Grass provides a great surface for everything, from sport to garden furniture. But there is more than one option if you’re considering this for your organisation or for your home. Both real grass and artificial grass have a very wide range of benefits as a surface but you’ll need to do a little research to work out which is likely to be the best one for you. We’ve put together this list of the differences between artificial grass and real grass so that you have this information at your fingertips.
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- Only real grass requires intense watering. If you have artificial grass then you may need to water it to clean it – but that’s the only time this is likely to be required. Real grass, on the other hand, needs almost constant attention, especially during the summer months when you may need to water it twice.
- Both can be safe – depending on how you treat a real lawn. Fake grass doesn’t need any chemicals to treat it or maintain it so it’s 100% safe 100% of the time. If you have a real grass lawn then this is also a very safe option depending on what you’re using on it. Make sure you check for toxins and hazards in products that could affect humans who come into contact with treated real grass.
- Do you like a freshly mown lawn? Because that is something you’ll only get if you’re using real grass. Of course, unless you have a team of gardeners working for you it’s also something you’ll only get if you do this yourself. Artificial grass doesn’t grow, which means that it never needs to be cut and you don’t need to dispose of any grass cuttings. Running a lawn mower uses a lot of electricity and can be detrimental for the environment too. In fact, one study found that mowing the grass for an hour is as polluting as a 100-mile car trip.
- The cost of installation. Although costs vary depending on your premises, an artificial lawn is generally more expensive to install than real grass – but don’t forget that artificial grass has a lifespan of 25 years.
- Maintenance is lower with artificial grass. Both real and artificial grass need to be maintained but if you have a real lawn this is going to take a lot more maintenance than fake grass does. In fact, artificial grass needs some brushing, a little cleaning and maybe some odour control if you have pets but that’s it – the maintenance burden is minimal. Natural grass requires a lot more maintenance and you will need to find the time and money for aeration, watering, weed control, overseeding and fertilising. There is a lot more water involved in maintaining real grass, which has a negative impact on the environment as well as your water bill, and the labour can be significant.
Whether real or artificial grass is the right option will be an individual decision but these are some of the differences to bear in mind.