artificial vs real grass

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lily36
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artificial vs real grass

Postby lily36 » Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:02 am

Hi everyone

I would like your view on the following: I have a small garden (about 35m2) and I am not sure about what to do with it.

My partner is adamant about artificial grass, main reason being no maintaining and no mud, and with a baby ready to walk at home, that's a very good point.
But I am more reserved and when I think about, I already miss bare foot in the fresh grass, the bugs and the ants... and there is something sad about having artificial grass when you are lucky enough to have a garden in the city.
So you see, this is the usual practical vs. romantic situation, related to grass ! Maybe I add that we live 5 mins from Battersea Park, that both of us work full time and not at all gardening persons....

Now please tell me: do you have artificial grass in your backyard ? how do you like it ? do you sometimes think going back to the real thing ? Any comments, any thoughts are very welcome, but please, respect for each other opinions.

thanks very much
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mummy_dani
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby mummy_dani » Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:12 am

We have artificial grass and love it. Our son is outside everyday, rain or shine, and the garden still looks perfect! We don't need to find space for a lawn mower, or find the time to cut the grass and so when we're in the garden it's just to relax or play with the children.
As for ants, well fear not as you'll still have them! Artificial grass is weighted down with sand which ants love so you'll still get the odd one crawling up your leg!
You need to buy padding for under the grass to give a softer landing if children fall and the grass will never feel like real grass but the compromise on that is worth it when you are essentially adding another room to your home.

If you do go for it let me know and I'll give you the number of the company we used, almost half the price if EasiGrass and same quality (long grass with brown specks to make it look more authentic!!)
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sw11_
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby sw11_ » Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:52 am

We are between the commons - our next door neighbour has artificial grass and we have real grass. i am glad we went for real grass! the (small) garden is full of flowers and birds and butterflies and just wouldn't feel the same with a big area of fake grass in the middle like our neighbours have. I love that i can have the feeling of real grass between my toes!

As for maintenance - it takes less than half an hour to mow the lawn every 2 weeks - really not a big deal, and actually my husband seems to quite enjoy it. If you really can't bear the idea of mowing the lawn occasionally then i'm not sure real grass is for you, but for us it's totally worth it xx
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sw11_
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby sw11_ » Fri Aug 16, 2013 11:53 am

p.s. we've never had any mud - i don't think grass has to get muddy??
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lily36
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby lily36 » Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:08 pm

well ... your posts compile exactly my concerns ! what's the point of having a garden if no butterflies and snails ?
but adding a extra room to the house where the little one can go safely almost everyday is priceless !

Mummy Danny, would you kindly PM me the details of the company that set down your artificial grass ? maybe the financial aspect of it will help me to take a decision...

thanks again
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runningmummy
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby runningmummy » Fri Aug 16, 2013 12:20 pm

It's bloody brilliant!!! I used to have reservations about fake grass and was even a bit snobby about it at one point...until Alan Titchmarch gave it the thumbs up! After talking to about a dozen parents who raved about it, I decided to take the plunge. Best decision. We still have loads of wildlife, beautiful butterflies, worms, birds, bloody snails still. I think if you have some soil/pots then you will gets the grubs.

Brilliant for babies, kids and me (when i just want to lie on it without an ant in my ear) in so many ways and no dirty feet in house.

My husband actually didn't mind mowing the lawn either but now nice to not have to, so can focus on the million and one other jobs to do such as getting rids of snails and those naughty beetles on the lilies.

Cost wise. The top end stuff is amazing- you really can't tell but is e pensive. Cheap stuff looks like cheap plastic crap. So I went somewhere in the middle.

If we weren't in London, had a huge garden and (it wasn't socially acceptable like it is now) ha! Then I would not go for it but it ticks the above so I say go or it.
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Horsa
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Horsa » Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:45 pm

I would never have dreamed of getting artificial grass in the first place. But when we bought our house, it was already there - and it is fantastic. Our young children can crawl and play on it all year round, and don't hurt themslves when they fall (as it is quite springy). I also think most gardens between the commons are too small / shaded for grass to grow properly. We have flowerbeds down the side of the "grass" so there are plenty of flowers and bees and snails etc.
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lily36
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby lily36 » Fri Aug 16, 2013 1:54 pm

I am very temped by artificial, but the thing is that I am a "country girl" who grew up in a farm, in the middle of the forest etc... and having artificial grass is like an heresy...

but hey! London is not a forest (more like a jungle) and my boy won't grew up in a farm (but sometime somehow the house looks like a pigsty!), so I guess I have to go with the practical aspect of things.

Now can you recommend a company for selling and laying down artificial grass ? Feel free to PM me if you don't want to advertise directly here.
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Annabel (admin)
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Annabel (admin) » Fri Aug 16, 2013 2:10 pm

Hi
I'd like to reiterate the comments about how brilliant it is.

Mr NVN was REALLY against it. Environmental, aesthetic etc etc but its been better than we could have ever expected.

It turns our small scrap of a garden into something that can be used day in and day out.

