HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE DOES ARTIFICIAL TURF NEED?
If you’re wondering how much maintenance your new artificial turf will require, we have two words for you:
Not much.
Can’t say that about live turf!
We all know just how much work it takes to maintain a natural grass lawn. Or sports fields. There are lots of different things you need to do – tedious and time-consuming chores – and you need to keep doing them. Mow, trim, feed, weed, water, repeat. Mow, trim, feed, weed, water, repeat. The thrill is gone after the first cycle, but you’ll still be caught up in that cycle years from now.
And, frankly, your natural grass turf won’t look all that great, no matter how many rounds you go with it. It’s not your fault. It’s just the nature of grass. It can look perfect, but only under perfect circumstances. Unfortunately, circumstances are never perfect when it comes to your grass. The weather is too wet. You get slippery grass, puddles, and plenty of muddy debris to track into the house.
Or the weather is too dry, for years on end – a story we know all too well here in California. It used to be you could water your turf when Mother Nature failed to provide, but not anymore. Watering is now an even more heinous neighborhood misbehavior than loud late-night parties (and wasting water is a far more serious social and environmental problem).
Or there’s too much foot traffic. Sports team, families and the family dog can wreak havoc on live grass. What’s wrong with this picture? Isn’t the point of having turf to use it?
Artificial grass has a nicer nature
When you have synthetic turf, the weather is always perfect. The grass doesn’t grow, so it doesn’t care how much sunlight it gets. And water? Who needs it? In the event it does rain (we can always hope), the grass is designed and installed to drain quick as a bunny. No slipping, no puddles, no muddy mess. And no lack of water will make your turf turn brown or die.
Artificial grass is manufactured specifically to withstand real life, too, whether that’s your sports team, your kids, or – yep – your dog and his canine pals. Whatever they get up to, your turf will just keep on looking great.
Even Artificial turf requires some maintenance
While fake grass allows you to say a fond farewell to the endless mow-trim-feed-weed-water-repeat cycle, it does like to have some attention now and then. After all, no one likes to be ignored. And your artificial turf is working hard on your behalf, visually and functionally, around the clock and all year long. But, as we noted at the beginning, when it comes to maintenance artificial turf does not need much.
In general, it requires just three things:
A quick pick-up
Sometimes things fall onto your grass. Leaves fall in the fall. Twigs and even larger branches can fall or blow in during storms. Collecting this debris right away will keep anything that might be sharp from damaging your turf. If the debris is light, you can use a rake or a blower or your shop vac to remove it. If your grass is expansive, you might want to check into a power broom. Very cool, and useful, too.
A rinse now and then
When it’s dry and breezy, dusty dirt can blow onto your grass, dulling its gorgeous greenness. A quick rinse with the hose, and all is clean again. If your dog does his thing on the grass, be sure to pick up after him right away and give that area a little rinse, too. That will keep your turf looking pretty and smelling fresh as a daisy.
A fluff
Over time, high-traffic areas can become flattened. This can also happen if you leave something sitting on your grass for a long time. While high traffic actually damages live grass, all your artificial turf should need is a brushing with a stiff natural-bristle broom. Those blades will be standing tall once again.
And there you have it. The “not much maintenance” guide to artificial turf.