spinning a bit.
Anyone got any recommendations? Or any makes or feedback on your own experiences?
I thought choosing carpet was a bit of a head wreck but this is on a whole new level!

Gazwould · Jan 11, 2020

What decking are you having ?

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 11, 2020

Gazwould said:
What decking are you having ?

Wood. Was looking at composite but it was seriously expensive.

Gazwould · Jan 11, 2020

For a reason !

Wood is a waste of time with it's large horizontal surface area subjected to the elements .

Denis435039 · Jan 11, 2020

Please abandon wood totally cos it does not make any sense...

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 11, 2020

You guys gone down the composite route then?

Charlie Farley · Jan 11, 2020

Artificial grass, don't go there .
Stick with real grass , by far the better product.

Charlie Farley · Jan 11, 2020

Decking is fine , wood is very good if you choose the right quality and plan the design / layout, its all down to planning things and also what color it ends up.
Think outside the box really with decking and colors, its what you make it really.

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 11, 2020

Just Rob. said:
Artificial grass, don't go there .
Stick with real grass , by far the better product.

Have you given it a go yourself?

Charlie Farley · Jan 11, 2020

I have , and with many years experience as a professional gardener I was not impressed, its ok and that's all I can say really , it is what it is and that's artificial grass.
Real grass is by far a superior product, yes it needs looking after but artificial grass also requires a degree of maintance , real grass all day everyday in my opinion, just my input though and all down to you.

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 11, 2020

Just Rob. said:
I have , and with many years experience as a professional gardener I was not impressed, its ok and that's all I can say really , it is what it is and that's artificial grass.
Real grass is by far a superior product, yes it needs looking after but artificial grass also requires a degree of maintance , real grass all day everyday in my opinion, just my input though and all down to you.

No, I appreciate the feedback. My lawn gets really boggy and full of weeds - not sure what type but they have a thick root along with some moss thrown in.
If I take up the old turf and replace with real turf what type of product is good to keep the weeds at bay? Weed and feed?

Charlie Farley · Jan 11, 2020

If you have a boggy lawn with moss then you have a water retention problem in the garden, you need to address this first before relaying a new lawn with turf.
What are you ground conditions like, heavy clay or sandy/loam , is it shaded much of the time?

Charlie Farley · Jan 11, 2020

Something to keep in mind , if you have a shady garden which suffers from wet and damp problems is that if you did decide to go with artificial grass , you may still end up with moss growing on it.
Moss will just take over on an artificial grass as damp retention and shade will provide optimum growing conditions, once moss etc gets into the fibres and blades of artificial grass it will be the end of it and look horrible.

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 12, 2020

Just Rob. said:
Something to keep in mind , if you have a shady garden which suffers from wet and damp problems is that if you did decide to go with artificial grass , you may still end up with moss growing on it.
Moss will just take over on an artificial grass as damp retention and shade will provide optimum growing conditions, once moss etc gets into the fibres and blades of artificial grass it will be the end of it and look horrible.

Its clay without a doubt. It only gets direct sun from about 2pm onwards

CHEZ · Jan 12, 2020

Wish I had got artificial grass for my small garden.
Was always spongey and would grow patchy and never nice.
Half is shaded by a garage too.
So a few years ago I spent ages digging 8 inches down and removed all the clay.
Laid down about 3 tons of pea gravel for drainage, then about 4 tons of top soil and sowed a new lawn with seed.
Covered it with net until it got away.
Watered every morning etc etc.
It took off then gradually went back to patchy mess.
I give up on it after a few years and stuck a trampoline on it lol.
Should have invested in artificial instead in hindsight.

Charlie Farley · Jan 12, 2020

Simonwhite2000 said:
Its clay without a doubt. It only gets direct sun from about 2pm onwards

clay act's like a bucket , and depending on how thick the layer is and how close to the surface will have a greater or lesser effect on the lawn, add in the reduced sunlight and that doesn't help.
Ideally you'd need to sort out some decent drainage to get the water away from the lawn , just digging over isn't enough.
With clay , as the ground becomes more and more saturated and depending on if any drains away the ground water level just get's higher and higher, eventually the grass roots become starved of oxygen and die, the grass dies back and then moss takes over the place of grass.
If you can get the grass roots out of the wet and the water moving away from the lawn you will have a far better lawn , most lawns can survive quite well in part shade etc if they have a good growing base to start with.

88rsr · Jan 26, 2020

I went with artificial for a low/zero maintenance garden and no denying it was expensive but well worth it. There are some really crap ones out there that are like tinsel or fuzzy felt. It was a few years ago but I ordered a sample pack from https://www.expressgrass.com/grass-sample3.html and just had a look and feel of them. Then without showing the prices said to my Mrs which do you think feels and looks the best. She went for the same as me. Admittedly it looks almost too neat and tidy but it doesn't look obviously fake, it hasn't gone flat and still looks as good as when I laid it 2-3 years ago. Its little things like the face there are a few shades of green and then even shorter yellow strands in it. Pic to follow hopefully...

