Artificial Grass vs. Real Grass: What Are the Differences?

Did you know that experts project that more than two hundred and thirty million Africans will face water scarcity by 2025? 

Not only does it require a lot of water to maintain grass, but it also requires a lot of work. You need to mow it, aerate it, and fertilize it frequently.

This is why so many people in South Africa have been wondering about the pros and cons of artificial grass vs. real grass. So we’ve written a guide to help you understand which type of grass is best.

Read on to learn more. 

Real Grass Guide: Is It Worth the Work to Maintain?

Contrary to what people often think, natural and artificial grass require regular maintenance. You’ll need to put a lot more effort into maintaining a natural lawn than you need to put into taking care of an artificial lawn. 

You need to regularly water natural grass if you live in an area that does not get a lot of rain. Unfortunately, this means that your water bill will be more expensive. 

It’s also necessary to frequently mow your lawn. If you don’t have a lawnmower or are not physically capable, you’ll need to hire somebody to do this for you. 

Lastly, you’ll need to add fertilizer to your lawn several times in a single year.

People who care about the environment might not want to do this because fertilizers can drain from their lawns and get into their neighborhood’s water supply. 

Real Grass and Artificial Grass: The Environmental Impact

Since it is not necessary to water artificial grass, it saves a lot of water. This is one of the many artificial grass benefits for those who live in the desert, where water is often in short supply. 

You’ll also create a lot of greenhouse gas emissions when mowing your lawn. But, of course, you won’t have to worry about this if you have astro turf. 

On the other hand, artificial grass creates pollution when it’s manufactured—not to mention when it’s discarded. That’s because it’s made of various synthetic materials.

The manufacturing process creates runoff, meaning these synthetic materials leak into the water supply. This is bad because these materials contain contaminants harmful to aquatic life.

Real Grass and Artificial Grass: What Does Installation Cost?

There are lots of factors that you need to look at to figure out how much it will cost to install artificial grass. This includes the materials you’ll be using, the labor for installing it, and overhead costs. 

If you install a 300-meter area with artificial grass, it will probably take several days to complete the job. Expect to pay several thousand rands to have artificial grass professionally installed.

You can create a natural grass lawn through sodding or through seeding. Sodding is pre-grown, and it costs a lot more than seeding.

Regardless of the chosen method for creating a natural grass lawn, you’ll need to install an irrigation system.

You will need to hire somebody to do this for you or set aside time to do it yourself using your own tools and supplies. Either way, you’ll need to be prepared to spend a lot of money to install an irrigation system.

Artificial Grass and Natural Grass: Care and Maintenance

One of the best artificial grass benefits is that minimal care is required. But there are still several things that you will need to do regularly, such as brushing, watering, and controlling odors. 

You’ll need to water an artificial lawn to eliminate dust and pollen that settles on its surface. In most cases, you won’t need to do this more than once a month. 

It’s necessary to brush fake grass to restore the fibers occasionally. They tend to get matted down in high-traffic areas. After you brush an artificial grass lawn, it will be more fluffy. 

If you have pets, you’ll have to make a plan for controlling odors. Most people choose to buy products to spray on their lawns which get rid of bad smells. It will be necessary to do this once every month or two. 

It will cost you much more to maintain a natural grass lawn than an artificial one. Real grass needs to be:

• Mowed
• Edged
• Aerated
• Seeded
• Fertilized
• Weeded
• Watered

You’ll need to buy and maintain a lawn mower. You might also need to rent or purchase equipment for aerating and fertilizing your lawn.

You’ll need to aerate your lawn once per year, and it is also a good idea to fertilize it at least twice yearly.

In other words, it costs homeowners a lot to maintain their natural grass lawn.

You will still need to pay for several things to maintain an artificial lawn. However, it will cost you significantly less to maintain an artificial grass lawn than a natural grass lawn.

Understanding the Pros and Cons of Artificial Grass vs. Real Grass

If you’re considering installing artificial grass, it is vital you understand all the ins and outs of the artificial grass vs. real grass debate.

Not only does it cost far more to maintain and care for natural grass, but this type of lawn is, perhaps surprisingly, more harmful to the environment. Of course, you need to pay more upfront to install artificial grass, but it will be easier and less expensive to maintain in the long term.

Check out our other gardening blogs to learn more about making savvy landscaping decisions.