From the Blog
The Pros and Cons of Artificial Grass for Home Lawns
Regardless of generational, cultural, or geographical differences, people love their lawns. Grass areas are wonderful for not only the environment but also provide functional and psychological benefits for homeowners and their families.However, maintaining a beautiful lawn also comes with a degree of work. Whether your routine ranges from mowing when you just can’t stand the backyard field, or you painstakingly nurture each beautiful blade, taking care of a lawn requires skillful effort.Turf diseases, drought conditions, insect pressures, and soil health issues present themselves as strong foes in the battle for lawn dominance. The busy or frustrated Southern California homeowner is often looking for a way to win this war and sometimes turns to the option of artificial grass for home lawns.
Regardless of generational, cultural, or geographical differences, people love their lawns. Grass areas are wonderful for not only the environment but also provide functional and psychological benefits for homeowners and their families.
However, maintaining a beautiful lawn also comes with a degree of work. Whether your routine ranges from mowing when you just can’t stand the backyard field, or you painstakingly nurture each beautiful blade, taking care of a lawn requires skillful effort.
Turf diseases, drought conditions, insect pressures, and soil health issues present themselves as strong foes in the battle for lawn dominance. The busy or frustrated Southern California homeowner is often looking for a way to win this war and sometimes turns to the option of artificial grass for home lawns.
Artificial Grass for Home Lawns
Artificial grass has come a long way since the days of the astroturf in the Brady family’s backyard. Manufacturers are getting better at turning the old lime green carpet into products that more closely resemble real grass. Newer types of artificial grass combine innovative new textures and slight color variations to mimic natural lawns.
Artificial grass is made from artificial fibers that are knit into a mesh backing material. This material is installed on top of stone and other impact-absorbing base materials. Since the fibers have a tendency to lay flat (particularly the longer they are), a rubber infill mix is then added to separate fibers and help them to stand up.
The Benefits of Artificial Grass
There are many benefits of artificial grass that make these products attractive to some Southern California property owners:
- Irrigation is not needed to keep artificial grass alive
- No mowing required
- Maintains color and thickness year round
- No need for fertilizers or other lawn care products
- Won’t die or lose color from pet urine
- More wear tolerant than natural grass
- Lower on-going cost of maintenance
At first glance, artificial grass for home lawns may seem like an obvious choice, but it’s one option to consider that isn’t perfect. There are also potential problems with artificial grass to consider when choosing what is best for your Southern California property. These include:
- Surfaces get much hotter than natural lawns (some people actually install sprinklers to cool areas off during hot days)
- Potential to melt if installed next to glass or surfaces that reflect a great deal of heat
- Although lower-maintenance, areas still need to be cleaned, groomed, and infill added periodically liMimics, but is still noticeably artificial when compared to real grass
- More difficult to repair than natural lawns
- Higher installation cost than natural lawns
Is Artificial Grass for Home Lawns a Good Choice in Southern California?
When weighing the advantages and disadvantages of artificial grass for your property, you’ll ultimately need to decide if it’s right for your home. Both options still present unique challenges and benefits that could make artificial grass a great choice for at least specific areas of your property.
If you’re considering having a company in Los Angeles install artificial grass on your property make sure you not only consider the pros and cons of artificial grass as well as your community’s rules. Some HOAs or municipalities prohibit the use of artificial turf on certain areas of your property.
Potential Areas to Consider Artificial Grass for Home Lawns
Artificial grass could be a good choice for some areas. This material’s benefits may lead you to consider it for these areas:
- Pet areas: If you have designated areas where your pets typically ruin natural grass, artificial grass can be installed to prevent wear and urine damage. Some newer materials even have deodorant properties to combat the ammonia contained in urine.
- Drought-prone areas: As restrictions increase, artificial grass for home lawns becomes a good options to reduce the need for watering.
- Poorly-accessible areas: Depending upon your property layout, it may be very difficult to get mowers or other equipment to lawn areas. Artificial grass may be a good option for some of those areas.
- Play areas: If there are designated areas for swing sets or playground equipment, artificial grass may be a great option in the immediate vicinity.
A Case for Natural Turf Areas
Even though they do require a good amount of maintenance with irrigation and lawn care programs, real grass is still a great option. Real grass offers superior benefits for air quality as it releases a large amount of oxygen back into the atmosphere. A natural lawn will also help with stormwater runoff and reduces the temperature around homes. Make no mistake, real grass is very good for the environment.
Again, both options have their pros and cons, so consider them with the help of a landscaping company that installs both artificial grass and natural lawns.
Artificial Grass and Natural Lawn Installers in Los Angeles
There are hundreds of options for landscaping companies that install artificial grass in Los Angeles, as well as sodding or seeding natural lawns. Finding the right company for your project should lead you to one with lots of good references, reviews, and verified qualifications.
Pay very close attention to how companies help you decide what material is right for your property. They may have a distinct preference, but they should present you with all the pros and cons of artificial grass, as well as any for natural lawn areas. A company that truly cares about you making an informed decision will discuss in detail any problems with artificial grass, or maintenance challenges of real grass. They should help you make a decision you’re educated about and comfortable with.
Here at Pacific Outdoor Living, we’ve installed artificial grass for home lawns and also have seeded or installed sod on many Southern California properties. We even have a sister company, Jack’s Turf, that specializes in artificial grass.
Please feel free to contact us for a FREE Consultation to determine pricing for both artificial grass or natural lawn options. Call us at 818-244-4000 and we can have one of our team answer any questions you may have.
Ready when you are
Let's plan your outdoor space.
Twenty-five years of design-build work across Southern California and the Central Coast, handled start to finish by one in-house team.