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Gardening

Fake grass ?

(29 Posts)
Shinamae Sat 08-Aug-26 15:40:25

I have this patch of grass (You can see why I hesitate to call it a lawn) and it certainly hasn’t been helped by having a new puppy 🐶🐶🐶🐶
It is I’m afraid beyond redemption,my gardener has suggested I use fake grass, I said I was quite hesitant about it, but he said it has come on so much in the last few years and he’s recommended I give it a try
I just wonder if anybody has any experience of this good or bad

Jaxjacky Sat 08-Aug-26 15:54:22

I think it could get very, very hot, not good for paws.

Chestnut Sat 08-Aug-26 16:01:30

Can't you get a square yard of grass maybe and put it down somewhere just as an experiment to see how hot and dirty it gets. I'd also consider any wildlife you have visiting your garden. Do you have any hedgehogs or other creatures calling? They would prefer real grass as the damp soil will bring out insects for them.

MT62 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:08:46

Yes ours is the same even though we had green thumb out but that was years ago.
We are going down the fake grass route. We will still have trees & others greenery for birds.
We have no pets.
Our Gc likes to play football, I can’t do with the mess of soil on my floors.
I have too heard it gets hot.

MT62 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:09:50

Could try & older some samples.
Verde grass is one company.
Grass looks so real.

paddyann54 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:12:48

We have real grass in our front garden and fake grass in our back garden.Entirely due to the awful drainage that we,ve spent thousands of pounds and still grew reeds instead of turf.
Our cats love the fake grass ,they happily lie on it on hot days.I brush it in the morning so it looks good all day.
We do have lots of bushes and a couple of trees and we have a good variety of birds a hedgehog and the odd visiting deer .
I know it’s not ideal but sometimes it’s the best choice

Lathyrus3 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:18:11

It will get very hot in the sunshine- not good if you want your puppy out there. Or if you want to sit outside in the cool, it stores heat.

(It will also contribute to the global warming that has turned your present grass brown and patchy!)

If your puppy wees out there (or worse) you will have to wash it down or it discolours and smells. I know this from living in a previous house where there was artificial grass and a dog. Buy lots of Jeyes fluid😬

Fallingstar Sat 08-Aug-26 16:24:48

I don’t like fake grass but then we only have a back yard, no lawn, so who am I to say?
When we did have a lawn there was fake grass around but I loved walking barefoot on real grass and the smell of it after mowing.
One of our DDs has a fake lawn and it does look pretty good though, no puppy but a GC who did make a bit of a mess with it with play doh.

Casdon Sat 08-Aug-26 16:39:28

I wouldn’t do it unless you never let your dog into the garden, because ammonia crystals get trapped in the structure of the fake grass, and when it gets warm it smells awful.

MawsRosie Sat 08-Aug-26 16:42:29

No, no and no
Lethal for pets (gets way too hot), lethal for wild life, imagine a little bird pecking at fake grass hoping for food, let’s face it, it’s plastic in whatever form, so not biodegradable when it’s past its best, and frankly who wants emerald green Ā«carpetĀ»
I imagine you would have to hose it down, especially with a dog or it would get very smelly and that’s a no-no with a hosepipe ban.
Enough reasons?

MT62 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:43:46

You have to go expensive if you want it look, plus adequate drainage needs installing.
Ours will be designed to irrigate our trees & plants.
I don’t like those that look like it’s being fitted by a carpet installer.

MT62 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:44:10

MT62

You have to go expensive if you want it look, plus adequate drainage needs installing.
Ours will be designed to irrigate our trees & plants.
I don’t like those that look like it’s being fitted by a carpet installer.

Good I mean.

J52 Sat 08-Aug-26 16:53:45

MawsRosie

No, no and no
Lethal for pets (gets way too hot), lethal for wild life, imagine a little bird pecking at fake grass hoping for food, let’s face it, it’s plastic in whatever form, so not biodegradable when it’s past its best, and frankly who wants emerald green Ā«carpetĀ»
I imagine you would have to hose it down, especially with a dog or it would get very smelly and that’s a no-no with a hosepipe ban.
Enough reasons?

Also if you get fed up with it, then landfill is the only way to dispose of it, it will never decompose.
Personally I would never buy a house that had artificial grass.

Witzend Sat 08-Aug-26 17:01:58

You will get a lot of severe disapproval on here. But IMO it certainly circs it can be a sensible choice.

