Artificial Lawn Grass: How to Maintain It?

It is always nice to plant green grass in your lawn for enhancing the splendour of the place. The only disadvantage is that it requires constant and thorough maintenance. The same natural feel can also be achieved by artificial lawn grass, but with much less maintenance. Many people opt for this alternative these days for saving their time and money.  Once you have artificial lawn grass in place, you will not have to worry about mowing the grass or watering it, fertilizing or de-weeding it.  These grasses are also very popular in arid areas.

Saying so doesn’t mean that the artificial grass does not require any maintenance at all. It is true that it requires much less care when compared to its natural counterpart, but still for preserving the perfect appearance you must know a few things about preserving synthetic turfs. Here are some essential tips for people having artificial lawns:

Weeding and Disinfecting

You usually are not required to disinfect natural grass lawn, as nature takes care of it. But with artificial grasses, you are required to periodically disinfect it. You don’t have to necessarily opt for a chemical spray, as many environmentally-friendly disinfectants are also available easily to meet the purpose. Weeds are also a common and known problem with the artificial grass lawns. It is advised by the ASGI (The association of Synthetic Grass Installers) to use a spray of a mixture of vinegar and clove oil. It is especially important to spray your artificial lawn during the rainy season, and before spring. If you don’t have any inhibition against using chemicals, the market also stores chemical sprays manufactured especially for these kinds of lawns.

Cleaning

Your synthetic lawn would require cleaning at least once every month. You should be careful enough not to use a metal rake on the artificial grass, as it can weaken or tear the fibres. You can use a hose to make sure that all the accumulated dirt is washed away through the built-in drainage system of the turf. You should keep removing leaves, twigs etc from time to time using a leaf blower.

Brushing

It is imperative that you brush your lawn from time to time, as it would prevent the fibres from matting down. You can use a stiff broom or any other brush with slightly hard bristles for this purpose. Besides keeping the lawn clean, it will also make sure that all grass blades are in upright position.

Using Ice for Special Purpose

If your children mistakenly drop chewing gums on your artificial lawn grass, ASGI has a solution for you. They advise you to rub ice on the dropped piece of gum; as the gum gets cold, you can easily remove it.

Keeping Harmful Substances Away

To ensure long life of your artificial lawn grass, make sure that the cleansing elements and other products you buy for maintaining it do not contain acetone, alcohol or other harsh chemicals. You should keep lubricating oil, acids etc away from synthetic grass, as they can cause discolouration.

The guest author is an SEO copy writer and internet marketing specialist. To know more about artificial lawn grass visit www.easigrass.com

Artificial Turf Manufacturers Have Actually Made Artificial Lawns Desirable!

Years ago, you would have never dreamed of installing artificial turf in your yard. After all, that fake grass was a hideous shade of green, and it looked more like a bad rug than a yard.

But artificial turf manufacturers have been hard at work, and they have come up with an artificial lawn that actually looks like a real one. Now that fake lawn grass doesn’t look so fake, more and more people are having it installed at their homes. Since it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb anymore, most people don’t even realize when they’re passing by an artificial lawn.

Plus, an artificial lawn is much easier to care for than a real one. With fake grass, you don’t have to water it, mow it, or fertilize it. Once it’s installed, you simply enjoy it; there is absolutely no maintenance!

Artificial turf will last a whole lot longer than real grass. Think about it – how long does your grass usually last? Does one record cold snap kill it? Do a few weeks of drought in the summer scorch it for good?

If you feel like you’re sodding or seeding every couple of months, get an artificial lawn. It can withstand anything that Mother Nature throws at it. Whether you’re dealing with snow, rain, or extreme heat, your artificial lawn can take it.

If you didn’t have to worry about watering, mowing, or replacing your grass, how much money could you save? How much lower would your water bills be? How much money would you save on lawn tools? How much money would you save on new seed or sod?

With an artificial lawn, you can put all that money back in your pocket!

But that’s not the only way that fake lawn grass can save you money.

Now that artificial turf manufacturers have perfected the process of making fake grass, they have come up with ways to make it cheaper – meaning you can get artificial grass at wholesale prices.

So, even if you have a large yard – or an even bigger area to worry about, like a city park – you can still afford to install artificial turf.

Artificial Grass

What a great guest article for all you lawn-mower guys and gals out there… why not consider all the benefits of artificial grass? Not only will it make your life easier and give you back your Saturday and Sundays, artificial grass actually helps the environment!

Check out the image… it’s artificial grass! Wow… certainly not anything like that nasty stuff people used to glue to porches or outdoor steps. (Maybe they still do, but that’s another story…) 

The style is a bit stilted (they’re probably not as casual in England), but the article offers some pretty compelling environmental benefits to artificial lawns. See if you don’t agree…

Artificial Lawn Grass: What Are the Environmental Benefits?

There has been a trend to have a big green gardens for quite some time. To fulfil this trend, gardens have become popular throughout the world. Some studies establish the fact that these natural gardens cause certain dangers to the environment. People who are conscious about the hazards that natural grass causes to the environment are shifting to artificial grass. This step is one of many initiatives that we can take for making the world a better place to live for us and for our future generations. Let us have a close look at the environmental benefits offered by artificial lawn grass.

The first and foremost thing about the artificial lawn grass is that it is recyclable and lead-free; therefore it doesn’t impose any potential threat to the environment as far as its manufacturing procedure is concerned. If you compare natural lawns with the artificial ones, you will find that an average naturally grown lawn consumes thousands of gallons of water each year. A big share of this water is wasted due to improper watering techniques, giving the lawns more water than what is actually required. When you have artificial grasses, you can do without any irrigation. This means: artificial lawn grass contributes hugely to conservation of water. This feature is making the synthetic lawns extremely popular in the states suffering from water crisis.

