Many people have questions about installing an artificial lawn as part of their Santa Cruz landscaping. They are attracted by the benefits, but they’ve heard rumors about synthetic grass that makes them a little nervous. One of the biggest ones is that it looks fake. The answer to that one is easy. Thanks to technology, a lawn made of artificial grass no longer looks “fake.” Indeed, a layperson would need to get very close to such a lawn to tell it wasn’t the real thing. But naturalistic looks aren’t the only things that make a synthetic lawn desirable.

Benefits of an Artificial Lawn

Everlasting Health and Beauty

Unlike real turf landscapes, synthetic grass is always lush and green. There are no diseases such as brown patch or snow mold that discolor natural grass and cause it to die in unsightly patches. Moreover, these diseases not only make the lawn unsightly but cost money to eradicate.

Weeds Can’t Grow

Some homeowners don’t mind a few weeds on their lawn. Dandelions are pretty and good to eat, after all, but other weeds cause a natural lawn to become unsightly. Not only this, but after they germinate, many weeds are tough to get rid of permanently. Many have deep roots or propagate via stolons or rhizomes found deep in the ground. Homeowners find that a lot of weeds need to be eradicated before they germinate, which usually means chemical herbicides that might be hazardous to health. There is no need to pull or poison weeds with a lawn made of artificial grass, because any weeds are smothered beneath it.

No Pests

Artificial turf is usually made of polyethylene with a bit of polypropylene. Pests such as grubs, caterpillars and weevils don’t eat this material, and other creatures such as moles don’t like to dig into it. Therefore, no pests. As with weeds, if there are no pests in the lawn, the owner doesn’t have to bother with chemical pesticides that can not only kill unwanted bugs but very much wanted insects such as honeybees, ladybugs and praying mantids.

Doesn’t Need Mowing

Unlike natural turf landscapes, artificial turf doesn’t grow and therefore does not need to be mown. It always stays at the same perfect height, as well as the perfect color and texture. Because of this, the owner no longer has to buy or maintain a lawn mower.

No Fertilizing

Even as synthetic grass does not need to be mown because it doesn’t grow, it does not need to be fertilized because it doesn’t need nutrients to help it grow or stay healthy. Fertilizer can be surprisingly expensive, especially if the area is large. This is another way, besides not having to buy chemicals or keep a lawn mower in good working order, for the owner to save money.

Doesn’t Need Watering

Besides not needing to be mown or fertilized, an artificial lawn doesn’t need to be watered. This not only saves water, but stops puddles from forming as they would in lawns of natural grass. There are places where puddles can sit for days after a watering or even after a hard rain depending on the nature of the soil. When this happens, a habitat for mosquitoes, some of them carrying dangerous diseases, is formed. Because superficial grass doesn’t grow on soil and has a built-in drainage system, the puddles don’t form.

Watering the lawn also has complications besides puddles. The owner of a natural lawn has to wonder whether the lawn is getting too much water or too little. During a drought, some local governments forbid homeowners from watering their lawns on the pain of a fine. A person with a synthetic lawn can proudly and truthfully tell a nosy official sent out to check Santa Cruz landscaping ordinances that the reason their grass is so green is that it’s not really real.

An Artificial Lawn is Long Lasting

Real grass is a living thing, and like other living things it must die eventually. To keep a natural lawn looking green, the owner needs to reseed it from time to time or install sod, sprigs or plugs every few years. But, depending on traffic and other factors, artificial grass can last as long as a decade and a half with very little maintenance.

Eco-Friendliness

Though artificial grass is made of types of plastic, in the long run it is very eco-friendly. Exhaust from gas powered lawn mowers don’t get into the air. Chemical fertilizers and chemicals sprayed to kill weeds and bugs are not washed into bodies of water. These chemicals can poison aquatic life and contaminate drinking water.

Enhanced Leisure Time

People can spend a surprising amount of time tending to their lawn. However, if the lawn is synthetic, much of that time is reduced. This gives the homeowner more time to enjoy leisure activities, especially on the weekend. Not only that, a homeowner can go out of town without having to worry about who will take over lawn care duties while they’re gone.

Santa Cruz Landscaping

Contact landscape experts K&D Landscaping if you have any questions regarding artificial lawns, garden design, summer lawn care, heat resistant lawns, or landscape design ideas. There you will find everything you need to know about artificial lawns and more.