Homeowners who love yard work and gardening are happy to have the space to experiment with their green thumb and grow a beautiful green lawn surrounded by flowering plants and fruit trees. However, others find maintaining their yard a difficult task. Here you have to decide between artificial and natural grass for your lawn and backyard.
MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS
Owning a lush green lawn is a big responsibility, especially if you grow your grass naturally. After preparing the soil, you need to plant the seeds, fertilize them and wait for the grass to grow. Once the grass grows, you’ll need to spend a few hours each week tending to your yard and ensuring it maintains its beauty. The responsibility includes regularly raking, mowing, and watering the lawn to keep it green and healthy.
In comparison, artificial grass requires minimal maintenance. Once you lay artificial grass, your garden will be green and beautiful. Aside from the occasional watering and brushing of the lawn to keep the blades upright and healthy in high-traffic areas, not much needs to be done.
WATER USE
Water scarcity is a real problem in Pakistan and if you want to help save water at home, artificial turf is your best friend. With minimal or no watering, the lawn will maintain its green appearance all year round. If it gets too dirty, you can rinse it, but it is not mandatory. However, if you grow grass naturally, you will need to water your yard frequently until it grows, and even then, frequent watering is necessary during dry periods. You will also need to spray the grass with harmful insecticides to protect it from pests.
In short, artificial turf is the way to go because it’s a more eco-friendly option compared to the real thing, especially in areas with severe water shortages. However, artificial turf absorbs heat quickly and becomes hot to the touch compared to the cool feeling you get when sitting on natural grass, making it unsuitable for scorching climates across the country. Artificially produced grass is also not biodegradable, so it will add more waste to our landfills if you decide to get rid of it.
AESTHETIC APPEAL
Do you want to have a lush green lawn all year round without any effort? If your answer is yes, you don’t have to participate in the artificial vs. artificial debate. natural grass, because artificial turf maintains its beauty regardless of seasonal changes. Because artificial grass looks so realistic these days, it’s perfect for those homeowners who want to add curb appeal without hiring a landscaper or managing the yard themselves.
In contrast, growing grass naturally means waiting for the seeds to germinate and completely cover your lawn. During this time, your yard will look bare and have patchy patches of grass. Even after the initial germination of the seeds, the garden will change in beauty with the seasons, being dry and bare in autumn and winter, while remaining healthy and green in spring after you have carried out the necessary preparation procedures—your lawn for spring.
COST OF OWNERSHIP
Growing grass on your front lawn requires seeds, fertilizer, and lawn equipment such as a lawnmower, rake, and hose. If you decide to call in professional help, you may have to pay some service fees to gardeners or landscapers. Even so, your garden will require expenditure from time to time when you may need to re-seed bare areas after a dry spell.
Alternatively, laying artificial turf is a one-time cost with no future maintenance fees. Artificial turf can last approximately 15 to 20 years without needing to be replaced. So while it may be a bit more expensive to start with, the cost is broken down over the life of the lawn and costs less overall compared to its natural counterpart.
