Artificial lawn?

[XRchic]

Given the drought in this country at the moment, and the severe water restrictions, has anyone considered replacing their current lawn with fake lawn? Or building a new house with fake lawn?

We have quite a lot of lawn on our reasonably large block. It is Santa-Anna Couch which is quite drought resistant, but it still gets dry when not watered at all and then it gets really prickly and unpleasant - and very dead looking.

Here in Adelaide, we can only water with a trigger nozzle for 3 hours, once a week (Sunday evening between 5pm and 8pm for us I think). That doesnt go far if we want to keep our plants and fruit trees alive over summer with large lawns to water as well.

My thinking is that I would almost rather have really nice fake lawn than dead and prickly real lawn. That way my kids can actually play on it. I wouldnt have to water it at all, or weed it, fertilise it or mow it.

There are some new estates in our area that have new houses popping up every day nearly. And so many of them have the fake lawn out the front! It looks suprisingly good too - some of them I didnt realise it was fake!

Here is a link to some pics of various yards with fake lawn:

http://www.prograss.com.au/?gclid=CL...FQROagodYymfcw

The only thing I cant find is how much it costs, approximately. The websites dont say.

Would anyone else here consider it or would you keep the dead lawn?

[Raptor]

While the photo's look surprisingly good it just doesn't seem right to me. Sort of like putting down carpet outside.

I think I'd sooner go the bushland, native grasses look.

I have been quite successful in reducing my lawn size over the years. Paving, paths, pools, large garden beds and it'll never get watered (other than what washes off the car when it gets a clean and I have a tank for that). My lawn either survives on rainfall or browns off. No way would I waste what could be drinking water on it.

[Bax]

I'd go fake, My only concerns with fake grass though.

What happens when you spill food on it? How does it withstand to wear and tear and how does it feel on the skin.

I enjoy being able to walk outside and empty something onto the lawn, if I've got food scraps I'll throw them out for the birds.

The fake grass that I remember, if you got tackled on it you'd get plastic burns up your leg.

If those questions can be answered good enough, I'd be in.

[blueoval]

personally, Im going with the option of river pebbles and plants that need very little watering. i.e. cactus

I reckon you could get a nice effective looking garden without the pressure of watering it everyday.

[XRchic]

The fake stuff is very soft and nice to walk on - I went and felt some of the ones in the houses near us. Is nicer than real grass, but it doesnt smell like real grass.

Apparently it is very stain resistant and you can have dogs do turds on it etc and its fine. I would think the same would go for food scraps too. Its UV resistant too. Supposed to last 15 years or so...

I suspect its very pricey though.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by blueoval

personally, Im going with the option of river pebbles and plants that need very little watering. i.e. cactus

I reckon you could get a nice effective looking garden without the pressure of watering it everyday.

Hi Shav

Yeah, I sort of like that idea too, but I reckon our yard is too big for all the pebbles. Our neighbour has that set up though and it looks pretty good.

[XW 393]

Originally Posted by XRchic

I suspect its very pricey though.

From memory I think around $55.00 a metre.

[Paxton]

My lawn lives on Rain (like most peoples here), and as it stands now, it is greener than my Neighbour's, and he waters his almost daily, with Watering Can, and also the hose when legal. He drowned it last year, and he is well on the way to doing the same.

My Sir. Walter is great for the drought, however I have some unsightly Kikuyu in the Backyard which turns to brown every time I Mow it.

If Prograss is anything like Supagrass that I lived through as a kid, I wouldn't like to have it anywhere. I had Carpet Burns, Scars and sand Burns from the bloody stuff, as you used to have to sweep sand into the 'Super' Grass to get it to repel water properly.

I'll stick with my Brown 'real' grass thanks.

[Bax]

Originally Posted by XRchic

The fake stuff is very soft and nice to walk on - I went and felt some of the ones in the houses near us. Is nicer than real grass, but it doesnt smell like real grass.

Apparently it is very stain resistant and you can have dogs do turds on it etc and its fine. I would think the same would go for food scraps too. Its UV resistant too. Supposed to last 15 years or so...

I suspect its very pricey though.

I guess it has some kind of mesh base that allows things to travel through it? The soil wouldn't be much good after x amount of years with no sunlight. No weeds would be a good thing.

I'd be going for it. Combine it with some pebbles/pavers and you've got a nice yard that you don't have to maintain.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by XRchic

Hi Shav

Yeah, I sort of like that idea too, but I reckon our yard is too big for all the pebbles. Our neighbour has that set up though and it looks pretty good.

Yeah I guess your right for large gardens Jac. I was looking more for my front yard as I have reasonable grass there already which I never have watered, but I would like to make an area which is a nice eye catching feature which will take the eye off the patchy dry grass. :P

For small gardens, its a good idea. Larger areas, then yes perhaps either a paved or fake lawn grass could be the option.

[FlipXW]

Nearly all the new houses on the outskirts of Vagas have fake lawn. It looks pretty good actually, but im not sure how one house on its own would look.

[XRchic]

Here is my front and rear yard:

[Paxton]

Jac - your lawn looks better than mine does, especially compared to my back yard.

I wouldn't be too worried about it if I were you. Just get some soil wetting crystals and water them in and your lawn'll be fine.

