Fake Grass – Why It’s Time to Say ‘Goodbye’ to it

I can remember vividly the moment I slightly fell out of love with Alan Titchmarsh. It was when he started talking about fake grass for some garden he was renovating on one of his TV programmes.

Now to be fair, the family in question had very limited time or ability to mow a lawn. But even then I felt there were hundreds of other things Alan (as I like to call him) could have done with the area. He surely didn’t need to resort to astro turf. And it’s not even as though, long term, the fake grass would have looked good!

Furthermore, it’s an environmentally dodgy choice. The wonderful Springwatch presenter Chris Packham told i in typical pithy fashion that artificial turf was the “horticultural antichrist”.  

Yet fake grass is still proving popular. Some people apparently think it’s trendy (about as trendy as a turned round baseball hat in my book!). One major supplier even reported a 60% increase in sales during lockdown. It seems people, stuck at home, decided it was high time to roll a layer of plastic over the garden.

So, I thought it was maybe time to roll out the case against fake grass and give a shout out for the real stuff. However, as I’m no grass expert (have you seen the state of my lawn?) I thought I’d ask an expert to help. So Johnsons Lawn Seed Director, Guy Jenkins, has kindly agreed to answer a few of my questions.

Let’s start with an obvious one Guy. I obviously don’t like the stuff but is fake grass really that bad?

It is. There are so many reasons why you should avoid fake lawns. Whether it’s refusing to be recycled, generating huge carbon footprints or polluting soils for centuries to come, the case for fake lawns is extremely poor, specially when weighed against the immense ecological benefits of real grass.

The installation of an artificial lawn sees a huge amount of wholly unnecessary plastic going into the environment. Many plastic lawns are not recyclable at the end of their life. They end up being dumped in landfill or even into nature by some unscrupulous people.

But surely fake grass is less work?

Not really. Many people choose an artificial lawn because they think it’s a convenient, maintenance-free option, but this is not the case. Fake lawns in shady areas are prone to moss and can also amass weed infestations after a few years. Unlike a real lawn, which can be weeded and cleared with organic grass treatments, the solution for a degraded artificial lawn is simply to throw it a way. Nor is artificial grass immune from pet mess or fur, not to mention bird droppings.

The mess from the million canoodling pigeons in my garden would certainly not look good on astro turf, but I think a lot of people feel fake grass is a bit like putting a carpet down. It’s convenient, smart and comfortable. Isn’t that the case?

This again is another myth. Plastic grass – in stark contrast to the real thing – is uncomfortable in summer as it can become very hot and far from ideal to sit or lie on. That’s why you don’t see it in warmer climates – and that’s the direction our own appears to be heading in.

Climate change experts predict a rise in weather extremes and more frequent heatwaves in the UK. Research conducted by the RHS found that more than 85 per cent of the UK population living in towns and cities, where heatwaves tend to be more severe and air quality more poor. Paved spaces and artificial lawns can become uncomfortably hot, whereas real grass is able to dissipate heat and will remain significantly cooler than any kind of artificial surface. This, in turn, helps to keep the overall temperature in check, offering welcome relief when the mercury soars.

Are there any other considerations?

Real lawns also have remarkable air-cleaning qualities, remain cool on hot summer days and play a key role in reducing flooding – a major issue in urban areas because of the rise in paved gardens and off-street parking. According to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Greening Grey Britain report, three times as many front gardens are now paved compared to a decade ago – a total increase of 15 square miles. The need for real lawns to absorb rainwater has never been greater.

That’s quite a statistic. How big a consideration is the issue of flooding?

You shouldn’t underestimate a lawn’s ability to absorb rainfall. Indeed real grass plays a key role in reducing the risk of flash flooding. This is especially crucial in built-up areas where drainage systems can become overwhelmed. Root makes up 80% of a grass plant. So, rainwater passes easily through the surface of a lawn and is absorbed into the root zone, replenishing groundwater resources. This process cannot take place in artificial lawns or paved gardens. On sloping land, the lawns root structure can also help to knit the soil surface together, resisting erosion. The risk of flash flooding has increased due to the number of front gardens paved to create off-street parking.

That’s so interesting I hadn’t thought about the amount of root grass has! You’ve also touched on grass being good for air quality, but is that really the case?

Absolutely. The deteriorating quality of air in our towns and cities is becoming a major cause for
concern, whether it’s a toxic cocktail of fumes from cars, industrial emissions or pollution pumped out by wood-burning stoves. Grass plays a key role in the ecosystem. It helps to absorb carbon dioxide whilst releasing oxygen. C235m2 of grass releases enough oxygen for a family of four, every day. Real lawns are nature’s natural air conditioner!

Lawns also play a role in softening unwanted noise. And grass is – quite literally – easy on the eye. The retina in a human eye can detect light between wavelengths of 400 and 700 nanometers in the visible spectrum. Each of the three primary colours corresponds to a different wavelength. Blue’s the lowest at 400 nanometers and red the highest at 700 nanometers. Green is in the middle, at a comfortable 555 nanometers, exactly the place where our perception is at its best. Natural green enhances and makes it easier to discern both blue and red light waves. It’s the gift of colour that gives on giving every day.

But surely fake grass doesn’t need mowing and feeding, both tasks which take their toll on the environment?

I understand what you’re saying, but actually mowing can be a lot greener these days. Thanks to a new generation of lawnmowers powered by clean, green rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which do not require plugs, cables or circuite breakers. Sales of robotic lawnmowers are also rising year-on-year and becoming more accessible to the general public. Mowing with these devices is greener than the petrol-powered mowers of yesteryear and, depending on your energy supplier, can be ecofriendly if your home is powered by renewable resources.

It’s also easier than ever to maintain lawns without using chemicals. For instance can I give a bit of a plug for our own Johnsons’ new Super Smart Lawn Feed? It is 100% organic, using beneficial bacteria, soluble mycorrhizae and seaweed extract to feed lawns, enhance natural green colour and strengthen roots.

Thank you so much Guy…who knew there was so much to the humble blade of grass!

I’d like to add to Guy’s brilliant responses that you can’t have lovely bulbs coming up through fake grass. While my grass may be really ropey, I’d never want to be without views like these!

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Forget Fake Grass – But What Else?

I know it could be argued that a grass seed company isn’t going to want us astro turfing our gardens. But I think these answers from Guy really do reaffirm what feels instinctively right. Putting yet more plastic in our gardens, can’t be good. And using it to replace a plant, just sounds plain bonkers!

But other than avoiding fake grass, what else can we all be doing ecologically in our gardens?

Well, if you’re looking for more ‘green gardening’ info you may find this blog I’ve written in the past on how to attract wildlife into your garden interesting.

Here’s my advice on how to have a bee friendly garden

Here are some of my favourite butterfly friendly plants

And of course, you could always join my in my attempt to grow all my own flowers for my vases and therefore avoid the air miles, plastic wrap and chemicals of supermarket bunches. In February I wrote a series of four blogs, on sustainable flowers.

These feature some plants to grow to give you vases 52 weeks of the year. I’m calling this initiative #52Vases and here are the vases I’ve created so far from my garden since I started in February. They’re very simple (you might say nothing special) but they’re 100% from my garden.

That’s it from me for this week….I’ve a clematis to prune! Happy gardening x