Naturally grown turfs need to use pesticides and fertilizers for killing insects and enhancing growth of the grasses; this makes them serious threats to our environment. The composition of nitrates found in fertilizers gets mixed in the soil and makes their way to the water tables; these chemicals end up contaminating the water. Similarly, when we are exposed to the pesticides we are likely to catch serious diseases like cancer, allergies etc. When we have an artificial lawn, we don’t need to use any fertilizer or pesticide; as a result the environment is not contaminated with harsh chemicals.

Natural lawns produce huge quantity of yard waste. The yard waste contributes largely to the total waste produced by the country. Lawn clippings are the main sources of the yard wastes. When such wastes are dumped together, many chemical reactions take place producing harmful gases like Methane (the gas hugely responsible for the green house effect and global warming). We can control such circumstances by installing artificial lawn grass.

The equipment used for the maintenance of natural lawns are causes of major concerns for the environmentalists. One such device is the lawn mower. When we use the lawn mower a large number of gaseous pollutants are released to the air. According to a recent analysis, lawn mowers are the premium cause of air pollution in most European and North American countries. Not only that, the gas mowers need to be refilled by fuels at regular intervals; this results in the depletion of important energy resources.

The discussion educates us about the good effects of artificial lawn grass to our environment. The best thing about synthetic lawns is that it will not only keep you safe, but will also make your home look as gorgeous as a natural lawn could have done.

The author is an SEO copy writer and internet marketing specialist. To know more about artificial garden grass and artificial lawn visit easigrass.com

Well, what do you think? Will you be considering artificial grass for your lawns?

Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature today’s guest article about what’s behind the trend towards artificial lawns.

The Three Factors Driving the Trend for an Artificial Lawn

More and more homes now have an artificial lawn outside. Every year the trend for them grows, driven by three factors: upkeep, cost, and the environment.

Most commonly cited is the maintenance issue. Any gardener will tell you that a good lawn can be the hardest part of a garden to master. Every month of the year hours of care need to be put into the lawn to keep it looking fresh and green, with more time needed in summer. It isn’t just mowing: grass is a very thirsty plant which needs lots of watering. Lawns are also susceptible to fungi and pests and so gardeners must spend time using pesticides and fungicides to eliminate the problems. And finally, reseeding areas where grass has been worn through frequent usage is time consuming because genuine grass is not as durable as an artificial lawn. Indeed, some gardeners buy patches of artificial lawn to cover only the areas they would have had to spend time reseeding.

It goes without saying that financially, times have been hard lately and so homeowners are looking to save money. Whilst an artificial lawn is more expensive than genuine grass, in the long term it can be regarded as an investment. The artificial lawn will last years and will pay for itself in savings on water bills, fertilisers, and powering a lawnmower.

Lastly, buying an artificial lawn has implications for the environment. Although they are manufactured in a factory using a process which does cause harmful emissions, the damaging effect of fertilisers and pesticides is eliminated. At the same time, the use of large amounts of water isn’t needed.

When you consider these factors, it really isn’t surprising that so many people are using an artificial lawn. They reduce effort, expenses, and environmental impact. It’s perhaps more surprising that more people haven’t made the switch.

Source: SEO Link Vine

Organic pest control – Natural bug and insect repellents

.Thanks to “howdini” for posting this informative video on YouTube. Here’s their description of the video…

When it comes to insects in your garden, it’s a bug eat bug world, so don’t panic. Some bugs are good for plants. But how to control the bad ones without chemicals? Here’s great advice from Scott Meyer, editor of Organic Gardening magazine…

I especially liked this quote by Scott Meyer at the beginning of the video…

“The basis of organic gardening really is to build a healthy, well-balanced eco system. Chemicals kill the bugs, are harmful to birds and all the other things that eat the bugs. So, yes, pesticides disrupt the balance.”

We also found these related books to give you more information on controlling bugs in your garden naturally… organically. Just click on any of the images to find out more details…

Susan’s Lawn Gardens is pleased to feature this article from today’s guest author, STEPHANIEH. She is an expert on water saving techniques, so we feel very comfortable recommending her work to our visitors.

Rain Barrel Maintenance

by StephanieH

Rain barrels easily make a great addition to any backyard. Not only do they help save money, but they can have a great impact on the preservation of the earth’s natural resources. Although rain barrels are very low maintenance, it is still very important that they are taken care of properly to keep your water clean and your barrel useful for many years to come.

When you first receive your rain barrel you will want to make sure to use a non-toxic cleaner to clean out the interior of the barrel prior to its first use. Make sure to rinse it thoroughly and to dispose of the water properly. After the first cleaning, you will want to rinse your barrel out with a non-toxic cleaner annually.

It is also important to drain your rain barrel every few weeks. This will help keep any kind of plant or algae growth down to a minimum. Also – if for some reason mosquitoes enter your barrel – this will keep them from breeding.

If you live in colder climates and do not plan on using your rain barrel during winter months you will want to make sure to “winterize” your barrel. What you will need to do is empty your barrel completely and turn it upside down. Any water that gets in there will freeze and expand – causing potential cracking and unnecessary wear and tear to your barrel.

Every once in awhile you will want to check your catchment area and make sure to remove any debris that could possibly be clogging up the entryway into your barrel so that it can be used at its maximum capacity. You will want to remove any debris that is there – to make sure that you capture the most rain that you possibly can.

It is also imperative to clean out your gutters annually. This will help you to maintain your rain barrel and reduce the amount of debris that could potentially enter your catchment area. Maintaining a rain barrel is very simple and won’t tear you away from other activities in your backyard, but will still leave you coming home to a beautiful lawn and a lush garden!

For more information on rain barrels, please visit www.woodlanddirect.com

Article Source: Rain Barrel Maintenance