Artificial grass covers about 50 million acres in the US, placing it third in total acreage in all of the United States. This type of turf is seen all across the country in stadiums, playing fields, playgrounds, dog parks and even homes. While the benefits of using this type of artificial grass include an improved overall look and much less maintenance than a traditional lawn, there are actually numerous benefits on the environment and health of your home as well. If you are going to decide to make the switch to artificial grass, however, you’ll want to ensure you go about it in the right way to make sure your lawn looks natural.
Environmental Benefits of Artificial Turf
Many of the benefits of artificial grass are two-fold in that they are great for the environment but also great for you as a homeowner. Watering a traditional lawn makes up for about 60% of a home’s water usage. Making the switch to turf allows you to save on water and weekly maintenance, which can reduce the effects your home has on the environment and water usage while also giving you a break from maintaining your lawn year-round. Lawnmowers and pesticides are two other harmful things you can do away with when you make the switch to artificial grass.
Lawnmowers, even the push kind, often consume fossil fuels and pesticides used to treat your lawn or garden can harm living organisms necessary to a healthy eco-system. If you combine all of these eco-friendly elements and consider the fact that you’ll be left with more time to enjoy your lawn instead of watering, treating and cutting it, then it makes sense to make the switch. Plus, it just looks really great.
Where to Find Recycled Artificial Grass
So, you’ve decided you’re ready to turn your lawn into a lush, green oasis and you want to do it with turf. You could purchase brand new artificial grass, or you could help the environment by looking for repurposed materials. Most of the recycled grass you might find comes from stadiums and playing fields and is always in excellent condition. Because most artificial grasses contain some sort of filler that can’t be recycled with the rest of the material, when people choose to recycle their grass, they often need to contact a company dedicated to recycling artificial materials so that they can make use of the material in the best way. Therefore, in order to get your hands on some of this beautiful lawn-boosting material, you’ll want to contact those same companies.
Preparing Your Lawn for Artificial Grass
You can’t simply place turf on top of old grass as the new grass won’t be able to effectively settle into the ground if done that way. This is because the surface of the old lawn has a lot of organic matter, and likely will not match the soil profile of the sod that is being installed. It is recommended that the top two to three inches of grass and soil are uprooted or loosened to allow for the artificial grass to take hold and settle into the ground in a way that looks natural. When getting rid of the grass in your current lawn in order to replace it with artificial turf, you can actually use the grass as great mulch for a compost that can add to the health of your surrounding plants and garden if you have one.