We had some best quality fake grass put down in the tiny back garden of a rental maisonette. Some years previously I had paid quite a lot to have the garden transformed from a very badly neglected jungle - with a very small real grass lawn. Sadly the otherwise good tenants didn’t look after it and eventually it was beyond redemption.
Hence the ā€˜fake’. Neither they nor we wanted hard paving or gravel.

However all tenants have been very pleased with it, and we do have borders for the blackbirds etc, to scratch around in.

BlueBelle Sat 08-Aug-26 17:09:08

No no no the most awful stuff ever made just more plastic crxx

Visgir1 Sat 08-Aug-26 17:12:27

I too thought necessary have fake grass. Before, anyone condems me, (and I don't work for a Artificial Grass company) after many years of, re - turfing, seeding, making our garden small by adding more flower beds, adding underground drainage. We gave up and got in professionals to redesigning the whole garden by extending the patio, adding decking for a second dining area, shingle down the area to the side of the house, which I don't like as it's like a shingle beach.
Our problem was due to the garden being under mature Oak trees, and they grown, so about every 3 years we had to apply to the local council for permission to have them trimmed.

Since having the grass we have never had any issues with our Pets, or Grandchildren in bare feet finding too hot, we also live in the South of England.

Over the years we spent a considerable amount of money in the garden just on trying to grass.

We still get loads of Birds, Hedgehogs, Moles (in the flower beds) Bats so the wild life is still active.

Gwyllt Sat 08-Aug-26 17:17:52

Nothing against fake grass for what ever reason But it is growing puppy into the mix. An frien has a small courtyard garden with fake grass as she has nowhere to keep a mower. Add small dog into the mix and she runs in and out with a scoop and a watering can. No it does not smell bu would not like to be the one to lift it. What size dog are you talking about. Could you make a gravel garden as an alternative. Would let the ground breath

Gwyllt Sat 08-Aug-26 17:20:35

Don’t know meaning of lawn I have grass and weed. Sorry wild flowers.looks pretty and environmentally friendly

Witzend Sat 08-Aug-26 17:30:39

Gwyllt

Don’t know meaning of lawn I have grass and weed. Sorry wild flowers.looks pretty and environmentally friendly

Our small back ā€˜lawn’ is overshadowed to a fair extent by one (protected) mature beech tree, and we don’t get a huge amount of sun anyway.

TBH despite repeated efforts with ā€˜shade loving’ grass. It’s invariably largely moss and weeds - however I like to call it our ā€˜wildflower meadow’.
When it’s buttercup season - a couple of nice patches of them - dh has strict instructions not to mow that bit!

Grammaretto Sat 08-Aug-26 17:30:40

MawsRosie

No, no and no
Lethal for pets (gets way too hot), lethal for wild life, imagine a little bird pecking at fake grass hoping for food, let’s face it, it’s plastic in whatever form, so not biodegradable when it’s past its best, and frankly who wants emerald green Ā«carpetĀ»
I imagine you would have to hose it down, especially with a dog or it would get very smelly and that’s a no-no with a hosepipe ban.
Enough reasons?

I agree. Please don't go down the fake grass route.
It's not good for anything and really bad for the environment, for drainage, for insects etc.
To my eyes your garden with it's slightly brown grass looks played on, inviting and an altogether useful part of your garden.

Smileless2012 Sat 08-Aug-26 17:34:54

'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' Shinamae and if your gardener's suggested it s/he probably knows which would be the best to invest in.

MartavTaurus Sat 08-Aug-26 17:37:07

New puppy arrived here today. He's finding the dry brown grass rather prickly underfoot, but seeing as he will grow to 35 kilos and produce a lot of wee and poo I wouldn't consider artificial grass.

Smileless2012 Sat 08-Aug-26 17:42:28

Oooh he's lovely MartavTaurus. We have a 12 week old toy poodle puppy and are using fake grass on our decking while we get him toilet trained.

Mazgg Sat 08-Aug-26 17:44:00

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.

MartavTaurus Sat 08-Aug-26 17:47:50

Smileless2012

Oooh he's lovely MartavTaurus. We have a 12 week old toy poodle puppy and are using fake grass on our decking while we get him toilet trained.

Thanks.
How's it going? The toilet training?

Do you lift the fake grass and wash underneath, that sounds preferable?