With fake turf available almost everywhere now, many people wonder whether they should make the switch from a real, living lawn to artificial grass.
Fake grass can be tempting: it requires little maintenance aside brooming or vacuuming (yes, really!) and will create a uniform looking lawn. There are drawbacks, of course, including shedding, fading and heat (fake grass can get painfully hot in the summer).
If you’re weighing up whether to go for fake grass or real turf, here’s a list of benefits to consider.
HEALTH BENEFITS
The health and healing benefits of real, natural grass are becoming increasingly well-documented. These benefits include mental and emotional solace, as well as actual physical healing (we wrote an article about the physical effects of grounding aka earthing).
Environmental crusader Sally Dominguez, inventor of the Rainwater Hog rainwater catchment tank said:
“A lawn is a beautiful, emotional thing, like a pool, and it has an emotional value. It makes a garden look beautiful and serene”.
“Don’t give up your lawn. When we moved from Australia, we went to a house for a cocktail party and saw this lush lawn. My kids and I couldn’t believe it. It looked so rich and inviting, we all immediately took off our shoes and walked in it.”
ECO BENEFITS
Keeping a lawn luscious does take water, however this doesn’t have to be mains water. For a more eco-friendly option, use ‘greywater’. Greywater can be any water that’s been recycled from use in the house, such as laundry, bath and shower water, paddling pool water and so on.
To boost the eco-friendliness of your lawn, use organic fertilisers.
Of course, under the turf is real, living soil. Bugs, worms and insects, which are essential for soil health and biodiversity live happily under real turf.
Which do you prefer?