Artificial Turf vs. Natural Grass: Differences, Costs & Benefits
Artificial Grass vs. Real Grass
When it comes to artificial grass versus real grass, it’s essentially two very different solutions to the same problem. As you might expect, they each have their upsides and downsides. Do you want an attractive lawn that doesn’t require watering, weeding, or mowing but might require some other forms of maintenance? Would you rather enjoy the smell of freshly cut grass at the expense of some extra maintenance instead?
Artificial turf — also known as artificial grass, synthetic turf, or even just “fake grass” — is an outdoor carpet of sorts, though the materials used in it can vary. While turf is, as a general rule, easier to maintain than grass, it does require other types of maintenance (we’ll get to those below). Artificial turf is also different than grass in how it reacts to weather conditions, how much it costs, how it’s installed, and of course, how it feels underfoot.
Whether you think you’re ready to give up on grass lawn maintenance or you’re not entirely sold yet, artificial grass is definitely something you should consider. We’ll go over the specific advantages and disadvantages of each option below.
Benefits of Real Grass
Natural grass has been a tradition for many years for good reason.
Not only do many people prefer its neat, natural look and feel to artificial turf, but for some, the use of turf vs. grass was never a question to begin with. While we'd like to convince you to consider trying artificial turf, we can't deny some of the following benefits of a real lawn.
The Feel
For those who grew up on natural grass or take pleasure in performing the maintenance that a grass lawn requires, nothing can replace its innate appeal. One of the most significant benefits of a real grass lawn is this emotional attachment. After all, no artificial turf can emulate the feel and smell of a freshly mowed lawn, no matter how high-tech.
If you've ever walked on a natural grass lawn and artificial turf side-by-side, you probably noticed the difference in feel right away, but you might have been surprised at the similarity. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely emulate the feel of true, living grass against your bare feet, but many types of modern turf do an excellent job of imitating it — enough that you might not even notice unless you tried them both.
Initial Natural Grass Cost
While there are still significant costs involved with installing a real grass lawn, as a general rule, these installation costs are lower than those of artificial grass. This is especially true if you decide to grow your lawn from seed instead of using pre-grown sod. However, keep in mind that optional upgrades to a natural grass lawn, such as sprinklers, can increase this initial cost.
Environmentally Friendly
While true lawns are often considered less water-friendly — and they are if you care for them the traditional way — there are several things you can do to care for your natural grass lawn while reducing your overall water usage. One way is by reusing your home's greywater (such as laundry water or dishwater) to hydrate your lawn, as long as you use soaps and additives that are safe to introduce into the environment.
Besides the water issue, your lawn as a whole tends to be very environmentally friendly. Natural grass is a living, breathing, growing organism, and as such, it supports a whole host of other creatures that depend on it for nutrients or shelter.
As plants, grass lawns also take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the air, purifying our environment and the surrounding ecosystems. Additionally, lawns help fix the soil in place to prevent erosion, and as the grass dies and grows again, it adds body and nutrition to the ground below.
Finally, one of the most noticeable benefits of a natural grass lawn is its ability to thermoregulate. The grass works to cool the surrounding environment and stabilize temperatures as it absorbs heat, making the warmth of the summer months more bearable for everyone involved.
Drawbacks of Real Grass
There are many reasons you might consider avoiding real grass, just as you would consider investing in it. While some people may consider the drawbacks of a natural grass field worth the benefits it provides, this isn't true for everyone, especially in a hot, dry city like Austin.
Species Inclusivity
Firstly, a monoculture grass lawn can be difficult and time-consuming to maintain, especially in areas where grass does not grow well on its own. Drought-prone areas that need to use water for other, more important purposes can be some of the most highly affected. While grass does provide habitats and food sources for animals in the ecosystem, it tends to edge out local species at the same time. However, more specialized lawns created with native species or even vegetable gardens are not for the faint of heart, as they require even more maintenance than a traditional lawn.
Since artificial grass doesn't do a good job of supporting native species either, when it comes to turf vs. grass, we can safely consider this one a draw.
Initial Natural Grass Cost
While there are still significant costs involved with installing a real grass lawn, as a general rule, these installation costs are lower than those of artificial grass. This is especially true if you decide to grow your lawn from seed instead of using pre-grown sod. However, keep in mind that optional upgrades to a natural grass lawn, such as sprinklers, can increase this initial cost.
Water Use
While there are certainly more creative ways to get your natural grass watered than just using your hose, it's undeniable that you will have to access your local water table to keep your lawn pristine when you live in the Austin area. There's just no getting around the water demands of natural grass. Some states and municipalities are enacting square foot limits on the amount of grass you can have to preserve this water; as such, the days of natural lawns in hot, drought-prone areas may be coming to an end anyway.
Maintenance
The long-term costs of real grass don't end with money. As we mentioned before, the place you'll be hit hardest is in physical maintenance. If you enjoy or take pride in the maintenance itself, this may not be a drawback for you, but for older or weaker individuals, that same maintenance requirement can be a deal-breaker.
While you can always invest in expensive, high-quality lawn care tools that help offset this maintenance, what happens if you can't afford them? Those who struggle to push a lawnmower may end up neglecting their lawns because of the difficulty, resulting in an unsightly, overgrown mess. Additionally, after periods of heavy rain, lawnmowers and other lawn care tools can leave muddy tracks in your lawn.
However, for those with natural grass lawns, the maintenance does not end there. You may need to invest in a weed eater for areas that the lawnmower cannot reach, increasing both your long-term monetary costs and your overall effort invested. Additionally, the presence of a pet can result in brown or bare spots in your lawn that require extra effort to fix.