88rsr · Jan 26, 2020

File size was too big originally but hope this works

*edit, probably gone a bit too far reducing the quality but hopefully gives you an idea

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 26, 2020

88rsr said:
I went with artificial for a low/zero maintenance garden and no denying it was expensive but well worth it. There are some really **** ones out there that are like tinsel or fuzzy felt. It was a few years ago but I ordered a sample pack from https://www.expressgrass.com/grass-sample3.html and just had a look and feel of them. Then without showing the prices said to my Mrs which do you think feels and looks the best. She went for the same as me. Admittedly it looks almost too neat and tidy but it doesn't look obviously fake, it hasn't gone flat and still looks as good as when I laid it 2-3 years ago. Its little things like the face there are a few shades of green and then even shorter yellow strands in it. Pic to follow hopefully...

Really appreciate your comments. Still in two minds!
What kind of maintenance do you do on it? Hoover, brush or anything? Any negatives at all?

AudiSpy · Jan 28, 2020

I went with fake grass after having numerous drainage problems, boggy grass and a dog churning it up. Despite being a new build and having the lawn replaced twice with big french drains in real grass had to go! And..

I've been super happy with it ever since! It looks perfect every day and just needs a good brush and a re-sand every now and then and a clean if you get it sticky or 'messy' (dog is gone now unfortunately) and it dried out really fast as well. I went for a style with hints of brown blades in it that are at varying heights as well to give it a more realistic look. Main advice I would give is it's all in the prep, digging the space, the base for it and making it level and flat and then go from there. nearly 5 years on best thing I did to the garden :icon thumright:

88rsr · Jan 28, 2020

Honestly, I've never had to touch it, maybe pick up a few leaves now and then. Admittedly its not like its a heavy footfall area but yeah its bang on.
The stuff I got was quite heavy, didn't need sand or rubber brushing into it, and its not even pinned/pegged down.
I might be a rare case of having a really really good experience with it or maybe its one of those "you get what you pay for" sorta things but either way I am happy with it.
Only negative is more down to me but you can kinda tell where I joined it cause my garden is an odd shape and the cut off excess only fitted one way so the pile direction is different (but that will be under a shed when I get round to building one) :whistle2:

It was daunting going for it admittedly with the cost but I don't have a lawn mower taking up space and I never have to mow BONUS
Odds are you're probably hours away but if you're anywhere near Rotherham and want a look then let me know.

Charlie Farley · Jan 28, 2020

Some good points for and against real grass and artificial, I'm pro real grass but then i'm probably a little biased being a Prof Gardener , but at the end of the day it's down to whatever works best for you chap.
Maybe a good idea to try and get to see what the various artificial grasses look like laid back to back and compare .
I would like to try and convince you go with real grass but your choice really.

good luck.

Harvey · Jan 29, 2020

I was having the exact same issue with real grass not growing and looking horrible as we have a small shaded garden which is mainly clay based substrate, I tried everything but real grass just looked horrible. In 2011 I ripped it all out and went down the artificial grass route. Best thing I've done as it still looks top notch 9 years later and gets walked over nearly every day as it's the only route into our garden and my workshop/shed. If you have the time and motivation it's not hard to DIY fit, I simply researched what I needed and cracked on with it. I opted for 30mm Florida grass which has a mix of colours to give a more natural look and feel but can’t remember the manufacturer. I pop kiln dried sand on it and brush it in every few years with the odd brush in-between as this helps to stand it upright but honestly it hasn’t gone flat enough to look terrible. Yes I get moss and weeds growing in it but this helps it look more natural with little maintenance required and it still looks way better than the old real grass.
This was back in 2011 just after it was fitted.

Even the fake sheep loved it.

I’ll grab a picture of how it looks now tomorrow so watch this space…

Simonwhite2000 · Jan 29, 2020

Just Rob. said:
Some good points for and against real grass and artificial, I'm pro real grass but then i'm probably a little biased being a Prof Gardener , but at the end of the day it's down to whatever works best for you chap.
Maybe a good idea to try and get to see what the various artificial grasses look like laid back to back and compare .
I would like to try and convince you go with real grass but your choice really.

good luck.

Im still open to both to be honest mate. Real grass is way cheaper and would free up cash for adding the fence screening that is all the rage at the moment (horizontal slats with lighting) that the wife would like.

Some of the samples through from Namgrass look really good actually. My main motivation for artifical grass was that my current lawn has moss, lots of weeds and is boggy. We have a little dog who just before bed does a 1 or 2 (or both!) in the garden but otherwise is on walks for that so not sure that makes a big case either way.

The full landscaping of the rear garden will reduce the lawn footprint by a quarter to either reduce cost of fake grass or reduce the upkeep on real turf and will mean less shaded areas if we go down the real route.

