The benefits of artificial grass are plentiful, but are they worth the cost? Artificial grass is a cost-effective way to […]
The benefits of artificial grass are plentiful, but are they worth the cost?
Artificial grass is a cost-effective way to make your lawn beautiful year-round and has many advantages over natural grass.
You can save money on water bills and maintenance costs, eliminate muddy foot and paw prints, and even prevent injuries if you have kids or elderly family members who may trip on an uneven surface.
Artificial turf also never needs mowing or fertilizing which saves owners time and energy usually spent caring for their yard every week.
Fake grass is made up of synthetic materials that when properly installed mimic the look of real grass with realistic blades that stand upright in most any climate making it more versatile than traditional types of landscaping.
The advantages of artificial grass are numerous and far-reaching, from giving you more time for your family to reducing your impact on the environment.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of artificial grass vs. real grass and explain why you should consider installing artificial grass at your residential or commercial property in Plano, TX.
What are the Benefits of Artificial Grass for Homeowners in Plano, TX?
For those new to artificial grass, it is quickly recognized how superior it is to natural grass.
With a fake grass lawn you’ll no longer have to waste hours each month on yard work.
You can instead enjoy spending your extra free time with friends and family.
Struggling to maintain the aesthetics of a natural grass lawn will be a thing of the past.
For those of you with children and pets, you’ll no longer have to worry about them barrelling onto your house and tracking muddy foot and paw prints everywhere.
Artificial grass ALWAYS looks its best, so you can focus on living your best.
All of our artificial turf products are covered by a 1-year installation warranty and a manufacturer’s warranty that ranges from 8-20 years.
Now let’s take a look at the biggest benefits of artificial grass.
1. Low Maintenance
Which of the following hypothetical weekend scenarios, which one would you prefer?
A. Spend Saturday or Sunday buying gas for the lawnmower and weed whacker and then mowing and edging your natural grass lawn. You may also need to pull weeds and water your lawn or spread a potentially harmful fertilizer or pesticide to try and maintain a lush, green lawn.
B. Spend Saturday AND Sunday relaxing, hanging out with your family and/or friends. You’re free to do whatever you want because your artificial grass lawn doesn’t require more than a few minutes each month to maintain.
The average American spends 70 hours a year mowing their lawn—that’s almost three full days!
That doesn’t include the time spent weeding, fertilizing, and watering your lawn.
A natural grass lawn is kind of like having a part-time second job… that you don’t get paid for.
With an artificial grass lawn, you’ll be able to reclaim the time wasted in the Texas sun struggling to maintain the aesthetics of a natural grass lawn.
Keeping your artificial turf yard clean is easy as 1-2-3!
Clear off solid debris with a rake, broom, or leaf blower.Spray your turf with the hose to wash off liquid debris.Use a Grandi Groom to brush your turf and keep the fibers from becoming matted.Following the above steps is enough to keep your lawn looking lush, full, green, and beautiful all year round.
Say “Goodbye” to the endless list of yard work and spend your weekend doing what you WANT to do.
For more information about cleaning and maintaining artificial grass, check out our guide on Artificial Turf Maintenance.
2. Safe for Dogs & Pets
Approximately 67% of Americans have a pet dog as a part of the family.
As every dog owner knows, muddy paw prints and brown dog urine spots in the yard come with the territory.
Fake grass for dogs is the perfect pet-safe ground cover that will eliminate both of the familiar problems mentioned above.
Most quality pet-safe turf products come with a fully permeable backing that allows rainwater and dog urine to pass straight through any point in the turf.
This is sometimes referred to as “Edge-To-Edge” drainage and means that there won’t be any standing water left after a rainstorm.
A fake grass lawn means you’ll never have to chase fido through the house again!
You can also rest easy knowing that your pup will be safe from the bugs and pests that are found in natural grass.
Digging through an artificial grass lawn is pretty much impossible, even for the most persistent dogs.
The high levels of nitrogen in dog urine that turf natural grass brown, will have no impact on fake grass.
The urine will drain just like water, leaving no mess behind.
Solid waste sits on the top of the grass blades for easy clean-up.
3. Looks Perfect Year-Round
Living in Texas means dealing with some pretty crazy weather.
Regardless of the curveballs, Texas’ weather dishes out, a fake grass lawn won’t fade, flood, discolor or die.
You’ll enjoy a perfect, aesthetically-pleasing lawn every day of the year.
Not only will artificial grass help to improve your home’s aesthetics, but it will also boost the value of your home.