Long-Term Cost
While growing a brand-new grass lawn is much cheaper than installing an artificial one, that doesn't mean you'll spend less in the long run. The total maintenance costs associated with installing, caring for, and mowing a lawn can quickly eclipse the costs of purchasing and caring for an artificial one. This is because, for a natural green lawn, you need to take expenses like fertilizer, water, pesticides, dirt, lawnmowers, fuel, and sprinkler installations into account as well, and these total cost numbers compound by the square foot.
In addition to the above, if your lawn falls prey to a pest infestation, you could end up with a patchy or brown lawn through no fault of your own. In this case, you might even need to pay extra for an exterminator or pest control expert to come in and fix the problem.
Benefits of Synthetic Turf
Imagine this scenario: After an upfront payment, your backyard is no longer a natural grass lawn, and you never have to mow it again. Instead, you'll just need to set aside a bit of time every so often to keep it looking clean and inviting. Does this sound appealing to you? If so, keep reading about the other benefits below.
Water Impact
Since synthetic turf does not rely on water to stay pristine, you'll end up saving a significant amount on water costs over the life of your turf. While this is just the reality in Austin, keep in mind that in other parts of the US, water may be more readily available.
However, keep in mind that your fake grass will need some water applications to stay completely clean. If your pets use your artificial grass to relieve themselves, for example, you may want to scrub it down with soap and water every so often to keep it looking (and smelling) its best!
Safety
Believe it or not, when you invest in a high-quality artificial grass lawn like what we have at Austin Turf Company, you'll get safety standards that are nearly identical to those of grass. As such, you can rest assured that your kids, pets, neighbors, and more can play on the synthetic surface without any extra fear of injury. Good synthetic grass uses a pad made of rubber pellets, sand, or other material types to lend itself a soft and spongy texture.
Maintenance
As we've hinted at so far, artificial grass lawns tend to be much more forgiving to the elderly and weak since they need very little maintenance. While they do require some minor care, such as washing and sweeping from time to time, they require minimal maintenance overall — enough that you may be able to ignore your artificial lawn for days or weeks at a time. The maintenance costs associated with caring for artificial grass are low as well since you don't need to mow, treat, or otherwise maintain your turf beyond general cleaning.
Long-Term Costs
While artificial grass installation costs tend to be much higher than those of natural grass (two to three times as much, or more, depending on whether you sow from seed or install sod), the long-term costs of maintaining fake grass lawns are actually much lower. Since the synthetic fibers of an artificial grass lawn don't grow, you'll never need to mow them. Additionally, they resist fading over time, remaining a bright and inviting green no matter the season (unlike natural grass).
You can cut items like fertilizers, pesticides, lawn watering costs, sprinkler installation costs, lawn mowing costs, and more out of your budget, too, since artificial lawns don't need any of those. In this way, grass and artificial turf tend to be opposites. In the end, while turf is not cheaper than grass up-front, it can easily be in the long run.
Turf vs. Grass for Football
The winner of turf vs. grass for football, soccer, golf, and other sports has been debated for many years. However, because artificial grass tends to be just as forgiving as real grass when it comes to safety, many hot-weather regions like to install artificial grass in high-traffic sports areas instead, such as a football field or golf green. Additionally, a premium artificial grass installation is much more durable than one made of natural grass; high-quality synthetic turf fields tend to get about three times more total play hours before breaking down than natural grass fields do.
The one drawback of using fake grass for sports applications is its inability to absorb warmth. Because artificial grass is not a living thing, it tends to reflect the heat of the sun instead. This can be uncomfortable for athletes, children, pets, and anyone walking on the turf if you don't take care during particularly hot days.
Drawbacks of Artificial Turf
While artificial grass does have a long list of benefits that come with it, it's not the be-all, end-all of lawn care, either. It's important to consider the following drawbacks before you invest in an artificial lawn.
Upfront Costs
While the long-term costs of synthetic grass do tend to be affordable, that doesn't mean every customer can pay for it out of pocket, especially since the initial investment in turf tends to be the highest.
Generally, good artificial grass can cost around $9 per square foot (though this cost can vary depending on the formulation, pile height, and other variables), whereas real grass can cost significantly less. Sod tends to cost about $3.50 per square foot with installation, whereas grass seed costs about $0.50 per square foot without professional help. However, keep in mind that the above cost per square foot for grass seed doesn't factor in the cost of watering for the first eight weeks (the earliest point at which your lawn can be established). As a general rule, you can expect the cost of grass grown from seed to be less than sod, but how much depends on many variables, such as the total cost of water.
Environmental Impact
One of the places where artificial grass struggles the most is when it comes to its environmental impact. While artificial grass does require far less water usage, the manufacturing process for the artificial turf material tends to release carbon emissions into the air. However, you could argue that since you don't need to mow an artificial grass lawn, you end up reducing those emissions by not using lawn mowers as well. In this case, the battle of turf vs. grass may once again be a tie.
Additionally, while artificial grass requires no fertilizers, it can inhibit the way the ground absorbs water. Over time, the artificial grass deprives the dirt below it of nutrients, air, and sunlight, which can affect the viability of the organisms living in the soil. Additionally, said soil tends to compact over time instead of absorbing water, which can lead to flooding. This is because green, natural grass tends to absorb and drain a certain amount of water, whereas artificial grass allows it to drain through instantly.
If you're worried about exposing your kids or pets to chemical fertilizers, then artificial grass provides a nice bonus here too. The material we use is non-toxic, so it's safe for kids and pets alike, and there's no need to resort to pesticides since weeds cannot grow in artificial grass.
Austin Artificial Turf
Consult with us today for artificial turf in Austin! We are here to answer all of your questions about the benefits of artificial turf. If you are interested in learning more about your options for artificial turf in the Austin area or for a free estimate, feel free to contact us at any time.