Should I shift my grass lawn to an artificial turf lawn?

We don't have a dog (yet!) but switched to turf after two brutal seasons with dry grass on one side, mud in the middle and moss on the other side, making it unpleasant to look at or to enjoy. Turf totally solved that, lowered our water bill and eliminated mowing. I can't remember what manufacturer we have, but it looks real. The only downside is it's harder to go yard camping with the tent (the tent I have requires staking).

For two years I’ve been dragging my feet about getting turf only because I want to redo my deck so I have to do that first. Our lawn is garbage (think spots of mud, mostly moss and tufts of actual grass) I pay landscapers and it’s still ugly. I’ve gotten several quotes over the years and it’s ranged from $9k-15k in quotes. It’s definitely what we will be putting in soon.

Hey Lindsay! I know Omar Shahine recommended Dream Turf - I've see his lawn and it looks great.

The university village project was done by landmorphology.com who we recently hired to do our back patio design. If you email them I'm sure they would tell you the product that was used.

Wow, Omar, thank you so much for this tip!

The negative effects of a turf lawn on the environment are pretty extreme, especially on bees. I would recommend investigating alternative ground cover plants to replace the grass. I've seen some rain garden work around my neighborhood by sustainable landscaping company, Stone Soup Gardens. The landscapes always look really nice and have sustainability at their core.

Turf is amazing. No watering, edging, weeding. Easy pet cleanup, better for trampolines on top, no grass clippings brought inside from shoes/paws. I have tons of other bee-supporting plants and ground cover elsewhere in my yard and around perimeter of turf.

Last two houses we did turf. Best choice ever. Kids play all winter with no mud and can practice drills, great if you have a pet, no work. You can have a little putting area. You just want to make sure to not use too much of the rubber pellets.

I love our turf. We did a portion of our small back yard about 11 years ago. We did get premium grade and it still looks beautiful. We pressure wash it in the spring and then sweep it as needed. Two years ago I even splurged for turf for our strip in front of our house by the street. I know it is city property and I could be forced to remove it, but it looks so nice. For this I got pet turf since we have lots of dog walkers up and down the street. So it does not look as premium as our back yard, but it looks really nice, even so.

After years and years of battling raccoons digging up my lawn, ( and I tried chemicals, trappers and a pellet gun) I finally gave up and called Synthetic Turf NW. No more rodents, chemicals, watering or maintenance. Go for it.

We've had Dream Turf for about 11 years also. We are totally happy with it. We had a complete mud pit of a backyard - primarily mulch and dirt. Because of how many trees we have there was also zero chance of grass growing and most ground covers would either die or couldn't withstand our dog's foot traffic. I remember it being so expensive at the time but it has stood the test of time and looks really great. We did a partial installation of our backyard and now regret not doing the whole thing!

We also have dream turf and they are excellent - the product and the service. We have the one that is specific for pets and apparently absorbs odor from urine - which can get quite strong if we get so lucky as to have multiple days of hot sun and no rain !

I have a small patch of turf in the backyard where it would be difficult to keep grass: looks good, works well. No big complaints but be aware that after a while the individual blades of grass lay flat and it doesn't look quite as real anymore. (I've tried sweeping and extra sand/pellets but haven't been able to get it back to looking like it did when it was first installed. YMMV)

Kim: Try using a low pressure wash on it.

I have several clients with turf and I love it

Hi Lindsay!
As an environmental scientist and a health educator/professional, I strongly recommend against synthetic turf. The detrimental effects of the fake grass on your health, your pet’s health, and the health of our shared planet - including wildlife - do not make it a good idea. The outgassing of chemicals that constantly occurs, creating a “heat island” - a mini-Greenhouse effect, negatively impacts all living things. Plus, the fake grass suffocates essential life beneath the earth, which is already in peril due to the irresponsible way we’ve abused Her with chemicals/pesticides and other unsavory practices over the years. These are just a few reasons to stay NATURAL. Keep searching for other natural ways to remedy your lawn’s yellow spots, or find a way to make peace with them- for the sake of health for all. Here is just one of many articles about the hazards of fake turf: sustainablerossmoor.org/art...

What may seem like the more aesthetically pleasing, convenient option, is not always the healthiest, wisest choice.