Artificial Grass Vs. Real Grass: Making The Right Choice For Your Lawn
Your lawn makes a big difference in how your home looks and feels, so choosing between artificial grass and a real lawn can be difficult to decide. Each has its trade-offs when it comes to cost, maintenance, and appearance.
This guide lays out the pros and cons of artificial turf and real grass to help you make a clear, confident choice. If you're stuck weighing the effort of a lawn mower against the appeal of synthetic turf, you're in the right place.
What You Need To Know About Artificial Grass
Before choosing a real grass lawn or artificial lawn, it's important to understand how synthetic turf compares to natural grass:
What Is Artificial Grass
Artificial grass is a surface made from synthetic grass fibres designed to mirror the look and feel of a real lawn. Unlike natural grass lawns that rely on grass seed germination and moist soil, an artificial grass lawn uses stitched fibres and backing for durability. While it's considered a fake grass lawn, it offers year-round greenery without the upkeep of natural turf.
Advantages Of Artificial Grass
One of the biggest benefits of artificial grass is how simple it makes lawn care. A synthetic lawn offers the look of a freshly mowed lawn without the constant maintenance tied to a real lawn. Once you install artificial grass, you can enjoy these advantages:
Low-Maintenance: No mowing, watering, or seeding needed. You can skip the care and maintenance costs tied to natural grass.
Durable: Artificial grass can handle a lot of foot traffic and pets.
Year-Round Greenery: It keeps its texture and colour, giving it a crisp look.
Water Savings: You don't have to water the lawn, reducing your water bills.
Disadvantages Of Artificial Turf
While an artificial lawn offers convenience, there are a few trade-offs:
Higher Upfront Investment: Artificial grass installation tends to be more costly than natural grass installation costs, though it pays off in the long run.
Heat Retention: Artificial grass can get hot under direct sun, sometimes needing water to cool down.
Wear Over Time: In high-traffic spots, the turf may flatten, losing that fresh grass look.
Exploring Real Grass
Many homeowners love the feel and smell of a real, healthy lawn—that connection to nature that artificial grass can't replicate.
Characteristics Of Natural Grass
When you walk across natural grass, you feel the softness and coolness that only a real lawn can offer.
Advantages Of Real Grass
A natural grass lawn brings more than just beauty to your yard. It creates a living space that supports the environment and feels great underfoot:
Cooling Effect: Unlike artificial grass, real grass stays cooler on hot days, lowering surrounding temperatures.
Air and Water Quality: One of the benefits of natural grass is that it filters pollutants and absorbs carbon dioxide.
Repairable Surface: Bare spots from wear can be patched by seeding or new sod installation.
Disadvantages Of Authentic Grass
A natural grass lawn offers beauty, but it comes with ongoing demands that can wear on time and budget:
High-Maintenance: Regular lawn mowing, fertilizing, and weed control are essential.
Water Usage: Larger lawn sizes often need a sprinkler system or lawn irrigation system.
Vulnerable to Damage: Heavy foot traffic creates bare spots that need reseeding.
Pest and Disease Risks: Depending on the grass type and climate, it's susceptible to pests, fungi, and weeds.
Cost Of Artificial Turf Vs. Real Turf
While artificial grass installation costs more upfront, the long-term care is minimal. On the other hand, a natural grass lawn may start cheaper, but ongoing garden maintenance costs can add up.
Between total lawn mowing, fertilizing, and running a sprinkler system, maintaining a natural lawn becomes more expensive over time compared to the steady savings of synthetic turf.
Environmental Impact Differences Between Real And Fake Grass
A natural grass lawn depends on heavy watering to stay alive, and chemical treatments like fertilizer and herbicides to keep it healthy. All that excess water and runoff flow back into local water supplies, pushing up your water usage and creating a negative environmental impact.
A fake lawn cuts water waste and chemical use after it’s installed, but leaves a mark during manufacturing and disposal. With artificial grass, the long-term environmental trade-off favours low-maintenance, water-saving turf.
Effect Of Climate On Your Turf Choice
Climate plays a big role in how your lawn holds up. In cold regions, natural grass handles the seasons but needs extra care to recover each year. In hot climates, established grass often struggles with heat and water demands, but artificial grass is equipped to handle just about all weather conditions.
Making Your Decision
Many homeowners prefer the convenience and aesthetic upgrade of artificial turf. For a lush new lawn, trust Bulger Brothers Landscapes for expert Winnipeg sod installation or artificial turf installation. Get a free installation quote and transform your yard.
