Nothing highlights a garden better than a beautifully-laid and maintained lawn. However, knowing how to choose between real and artificial grass is not always straightforward, so which one is right for you?
Real Lawn or Astroturf?
In our How to Choose Between Real and Artificial Grass article, we’re going to look at the benefits and disadvantages of both real grass lawns and artificial grass or astroturf. By the end, you should be able to decide which of the two is the better choice for your garden and your lifestyle.Pros and Cons of Real Grass
Real grass offers several advantages over astroturf, particularly in regard to the look and feel of the lawn as well as the ecological benefits. Simply put, despite the advances in artificial lawns over the last few decades, nothing feels or smells quite like natural grass. It gives off that light, redolent scent of British summertime and feels great under bare toes – something that astroturf hasn’t managed to emulate yet. Green spaces are good for the soul or, more specifically, for your mental well-being, with the look, feel, and smell making it easy to relax in your own garden. From an environmental point of view, real grass provides opportunities for biodiversity, being home to various insects, worms, and arachnids, all with an important ecological role to play in the continued health of your garden. While astroturf might be close enough to fool human beings, native creepy-crawlies are less easy to convince. In terms of cost, real grass is cheaper to install than astroturf, but this does come with a disclaimer. Real grass requires much more care and attention in its upkeep than its artificial equivalent – this means that, while you might save money installing a grass lawn, you will likely spend more than you save on maintenance costs, such as lawnmowers, weed strimmers and so on. There is also the time cost, which is considerably higher than that of astroturf.
