Does anyone have synthetic grass in their yard?

[mrsv98]

I have had it with our backyard. We have cut the trees back, sodded, seeded, aerated and all we have is mud! We are seriously considering synthetic grass. I have been reading about the different kinds and what is good for pets/kids but it would be nice to have some first hand stories.

Our backyard is not very large we are talking about 2000 sq ft or less so it shouldn't be a huge expense and really, to get rid of the constant mud I would pay almost anything!!!

 

[golfgal]

We don't but our friends in Arizona do and it actually looks pretty real-if you don't look at to too closely. If that is what you want, go for it. Just tell everyone it is a putting green-stick a couple flags in there and you are set We looked at a house that had a smallish backyard, very wooded, and they put in a large putting green and patio that pretty much took up the entire backyard that wasn't wooded.

 

[LuvOrlando]

This is why we put in a patio with a walkway a few years ago, Spring mud is the worst. I don't know about fake grass but there are other alternatives to AstroTurf.

I love the look of yards with gravel and raised flower beds, they have a very romantic and distinctly European feel. As long as the stones are smooth they will probably be pet friendly, you may have a hard time with the heavy heat of the summer on their paws though. Here are some images of all gravel.

http://www.sciencephoto.com/images/download_lo_res.html?id=668342089

http://yardandgardenrescue.com/using-railroad-ties-for-raised-flower-beds/

http://www.gapphotos.com/imagedetails.asp?imageno=111928

If the heat in the stones is a summer problem what if you just put down gravel where they wear the dirt the most?

 

[ilovemk76]

I have had it with our backyard. We have cut the trees back, sodded, seeded, aerated and all we have is mud! We are seriously considering synthetic grass. I have been reading about the different kinds and what is good for pets/kids but it would be nice to have some first hand stories.

Our backyard is not very large we are talking about 2000 sq ft or less so it shouldn't be a huge expense and really, to get rid of the constant mud I would pay almost anything!!!

We have real grass but to keep it nice we have to overseed, put down fertilizer and weed kills.

I would think the cost of synthetic grass would be high. The base for the grass is very expensive to put in. I would think a pet pooping and peeing on the grass would not be good for it. Pee is very acidic and might bleach the green out of the grass.

 

[diznygirl]

We have synthetic grass, and it looks pretty real - there are variations in color including little brown pieces of grass. It's a lot different than Astro-Turf - it doesn't look like plastic grass.

We have a tiny backyard, so it was worth the money spent. The price has gone up since we had it done. But nothing ever grew there, and now we don't have any worries.

 

[Meriweather]

We live in AZ.....we have real grass.....the street over has a couple of yards with fake grass. It is green....but still looks like fake grass.

 

[mrsstats]

we put it in the area where our dogs go potty. It is great. We just wash it down with a hose and a yard solution. Pee doesnt bleach it. Looks great