Heavenly Greens Blog

Natural grass is susceptible to all sorts of diseases and other issues that can turn your lawn from a lovely landscaping element into an unsightly and frustrating challenge. Not every disease affects every type of grass, and some diseases are less likely to be a problem here in northern California. Nonetheless the list of things that can sicken your lawn is pretty long. [Sigh.]

You’ve loved your artificial turf lawn for years, but nothing lives forever, not even fake grass. It can last 10-15 years or more, but eventually even time can take its toll:

• Infinitesimal fading finally becomes noticeable
• Seams begin to fray and separate
• Mold or smelly bacteria have built up, especially in pet-popular spots
• Highest traffic areas look tired and don’t rebound as well with brushing

Skunks. Cute little things, but they are the last guests you want to entertain on your artificial turf! If something startles or annoys them – your kids, your dog, or something else – their natural response is to spray. They can launch that infamous spray as far as 10 feet, and as we all know the smell is beyond awful. What if it gets on your artificial turf? Is your lawn doomed to stink forever?

We Californians have a love-hate relationship with rainy weather. On the one hand, boy do we need the rain! After years of intense drought, we are painfully aware of the problems caused when there isn’t enough water. We’re now well-conditioned to conserve wherever we can. Smart and concerned homeowners have stepped up, many replacing their water-greedy natural grass lawns with artificial turf.

Installing artificial turf is a major investment-- and a beautiful one. No one wants to see their gorgeous grass damaged in any way, and considering how durable artificial turf is, that’s not often an issue. But tough as artificial turf is, it’s not bullet-proof. So what if something does damage it? Let’s look at your options.

Isn’t it nice that you can use your at-home putting green virtually all year round? With just a little care, your artificial turf green maintains its pro-quality good looks, the performance traits you specified when it was installed, and its tempting allure. Come play with me.

Uh, oh, the weather forecast calls for rain. What should you do? Don’t touch that grass! It will continue to look its exquisite best no matter how hard it rains or how much rain we get. As long as your grass is artificial turf, that is. Natural grass? You’ve got problems. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

Most pet parents are the ultimate in devotion when it comes to their cats and dogs. We love their purrs and wags and all the silly things they do. But that doesn’t mean they’re perfect, and one of their less charming traits is their ability to track mud, grass clippings and other yard debris, and heaven-knows-what-else into the house. A clean house is a nice thing. Muddy paw prints all over the floors? Never.

Despite the considerable time we spend talking about how tough and durable artificial turf is, some folks still find that hard to believe. After all, synthetic turf is made from plastic, right? How can it possibly have what it takes to withstand truly difficult conditions? Take frost, for example. Frost can damage natural grass under some circumstances.

Have you gone over to the dark side? Your neighbors probably think so, if you’re still fronting your home (or your commercial property) with a natural lawn. In its prime, natural grass is bright and beautiful – an invitingly lush, emerald asset. Alas, there is a dark side to natural grass – all the elements that make it not-so-prime and not much of an asset, no matter how much attention you give it.