Artificial Turf

I've after feedback and general opinions about artificial turf?
Not the quick cheap kinds, but good quality ones like those supplied by Australian Outdoors?

 

I've used several in my PPORs & prefer the 35mm double fine twine dual tone types. They look more realistic as they have a brownish twirled base layer under the green.

Preparation is the key & be warned they can get hot in summer. Brushing in the rubber pellet crumbs & sand weights it down and helps the grass stand up.

 

Thanks for the input. Who did you get yours installed from? I've heard mixed reviews on how hot it can get! Just over real turf and maintenance required. It's for our PPOR too.

 

Have a look at Ozturf's Kensington (35mm) or Illusion XHD (40mm). Those are the types I prefer the look and feel of.

 

Good depreciation in artificial turf.
No depreciation in real turf.

 

yeah sooo good, no mowing, no edging, kids love it, neighbours cant believe its not real.
Down side is people pull at it to see if is real grass

 

did you DIY or got someone to do it?
Would you rate it easy for a first timer ?

 

I'm sold! Getting Aust Outdoors for a quote now.

Thanks guys.

 

Just be aware that it it may raise the surface temp of your yard to uncomfortable levels.
Grass ain't grass Sol, to borrow a classic.
There are some newer AG's that say they are cooler, but I'd look for reviews on what you want first.

This is an old article but much of it is still relevant.

Fake or natural: the battle for suburban lawns

 

Depends where it is going, quality etc.

But call me dull, but I prefer the real stuff, I have seen what happens after 12 months with the fake stuff and it aint pretty and also in summer its hot, we don't want hot, we want cool in summer.

What about pets, just wonder about this how resilient it will be, smells etc.

 

I've got 35mm nice stuff at the last IP I built. Whilst it hasn't had hot weather yet I don't think it will be as hot as some of the ickier 20mm stuff.

 

I've use artificial turf, I had to (or pave). My dog systematically destroys real grass with every visit to the toilet.

Here are my thoughts:
1. Looks great when it's installed properly.
2. General maintenance is very easy (just sweep/rake or vacuum if you're so inclined)
3. Don't go shorter than 25mm, and opt for minimum 2-tone, preferably 3-4 tones if you can (some have "dead" layers woven in the lower sections).
4. Pets are fine with it. I have cats and dogs, and they both seem to like it and not wreck it.
5. If your pets use it for toilet you will need to wash it regularly (I use Biozet clothes detergent in a pressure cleaner), or it will stink. Badly.
6. It gets hot in summer. In bare-feet I'd put it up there with walking on black bitumen... you can cool it with the hose though. Doesn't matter how thick it is.. the black rubber base gets hot..

It's easy to install yourself. Base prep is the same as for pavers. I don't use the sand or rubber pellets to make the grass stand up (because, pressure cleaner), but I sweep it weekly and that works for me. The tricky part is making sure that if you have joins that the grass runs in the same direction. Trimming to fit is easy, you just need a good stanley knife, and a warm day (so the rubber base is pliable).

 

interesting.
Council in my area made our neighbour pull it up, they wont allow this product on verges. It looked good and it was costly but its gone now.

 

Great point that I didn't consider.

I have real grass at my PPOR and its a PITA!

 

Add weed spray to general maintenance. Here are some real weeds growing in artificial grass

Real Weeds by bashworth posted 14th Oct, 2016 at 4:49 PM

 

If you do your prep properly, then the weeds are really easy to pull.

 

As a sidenote, what other solutions are people going with for naturestrips other than grass or synthetic turf?

 

In WA it's supposed to be something water permeable so isn't allowed to be fully paved which means if it's not grass it tends to be:
- pebbles
- mulch
- native grasses/creepers

 

I recently decided to go artificial, I am one of the last "hold outs" with real grass, almost all my neighbours have fake grass which looks good compared the the barren patchwork messes most of us real grass owners have.

Then I got the quote.. bloody expensive, 3500 Euro ($5000) for 50m2. So I have second thoughts and will try one more season with real grass, this time maintained by myself instead of a cheap gardener who keeps stuffing things up (poison, pissweak grass, whipper snipper mow down to the dirt). I have decided to grow some (216) Buffalo grass plugs in the city and transport to my coastal place with the lawn. I need something tough as nails, Kikuyu might have been better but couldn't find that seed. See how it goes.

This is very interesting.. I thought it would be quite difficult for an amateur to get right, but could save 2000 Euro if I could do it myself.

 

The hardest bit is getting the base prepped and the surface shaped for drainage. Exactly like prepping for pavers. Most installers in Perth use cracker/crusher dust, but I prefer crushed limestone because it drains better (it takes a while to get the big lumps out though).

The turf usually comes in 2m or 3m rolls and you need to work out how much you need to install with minimal joins and making sure everything runs in the same direction. The rolls are super heavy too, there's lots of dragging and heaving to get them into place.

There are plenty of how-to vids on YouTube for laying and cutting, but feel free to ask if you want more info.