Your perpetually perfect artificial grass lawn will drive your neighbors crazy with jealousy.
Modern turf products are so realistic that your friends and family won’t be able to tell that you have a fake grass lawn.
Even after running a hand over the turf fibers, they’ll be baffled as to how you’re able to maintain such a beautiful lawn.
4. Safe for Children
Dogs aren’t the only ones that can track muddy footprints into the house.
In face, kids are often worse than pets when it comes to keeping the outdoors, well, outdoors.
Installing artificial grass involves removing the top few inches of soil and replacing it with a class II road base that’s more permeable than soil.
That means the dirt that would traditionally become mud, only to be tracked through your house is hidden beneath your artificial grass lawn.
Another benefit of artificial grass for children is the elimination of grass stains.
Kids can safely run, jump, fall, roll, or slide around on an artificial grass lawn without the worry of ruining their clothes.
Artificial turf provides an even surface for kids to play on, preventing injuries from falls.
Turf products equipped with antimicrobial properties help to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria that can endanger kids’ health.
Fake grass is made of non-toxic materials, so it doesn’t pose the health risk to kids that a chemically-treated real grass lawns do.
5. Eliminates Fertilizers & Pesticides
As we’ve established, natural grass lawns require a lot of time and effort to maintain.
Creating a lush, full, green, pest-free, and weed-free lawn, requires the use of a smorgasbord of chemicals like fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
Applying these chemicals to your lawn, you might assume that they’ll be absorbed into the soil where they’ll do their intended job.
For some of them, this is true, however, some of those chemicals will be washed away in runoff.
From there, they can make their way into groundwater or waterways, which has far-reaching environmental effects.
Poisoned fish and excessive weed growth in rivers, ponds, and lakes are a few of the consequences of using chemicals on your natural grass lawn.
These chemicals can also be a danger to pets and children if ingested.
Artificial grass requires no fertilizers or pesticides, creating a safer lawn for your kids, pets, and the environment.
6. Long-Lasting & Durable
One of the biggest benefits of artificial grass is its longevity and durability.
When properly installed by professional turf installers, you no longer need to worry about annoying upkeep for your artificial lawn.
Artificial grass is manufactured using materials that are extremely durable.
The strength of these materials means that fake grass can handle pretty much anything you can throw at it like heavy foot traffic, dogs digging, extreme weather, children playing, etc.
When properly maintained, you can expect artificial grass to last upwards of 15—25 years.
Occasionally spray your turf with a hose and fluff with a rake or stiff bristle broom and your fake grass lawn will last a long time.
7. Eliminates Weeds
Natural grass lawns are menaced by weeds of all shapes and sizes.
Artificial lawns don’t have this problem.
Weeds cannot grow as successfully in artificial turf lawns because of the weed barrier that is integrated as a part of the base.
This provides a layer of protection between the dirt and the rock base layer, inhibiting weed growth.
The occasional industrious weed or two might make their way to the surface through one of the drainage holes in the turf backing.
That said, they will not occur frequently enough to be anything besides a slight nuisance.
You may also notice weeds sprouting on top of your artificial grass.
These are most likely from nearby trees or bushes or were dropped by birds or other small animals.
When you do find weeds on top of your turf, you can pull them right off as they haven’t taken root in soil so they arent’ really attached to anything.
8. Saves Water
Installing artificial grass will have an impact on your water bill pretty much right away.
Not having to water a natural grass lawn will save you a pretty good amount of money each year.
The EPA estimates that every day in America, an average of 9 billion gallons of water are used on residential lawns.
That’s an average of 27 gallons of water per person, per day.
Because of inefficient irrigation methods that result in overwatering, around 50% of this water is wasted.
That’s just Per Day, which means that each year in the US alone, 1.65 trillion gallons of drinkable water is wasted.
An artificial grass lawn eliminates the need for watering, and will still look lush and green all year round, saving both money and the environment in the process.
9. Eliminates Bugs & Insects
Installing artificial grass in your yard means that you can say goodbye to the bugs, pests, and insects that make their home in natural grass.
Insects live in and eat nutrients found in the soil as well as other organic materials, which will be hidden beneath the sub-base of your artificial turf installation.
Unfortunately, fake grass won’t eliminate all bugs.
For example, mosquitos breed in standing water, so while your lawn will drain away rainwater, standing water in other areas can still give them a prime breeding ground.
Fleas also will not be deterred by artificial turf.
That said, burrowing insects like fire ants and grubs will become a thing of the past.
10. Drought Resistant
Here in Texas, drought-resistant landscaping is essential.