[blueoval]

your lawn doesnt look that bad Jac. I can see some sun damage in areas, but other than that I'd be inclined to wait as long as you can before you get the fake lawn. Wait till you can see dirt patches.

[Polyal]

Japanese garden FTW..LOL

What about it kids fall on it etc? Carpet burn on "grass" is not cool.

[XRchic]

Apparently the new fake lawns are very gentle on skin. No more burns.

My lawn is not quite that green now, and I have taken out some plants from that pic. Still, it has rained enough lately to keep it going for a little while. Its raining now.

[whiskieboy]

As far as I understand it 'Fake Lawn' takes a awful lot of water to get established and settled etc.
I would think about putting something in the midlle of the front lawn, raised garden bed etc. with drought resistant Aussie plants, we did we actually dug up a large section out front and put in drought resistant plants and put washing machine water on it and its thriving.
Go have a chat to the nursery thats got Australian plants you might be surprised what you can do.
Leave the back yard for the kids to play in

[jcxr]

where is GRNKPR when you need him???

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by whiskieboy

As far as I understand it 'Fake Lawn' takes a awful lot of water to get established and settled etc.

Just curious. Why would plastic grass need to be watered in?

$55 p/m is a heap of money. We are pricing some turf for my parents place and the real good stuff is no more than $10 p/m.

But I guess in these 'times', they can charge what they want. And I bet they have a very long customer waiting list as well!

[pb02]

Originally Posted by whiskieboy

As far as I understand it 'Fake Lawn' takes a awful lot of water to get established and settled etc.

WHAT?!?!!?!

I had some priced up the other day. It worked out to $70 per square metre which included the crushed rock base. They offer a 7 year warranty on the product. Not sure how it would be after 7 years but it looks great when it's done well. Soft green grass year round and no weeds or mowing!

Having said that, your lawn looks great. I'm very fussy about lawn and having a nice garden. I would look at fertilizers and water crystals. Also have you thought about tanks? You can water when you want and keep a great lawn.

[stupa]

get a really long hose, puch a heap of holes in it, snake it all over your lawn, then water your garden with it :

[Grum]

One thing that sticks out for me is you have no trees giving natural shade to the grass. Grass isn't going to survive too well cut shirt with no shade.

IMO while you have small kids keep the rear stuff. Half the fun f being an ankle bighter is diging in the dirt and eating worms!

[Thornie]

i'd love artifictal lawn as i hate mowing, i bloody never ever water the lawn yet it still grows like wild fire.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by Grum

One thing that sticks out for me is you have no trees giving natural shade to the grass. Grass isn't going to survive too well cut shirt with no shade.

IMO while you have small kids keep the rear stuff. Half the fun f being an ankle bighter is diging in the dirt and eating worms!

Hi mate

Yeah we have Santa Anna Couch, which doesnt like shade. It prefers full sun, so while that is good for the lawn in summer, it means that water evaporates quicker. It is lawn that is designed for areas specifically with no shade, so people with areas in full sun use it.

Its quite hardy lawn though, but it does need some water, probably more than an hour or so a week. The trees are slowly growing in the area, but no large ones because its a newish estate, where they are all still growing.

Big trees also take a fair bit of water from lawns too, which can be a problem.

The fake grass idea does have a lot of appeal, since it looks and feels so nice. Hoever, reducing the lawn also has some appeal too.

[blueoval]

Jac, you could reduce the amount of lawn are by constructing an outdoor entertainment area or kids play area???

[Grum]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Jac, you could reduce the amount of lawn are by constructing an outdoor entertainment area or kids play area???

I vote for a big a55 BBQ :sm_headba

[blueoval]

agreed. I suggest anything from this catalogue!

http://www.bbqrus.com.au/51315%20BBQ...5B1%5D.qxd.pdf

[Laminge]

Meh

Too much Italian Blood in me to go past green concrete.

Though I am about to build and would consider this in a certain area of the back yard design..

[rodderz]

Jac I laid some of this last week at a job in Caulfield, it comes up better than I had expected and doesnt look too bad. You have to sweep dried sand and rubber granules into the fibres which keeps it stable, keeps it in place, makes it look more real and gives it a softer feel to walk on.

It's beneficial to do a course on laying it, it can be tricky especially when joining two rolls together. You can get 40mm pile height, 45mm and 50mm pile height.

It is exxy though, by the time it's supplied, laid on a c/rock base and finished off, you're looking at $70-$90/m² depending on the variety and the shape/size of the job. If your lawn can be covered by a roll width (generally 3.7m wide) there will be no joining and therefore cheaper. I think over time as more companies make it it will become cheaper as now there are only a handful

Having said that though, I still rather my real lawn, with care it can survive the summer, this doesnt just mean watering but fertilising, top dressing, weeding etc to keep it healthy. Most times the lawn becomes weak because of lack of soil nutrients and water holding ability thus why it dries out so quick.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Jac, you could reduce the amount of lawn are by constructing an outdoor entertainment area or kids play area???

Hmmm yeah we already do have an outdoor entertainment area and kids play area but I have been thinking about reducing the lawn to a large degree and doing something else with it - such as your pebble idea.



I have been thinking of getting rid of this bit of the lawn (took these just then):