# Artificial lawn.



## JakeN (Jun 18, 2006)

Does anybody on here have experience with artificial lawn or grass? I am looking to see it is worth it to put it in my side yard. I currently have two dogs and my lawn looks horrible. Anybody with experience please shed some light on this matter.

Thx


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

No experience but I can imagine it absorbing dog pee & other less than desirable by-products of dog ownership and therefore getting rather fragrent. How about just putting down a bunch of pavers?


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

Jake, I dont know about the fake lawn but my "real" one looks awful!! wow, Neek is hard on the grass, he jumps alot and runs around like crazy the whole thing needs pavers!! but it would cost a fortune, have a big yard! its getting to the point where only the outside part where plants are have any grass!! it was so pretty at the beginning of summer


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## ozzymama (Jan 17, 2005)

I agree with middle - the stench. Even my mulch at the side of the house AKA Sandi's litter box was starting to get unpleasantly aromatic..... Til I blocked it off.
I would lay a weed barrier, kill everything first then pour in pea gravel or stones.


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## DukeJazz (Jul 4, 2009)

I 2nd the pea gravel & stones !!

Artificial turf is VERY expensive and will be stinking in a short time.

I have used the gravel in 3 different houses and it's the easiest to maintain. Just hose it down 2 or 3x a week (unless it's raining a lot) and you are good to go. Easy to pick-up the poo too. 

Also, if needed you can hose it with bleach or disinfectant and if it thins out over time, just buy a few bags from the local Home Depot & you're done !


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

When installed properly the right artificial grass works very well. It's not cheap, but can be a solution. I'm not talking about the green matt crap you see out there, I'm talking about the high end stuff. It's porous and will not stink if hosed down. You would need someone who knew what they were doing to install it though.


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## Sashmom (Jun 5, 2002)

does anyone know how many bags of the pea stones you have to buy to do a decent size area> I am thinking that and some pavers Ive kind of given up on the idea of nice grass.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

We had astroturf along side the driveway by the back door - I got fed up one day walking out the side door into one of Luther's tremendous holes. It was the cheap stuff and it lasted a few years. Reminded me of being a little kid on a putt putt course. The dogs have always been trained to potty on the other side of the house so stink was not an issue.

Sha- the pea gravel bag will have how many sq feet you need written right on the bag. I have river rock (where the astro turf was) - it's harder to spray around when a young strong dog takes off running.


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## big_dog7777 (Apr 6, 2004)

> Originally Posted By: SunCzarinaI have river rock (where the astro turf was) - it's harder to spray around when a young strong dog takes off running.


That is what I'm putting in my yard when I get the time. Too many projects already this year getting ready for a baby.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

There is this neat stuff called K9Grass which is artificial grass made for use with dogs. I've seen it in use at a few dog daycare/boarding places and it looks real, feels nice and doesn't smell. It is VERY expensive though.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Does anybody have first hand experience that it smells? I ask because there's a lot of information out there that says it doesn't. Somebody on another list put artificial grass in her entire back yard for her dogs. It cost $7 a sq ft. I think she was in NJ.


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## JakeN (Jun 18, 2006)

Thx for all the inputs and infos. I hear a lot of different report about smell and no smell and it is so confusing. Another question is, if its safe for our dogs because my puppy like to eat grass and might chew on the artificial grass.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

I have no idea about any other products safety but I did email K9grass once to ask about pets chewing on it. This was the response they sent:



> Quote:We have no known instances of any problems with the grass posing any sort of danger when chewed. It generally passes through the digestive tract - but also doesn't taste very good so the instance of chewing is not very high.


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## DukeJazz (Jul 4, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Sashmomdoes anyone know how many bags of the pea stones you have to buy to do a decent size area> I am thinking that and some pavers Ive kind of given up on the idea of nice grass.


You will need to measure the area (length & width) and determine how deep you want the stones (3" is what I did) then calculate the Cu Ft. needed:

http://www.transchool.eustis.army.mil/twvrmo/cubicfeetininches.htm

If it's going to be a large area, may be a lot cheaper to go to a local stone/landscape supply place and get them to deliver (they will sell by the Cu Yd & will help you calc how much is needed). The bags at the local Lowes/Home Depot are very expensive & it's a pain lugging/opening them instead of just getting a few friends to pitch in with wheelbarrows & shovels.


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

I have had Easy Turf in my back yard for 5 years. It is really easy to care for and drains well (when installed over the 3" base of DG). I hose it off periodically (more when I have foster pups) and "clean it" (with bleach, natures miracle or any other cleaning solvent) every so often. I attach one of those liquid dispenser sprayers to the hose with what ever solution and this works well and is super easy to care for and doesn't smell bad especially if you hose it down. It dries really fast too.

I haven't had a problem with eating the grass per say. I have had a few who were persistent "diggers" who have gotten a few spots up, but I think it may have been "compromised" by some animal digging underneath. It can get "hot" under foot (my feet, the dogs don't have a problem and sunbath) at times during the day, but my yard has western exposure no trees so it gets sun all afternoon.

I highly recommend this for dog owners especially in CA where we have water rationing so keeping grass growing is a problem. They are offering tax credits I think for installing it (saves money on water) so you might want to check it out. Most companies have an install or do it yourself price.

Here is a picture of it when it was first installed:


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## JakeN (Jun 18, 2006)

Wow! TY so much for your input GSMOM. How hot can these turf get and how much can they with stand? If you don't mind me asking how much did you spend on ur yard?


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## djpohn (Jun 27, 2003)

I got it when there were only one or two companies selling it and went for the more expensive product which I think was about $12.00 a sq ft installed I think total I spent about 18K, but as you can see, I have a long thin back yard and an long fat side yard.

The dogs don't mind it no matter what the temp, I find the flat parts hot to my bare feet when the air is still especially late in the afternoon.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Artificial grass must be nice especially since it looks green year round!


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## qingcong (Nov 14, 2021)

I'm in the planning stages of building a new home in an urban area of the town on a much smaller lot than I currently live. artificial grass for apartment balcony I think a high-quality, natural-looking artificial turf might make sense for this lot. Does anyone have any experience or recommendations?


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Somewhere in the archives is a thread with a link to a study finding toxic plastic contamination risk from these products. I wouldn't even consider them as more and more research pours in about the effect of plastics, especially on kids and pets. I wouldn't buy a home that had this sort of product installed.


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