Fake grass ?

Mazgg

I have had fake grass for 9 years and it still looks perfect. For the first 7 years I had a Labrador and a Jack Russel, sadly no longer with us. I now have a dachshund who I have had from being 8 weeks. My dogs have all enjoyed it and it has never been too hot to walk on. It was expensive and expertly laid by a company who suggested the best type taking the dogs into account. There are very good fake grass cleaners available.
Prior to the artificial grass there was real grass which turned into a mud patch after rain and dogs running in and out.
I have absolutely no regrets.

Interesting.

Will be following this thread.

My lawn and I use the word loosely is the same. I mowed the weeds today as they were getting seedy. Apart from the bit nearest the house I plan to plant up with plants more suitable for hot weather.
My reason behind this is mostly because I don’t like mowing and under normal conditions you have to wait for the dew or rain on it to dry.
With plants I will be able to go out and potter.

No - just no! Everything about it is awful.

It is bad for wildlife, inhibits drainage, gets stinky.

There is nothing at all wrong with your grass - it looks much as mine does in the year of drought and heatwave.

A lawn does not have to be a tennis court type perfect grass - mine is a mixture of grass (of many varieties) dandelions, buttercups, moss and many other species of plants - it is essentially a green space - and wildlife friendly.

I also have a section that is low-growing creeping thyme and blue star creeper - you can mow it and walk on it and it is beautiful.

Artificial grass is plastic! - we need less not more!

We need to get away from this idea that a perfect and uniform green lawn is a desirable thing.

My daughter moved into a house with the whole back garden lawn done in fake grass. She hated the way it looked and was worried about the baby crawling on it as it does get hot. In the end they decided to take it up and replace with real grass. She was shocked to see that there were no worms or anything living underneath it! Anyway they love their new lawn..yes it needs looking after but it feels so lovely under your feet after the fake grass. And I have been told that fake grass gets smelly if you have pets.
She ended up selling it on to somebody who wanted to replace their real grass.
I found that a bit sad.

Near us I have seen fake grass and later that same "grass" being lifted and replaced by real grass. Hooray!

You don't have to have a lawn at all. It's quite possible to plant your garden with shrubs and have a few raised beds for vegetables. Some stepping stones perhaps.

I'd be very suspicious of a gardener who recommends plastic grass

Would it be possible to opt for another kind of green space, eg, a camomile lawn, rather than fake grass?

Personally, I would not opt for fake grass, as I don’t like it and also don’t think it’s good for the environment - real lawns, whatever they consist of, are a magnet for all kinds of insects and other mini beasts, whereas a plastic lawn would not be.

Some people near me have them, and to be honest, to me, they look decidedly odd with their bright green, when everywhere else looks so parched. That, however, is my own opinion, and I do understand the appeal of a “lawn” that requires no mowing (though I understand that they still require maintenance to look as they should).

I have ground cover sedum instead of a lawn, I don`t water it and it is green with shades of colour, gorgeous. Any pet would love it

Fake grass? Horrible and it can melt from barbeues, cigarettes and fireworks

Fake grass is generally not a good idea. As others have said it is hot for little paws also it is no good for wildlife. Birds cannot peck for worms and insects, hedgehogs and other small mammals could ingest it and die. If it degrades then bits of plastic will get into your soil and could cause damage to all the creatures and the environment for hundreds of years. If grass is no good then have you thought about a layer of bark or gravel? You could grow plants through those and they wouldn’t harm the environment.

I have a landscaper who us going to do some work for me. He told me he laid fake grass for a family that had a couple of dogs. They asked him to pull it up and lay real grass 6 months later. He said it was revolting especially when one of the dogs peed on it.

I was listening to a programme, the presenter was talking about hose pipe bans and said ..”Oh just think how bad fake grass must smell in when the ban is in place”. I don’t like fake grass but that thought hadn't dawned on me! Add in pee and poo….not pleasant!

Fake grass is not maintenance free - it needs raking etc. A couple down the road have it. I think they had it down, mainly because they go to Canada twice a year to see their daughter and family, for a couple of months each time.