Wouldn't be without it now!
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mummybubble
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby mummybubble » Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:58 pm

Hello! We are very close to getting artificial grass for our small patch of lawn (about 10m square) in the middle of our paved garden for all the above reasons! Just need to complete the side return extension first which has totally ruined what grass there was in the garden...

I would love to see a post/private message about a good company to go for...!

A friend recommended Easigrass Mayfair and it does look good...

My husband prefers the Easigrass Chelsea - sort of softer, but I am worried a bit shiny... Does anyone have the Chelsea grass? Yes they are totally silly names, but there you go....
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GRASSify
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby GRASSify » Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:42 pm

runningmummy wrote:It's bloody brilliant!!! I used to have reservations about fake grass and was even a bit snobby about it at one point...until Alan Titchmarch gave it the thumbs up! After talking to about a dozen parents who raved about it, I decided to take the plunge. Best decision. We still have loads of wildlife, beautiful butterflies, worms, birds, bloody snails still. I think if you have some soil/pots then you will gets the grubs.

Brilliant for babies, kids and me (when i just want to lie on it without an ant in my ear) in so many ways and no dirty feet in house.

My husband actually didn't mind mowing the lawn either but now nice to not have to, so can focus on the million and one other jobs to do such as getting rids of snails and those naughty beetles on the lilies.

Cost wise. The top end stuff is amazing- you really can't tell but is e pensive. Cheap stuff looks like cheap plastic crap. So I went somewhere in the middle.

If we weren't in London, had a huge garden and (it wasn't socially acceptable like it is now) ha! Then I would not go for it but it ticks the above so I say go or it.
Hello Mum's & Dad's

Just wanted to say how well "running mummy" has summed up artificial grass. There is still an abundance of life in the garden!

It's also very true that there are many cheap artificial grass product's on the market but they look "artificial" as running mummy says, some of these sub-standard products can be faulty or dangerous but you can't know until its too late:

Things to look out for:
- No lead content
- It should have a supply flexible but aturdy backing no ridged and crumbly looking
- Often the grass turns up and doesnt look as nice as the samples did (a common issue as some manufacturers will use the nicest produced batch as samples when quoting so check)
- A thorough install method and good knowledge as problems with dips and the pile falling out due to poor installations and can happen weeks or months later when the contractor has long left the site.

We know these are the dangers as we are periodically called out to fix or replace with our quality UK made artificial grass.

Our offices are Wimbledon & Putney as we have offices on the costa del sol.

SO FOR THOSE IN FAVOUR of Artificial Grass, please do feel free to contact GRASSify. We exclusively offer UK made luxury products that look and feel like real grass and have an 8 year UK warranty.

Quote: nappyvalley15 for a 10% discount on artificial grass installed before xmas.

0207 993 9083
http://www.grassify.co.uk
grassmeup@grassify.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/grassifymylife

Any golfers? If looking for the perfect gift for hubby and he likes Golf we can create a mini putting green in the garden, flags and holes included!
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Yael
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Yael » Sun Jul 12, 2020 11:55 am

Hello I have artificial grass both back and front we also work 10 hours a day so only weekends to everything so i recommend to go for the artificial grass You will have time to spend in the garden with your family it so easy to maintain just sweep it hoover it every now and then I had mine how for five years and it still looking new I never go back to real grass and you have green views all year round
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Siamese
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Siamese » Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:50 am

What about the environment? Insects? Birds? Aren’t you just covering your gardens in plastic?
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Kirstie’s Mom
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Kirstie’s Mom » Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:38 am

I had real grass in my old garden which was large - I love gardening so I didn’t mind the upkeep which is more than mowing twice a week . To keep a lawn looking good you need to feed it , weed it , aerate it once a year and scour it with a rake to keep the dead grass out - it’s hard work . If this is not done , I can guarantee you it will look bare in 3 years time , evwn doing that I still needed to re turf it every 7 years or so which is expensive . My lawn did get a lot of use with children and 3 dogs and I wasn’t trying to have it look like a cricket pitch but I wanted it to look nice which was an uphill battle.
I have moved now to a much smaller garden and when I moved in the grass was in pretty bad condition , mostly mud . The size about 23 x 35 . I thought fake grass was tacky but all my new neighbors suggested artificial especially given the size and my 2 large dogs .There were about 100 types of grass you can buy and they are extremely life like . My partner was dead set against it but after 2 years , clean dogs, a nice lawn, he now admits he was wrong .
I am a v keen gardener and can now focus on my borders which are full of flowers and butterflies and bees .
Net net what I am trying to say is if your garden is small it’s the only way to go . If you mis the smell of mown grass buy a candle
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Kirstie’s Mom
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Re: artificial vs real grass

Postby Kirstie’s Mom » Mon Jul 13, 2020 1:36 pm

Lily I’ve been trying to post a picture of my garden with the artificial grass but I can’t - message me if you want to see it . It is full of bees and butterflies - grass doesn’t attract them flowers do . As for snail - no thanks but I still get them - too many .
My artificial grass cost 50-% more than turf . So it is more costly but I did buy the beat type and it won’t need to be returfed in a few years time
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