Pros And Cons Of Maintaining Real Grass In Your Garden
Have you ever looked at yards that have concrete throughout, or pebbles, instead of real grass and wondered why? Whether knowingly, or just as a fluke, these people have avoided the maintenance issues that come with real grass, but it is not for everyone.
For some of us, the opportunity to lie down and relax on our own piece of fresh, green, living grass makes the maintenance issues worth all the while. If you still haven’t made up your mind about which works best for you, read on for some of the pros and cons of maintaining real grass in your garden.
Maintaining Green Grass is Not Exactly a Green Choice
When you add up the environmental impact of maintaining a live lawn, the cost to the environment is actually a lot more than one might imagine. The amount of water that a hungry living lawn consumes, especially in dry weather, is huge. Lawns don’t stay green if they are not watered, so expect to be watering yours at least every few days, otherwise you might come home and find it dead.
On top of the cost of watering it, the amount of trimming, mowing and blowing that is done, often with fuel guzzling machinery really puts a dent in your personal carbon footprint. Additionally, if you choose to use chemicals to combat the dreaded bindis, clover or other ‘grass pests’, you will most likely be poisoning the groundwater for many years to come.
Conversely, Living Lawns Look and Feel Great
Have you ever spotted a lush piece of grass that inspires you to take off your shoes and walk on it? This is the upside of having a living lawn, which you will never be able to appreciate with the alternatives, such as fake grass or concrete. There are ways around the environmental impacts that we have already discussed. Firstly, instead of using tap water to water your lawn, you could use recycled or bore water, which is actually a clever way of utilising the grey water that you have.
In terms of fertilising and keeping your lawn looking its best, there are organic methods for combating lawn pests such as bindis and clover, although they will not work as effectively as the chemicals at the hardware store. If you are set on having a lovely living lawn to walk on, there are ways of making it lower maintenance, so do your research and if all else fails come and talk to one of our friendly team at Bacchus Marsh & Redgum Garden Centre.
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