Weed killer for artificial lawn!

Surprised about this. Has some earth/dirt settled in it?
I was told they need washing and brushing to keep the dust and dirt off.
Maybe it just needs a good clean?

Oh gosh how I hate that artificial stuff and it’s detriment to wildlife maybe employ a teenager to weed it for you at least some good could come as someone would get pocket money
Weed killer is poison and the chemicals are even more harmful to what bit of wildlife might be trying to live
I do understand you have a problem with keeping your own garden tidy if it was allowed to be a proper lawn but employing someone once every couple of weeks would be a small price to pay for real grass but it’s done now at least it could be environmentally weeded by someone else

I don’t care for artificial grass, but can see why some people put it down. I’m surprised at weeds growing in it as I thought ‘weed Free’ was one of the supposed benefits.
Anyway, I would put chemicals down. Try sprinkling it with white distilled vinegar, they smell doesn’t linger, it’s natural and will kill the weeds. They you can brush or hoover them up.

Would not put chemicals down *

Salt will kill weeds but they do grow back eventually.

Just read this:
If you have had artificial grass installed and are noticing weeds growing through this would mean that weed membrane may not have been installed.
I hope yours has a membrane.

If it has it seems they are only "surface weeds" and will lift off easily. I think you will need to get someone to do this for you.

After they are gone, the advice is to "brush regularly" with a stiff plastic-bristled brush!

Salt, boiling water. Please don’t use weedkiller. Even if it’s artificial grass it might harbour small insects that would then poison any birds who fed there.

Thanks everyone for your replies which I have found very interesting. Being disabled is a real pain, I would love to be able to get out to sort things myself but as that is never going to happen I will get someone in to investigate and help. My lovely cleaner actually vacuums the lawn for me and it would appear that there is no membrane in situ so I can get that addressed as well. Being an animal lover I wouldn’t dream of doing any harm and I’m thankful to say that I am blessed to be able to look out at the wildlife that frequently visits.

Gr8dame, the companies that supply artificial turf don't tell you that you probably will get weeds. I think it is all the dust and debris flying around the garden that settles and becomes a nursery bed for tiny seeds.
We do have artificial turf, and do get small weeds around the edges. We also did have a membrane put down, I watched them do it!
To us it is a small price to pay, as we can not do as much as we would like to in the garden, and it has made life easier.

Before I get moaned at, we have lots of plants and shrubs around the borders, good for wildlife.

Artificial lawns and weed killer both bad for the environment. Have seen examples of artificial lawns and they look awful.

Sorry to disagree but our artificial lawn does not look awful, everyone comments how realistic it is.

I m going to sound a right old misery but I ve never yet seen a nice looking green outside carpet and they are just so bad fir the works have you ever seen a bird trying to peck at one If you feel too old or disabled to do much employ someone to help... it could give a young 16 year old a step up the ladder or an interest they didn’t know they had
When my dad a lifelong gardener felt it was all too much he joined a local scheme that had young people with learning difficulties earning a small amount for themselves by tidying and weeding gardens both parties were helped along in life

Sit on hands- zip it.

I think a small area of artificial lawn can save a lot of work and isn't any worse than paving. But it has to be a good one. I don't think birds are fooled for one minute and if they do peck around in it, its only for ants and such like which apparently live in and under it quite happily.

My elderly neighbour has an artificial lawn. I think there are several different qualities. I know she paid a very large sum for hers and it is totally realistic, although I have seen some shockers.

I have plastic grass in my back garden. Does it look good? No not really. Do I care? Not one bit. I'm the only one who sees it. It means I can concentrate on growing my veg and patio fruit in my containers. That is much more fulfilling than spending my time getting rid of weeds.

My aunt who struggled to walk in her later years but loved her garden had a small strip put in between her house and her "flat" lawn. It was so that she could get in and out of her french windows more easily as she had a grassy bank. From a distance it was not visible but it made a huge difference to her mobility and looked so much nicer from the house than the ramp she would otherwise have had to have built. One winter she fell on it but came to no harm as it was really surprisingly springy.

I think people should be less sniffy about this solution.
Of course, no one would seriously choose a synthetic lawn for its beauty, sustainability etc but as a practical solution when the alternative is as bad or worse, it works.

I've seen a very realistic and pretty artificial lawn in a sunny front garden.

I also noticed one being installed under a tree in a shady side garden. It soon became covered in moss (it's damp here near the river) and was replaced by paving within a year!

Personally - I can't stand decking. Yes, I know it can be practical and relatively cheap, but I'd never have it in my garden.

Maybe an outdoor mat would help. I have one on the paving and no weeds grow there - it must cut out all the light.

Weeds will grow over anything in time. Even tarmac and concrete. It's a myth that there is a magic product like black membrane or artificial grass which can prevent it. Organic material - eg dead leaves - land on it, decompose into a sort of compost where weed seeds will germinate.

Keeping the lawn free of detritus is the only way to prevent weeds growing. Salt is a safe way to kill the weeds.

I’ve just had Luxury artificial grass laid in my back garden ands it’s beautiful. It’s lush and soft and ideal for my toddler grandsons to play on safely. It look just like a beautiful grassy lawn. My flowers, shrubs, trees and veg beds surrounding it make up for any environmental impact. My horrid patio stones that the lawn replaced are now gone for good.

And I’m going to do the same out the front as the existing lawn is a rock hard waste land where only the weeds thrive.

I do dislike the sniffiness that raises its head on here every time anyone mentions artificial grass.

It may be the only practical solution for small or very shaded gardens where children are going to play. Stone or wooden decking are natural, yes, but they’re not friendly surfaces for children, and decking can become very slippery, not to mention providing cover for rats.

Might also add that a neighbour of ours has replaced wooden decking that was rotting, with a synthetic version.

A dd’s friend with two very little ones had artificial grass laid in
a small and very narrow urban garden where grass was never going to thrive for long. She also had well planted beds for wildlife. I dare say she’d have preferred a bigger garden with real grass but such gardens were impossible to find within her area and price range.

We had artificial grass laid in the very tiny garden - and even tinier lawn - of a rental flat. When I first renovated the garden from a very messy jungle I did have real grass laid, but after over 7 years, and despite very good tenants always, it was well past saving.
There are still planted beds for butterflies, and for birds to forage for worms in.
The surrounding mini ‘gardens’ are virtually all completely paved or concreted, with maybe a few pots, so I don’t see that ours is really worse.

Plastic grass.Weed killers . Each of them is horrible.