However, not everyone is ready to give up a lush, full, green lawn in exchange for a gravel and cactus backyard.
Artificial grass is the perfect xeriscaping solution.
If you’ve lived in the Lone Star State for any length of time, you know keeping a natural grass lawn green year-round is pretty much impossible.
The extreme fluctuations in temperature and weeks or months without rainfall make natural grass expensive in time, effort, and water.
Because artificial grass doesn’t require water to maintain its vibrant color, it’s the perfect alternative to a natural grass lawn in drought-prone areas.
With artificial grass, you can ignore summer water restrictions as they won’t have any bearing on your yard’s beauty and aesthetics.
11. Good Investment
Installing artificial grass does require an initial investment.
That said, when looked at over the 15 – 25 year lifespan of an artificial grass lawn, a manufactured lawn will pay for itself in a few short years.
For this reason, artificial grass should be thought of as a long-term investment.
Generally speaking, a home or business owner here in Plano, TX can expect artificial grass costs to be between $6.00 — $12.00 per square foot to have artificial grass installed.
The return on your investment in fake grass comes in the form of:
Lower Water BillMaintenance CostsLawn Care EquipmentFertilizers, Pesticides & HerbicidesSynthetic grass requires an upfront investment.
Natural grass requires daily watering, weekly or bi-weekly mowing and trimming, and regular applications of potentially harmful chemicals.
12. No Allergens
Seasonal allergies here in Texas are no joke, and one of the biggest culprits; affecting 90% of hayfever sufferers, is grass pollen.
If you or a family member suffers from allergies, replacing your natural grass with artificial grass can help alleviate your symptoms.
Fake grass eliminates allergens like grass pollen.
For any pollen that does make its way to your yard from your neighbors’ lawn, a quick spray with a hose will remove them.
The pollen particles will be swept away and will pass through the turf’s backing and into the sub-base below.
13. Eliminates Expensive Lawn Care Equipment
The maintenance of natural grass lawns is not only expensive in terms of money, but also in time and space.
Buying lawn care equipment is expensive.
Lawnmowers, string trimmers, seed spreaders, etc., also need fuel, maintenance, and storage.
Just for reference, below you’ll find the prices for gas and electric-powered lawn care equipment.
The prices were taken from Lowes.com and for the purposes of this article, the prices are for the respective categories “bestseller.”
Gas Lawn Mower: $469 [Honda HRN 166-cc Self-Propelled Gas Push Mower]
Electric Lawn Mower: $569 [EGO Power+ 56-Volt]
Gas String Trimmer: $199 [Craftsman WS4200 30-cc 4 Cycle]
Cordless String Trimmer: $249 [EGO Power+ 56-Volt]
Artificial grass not only eliminates expensive lawn-care equipment but frees up space in your garage or shed and alleviates the headache of maintaining the equipment.
An added bonus is the reduction of your carbon emissions, which for lawnmowers is extremely high.
If it takes you 1-hour to mow your lawn with a gas-powered lawnmower, you will emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as 11 cars!
By opting for an artificial lawn, you ditch the lawn maintenance costs in money, time, and pollution, and you can have your garage back!
14. Versatility
Artificial grass is extremely versatile.
Not only does is it a fantastic alternative to natural grass, but it can be used in, around, and throughout your house.
Most homes have spaces that aren’t practical for natural grass that are perfect for artificial grass.
The most common residential turf applications are as follows:
Artificial Grass for Dogs & PetsSwimming Pool Decks & Around Swimming PoolsLawns & LandscapesExercise & Fitness AreasRoofs, Decks, Patios & Outdoor Living SpacesPlaygrounds & Play AreasBackyard Putting GreensAnd more…The sky’s the limit!
If it’s a hard, flat surface, you can probably put fake grass on it.
Final Thoughts on the Benefits of Artificial Grass for Homeowners in Plano, TX
As we’ve established, the benefits of artificial grass are numerous.
Artificial grass offers you all of the benefits of lush, green grass year-round without the drawbacks of natural grass.
Once properly installed, your artificial grass lawn will save you time, money, and countless hours of effort for years, if not decades to come.
Stop wasting your weekends behind a lawnmower and start spending them enjoying your outdoor space with those you love.
If you’ve thought about getting artificial grass for your lawn but you want to ask your questions to a real, live person, give us a call.
Our turf design & installation experts can answer all your turf-related questions and give you a free estimate for your project.
Call us today at 469-817-7566 for the best quality and selection of artificial grass in Texas!