Anyone used a service like Green Thumb and had good or bad experience? My landscaper has said if i choose a real lawn they will improve the drainage but as I have no interest in gardening generally I was curious if a service like Green Thumb are any good at what they do to keep a lawn looking good.

simonali · Jan 29, 2020

I wouldn't bother with GreenThumb. All they do is put down a weed and feed every few months. We have it done but the guy is here about two minutes. Admittedly the lawn has less weeds in it but now they're gone it's just patchy and bald. At least the daisies hid the mud!

Charlie Farley · Jan 29, 2020

The decider is this, do you want to spend any time looking after a real lawn.
If your answer is , not really , then artificial is the option or no grass at all just hard landscaping products.

Real grass is a great product but does require a degree of maintainance during its life and prep before hand to ensure suitable and sustainable growing conditions, if your not happy with those then leave real grass well alone .

that's the best way to make a descision really, as much as I would prefer others to use real grass I appreciate it may not allways be a viable choice.

Harvey · Jan 31, 2020

Here’s what my plastic fantastic grass looks like today after being down for 9 years and not having had kiln dried sand added for about 4 years nor being swept for near a year. I really should take more care of it but it’s still lasting very well and we’re both still pleased with it as it’s low maintenance and doesn’t die like our old grass kept doing around the edges.

This is the moss we get growing but it actually adds to the natural look so we don’t mind it.

Here you can see the different shades that help make it look a more natural colour instead of a green glow like you get with some.

kolash · Feb 11, 2020

If you’re still considering here’s mine laid last August at the back of my garden that was previously under used.

Was not convinced by artificial beforehand but happy now and space much more usable in all weather. In summer was great for just relaxing on.

I went for a cheaper online brand so will have to see how it ages. Disappointed a couple of weeds have made their way through the supplied membrane.

tcardio · Feb 19, 2020

Artificial in the backyard is the way to go. always looks nice and drains well. No muddy feet and dog friendly. Ive had mine for 15 years and with small yearly maintenance it looks great. Sod sucks in the backyard

scobie140 · Feb 19, 2020

Another +1 for artificial. Every year I used to go round re turfing all the patches and worn bits (big dog bombing about quickly rips it up in the winter) Got astro fitted a few years back and wish I had just done it at the start. Ignore it all winter and give it a wee brush and disinfectant every few weeks in the summer to keep it looking brand new. No more mucky paws either which is a bonus!

Simonwhite2000 · Feb 19, 2020

scobie140 said:
Another +1 for artificial. Every year I used to go round re turfing all the patches and worn bits (big dog bombing about quickly rips it up in the winter) Got astro fitted a few years back and wish I had just done it at the start. Ignore it all winter and give it a wee brush and disinfectant every few weeks in the summer to keep it looking brand new. No more mucky paws either which is a bonus!

Has it ever smelt of dog pee? Think thats my biggest worry.

scobie140 · Feb 21, 2020

Simonwhite2000 said:
Has it ever smelt of dog pee? Think thats my biggest worry.

Nah, as long as you use atsro turf disinfectant that is designed for dogs it breaks down the crystals in the urine. Its pretty cheap stuff and i'll only really do it about once a month in the summer and never had any issues. Just spray/cover the grass in it then give it a wee brush it in, only takes a few min.

SaraS3 · Feb 26, 2020

Simonwhite2000 said:
Has it ever smelt of dog pee? Think thats my biggest worry.

I wondered that too. I'm a hobby gardener, grow my own plants etc, 2 greenhouses so artificial grass should be sacrilege to me but am considering it due to part shady garden. We reseed etc and patch with new turf but it's never very good. I'm popping into a shop tomorrow to look at samples of it.
I do care about the birds, bees and butterflies so have big flower borders and trees etc so losing a lawn wouldn't bother the wildlife

Simonwhite2000 · Feb 26, 2020

SaraS3 said:
I wondered that too. I'm a hobby gardener, grow my own plants etc, 2 greenhouses so artificial grass should be sacrilege to me but am considering it due to part shady garden. We reseed etc and patch with new turf but it's never very good. I'm popping into a shop tomorrow to look at samples of it.
I do care about the birds, bees and butterflies so have big flower borders and trees etc so losing a lawn wouldn't bother the wildlife

Be interested to know what you think when you have seen some samples!

SaraS3 · Feb 26, 2020

The place I am going to sells roll ends as well so I'm hoping to buy a 4m x 2m piece just to cover a little bit of concrete that's been left between the new conservatory and part of the house. It fits a table and chairs.
The lawn is only a small part of the garden 5m x 4m so wouldn't be a big job if we go for it. Measured up today.
Definitely going to cover the small 4 x 2 bit after seeing the photos on this thread. It looks better than the fuzzy felt I had previously seen

Charlie Farley · Feb 26, 2020

Real grass i'm afraid, pro's and cons to both options but real grass is still best.

Harvey · May 1, 2020

As we have time on our hands the wife and I decided to de-moss our imitation grass. It took a bit of doing using a hand fork, trowel, stiff brush and patience while on our hands and knees. Looks like new now and we’re both super pleased with our hard work so I’ll let the pictures do the talking from here.

Moss be gone you pesky critter

Artificial Grass - help!

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