Maintaining your Artificial Grass Lawn

Tools required for the job: hard brush, soft, rake, leaf blower/garden vac, herbiside spray.

Artificial grass is a much lower maintenance solution for your garden than a real lawn, whatever the weather it is never going to look, tired, warn or dry. By maintaining your lawn on a fairly regular basis you will get the maximum life expectancy from your lawn and the maximum value for money.

The amount of maintenance you choose to carry out will depend on the type of turf you've opted for and the amount of use your lawn gets.

It is very important to clear any debris off your lawn such as leaves. Also weed seeds can be dropped on the lawn from birds or overhanging trees. If you have a sand dressed lawn which isn't maintained regularly you may find weed seed takes root in the sand, these weeds can be easily pulled up but maintenance would prevent this from happening in the first place. Also, any leaves that are left on the lawn will begin to break down and create perfect conditions for moss growth. Again removal of the leaves with a blower or vacuum will prevent this from happening.

In general we recommend your lawn is brushed once a week with a stiff brush, brushing against the pile. On areas of heavy use this will just bring the pile back up if it has flattened out slightly. On high use areas a sand in-fill even in the products that don't necessarily require it will mean the pile stands up for longer. We recommend that sand is topped up as and when required but at least once a year.

It is also recommended to treat the lawn with a moss control product once a year.

For dog owners there may be a little extra maintenance in removal of mess. Any urine will drain away in the same way as rainwater but unlike on a real lawn it will not stain the grass as it passes through. Dog mess can be lifted easily off the grass and any troublesome areas can be hosed off. If required disinfectant can be used.

As a final tip if you are painting a fence or the house and the lawn is nearby it is best to cover the lawned area to prevent any spillage's onto the grass.

No More Muddy Paws - Artificial Grass Lawn for your Dog

Last week we had a large number of calls from dog owners considering replacing their lawn with artificial grass. This is something that we get asked about often! There are a few reasons why dog owners see artificial grass as an ideal alternative to their real lawn. If you are a dog owner yourself no doubt you will be able to relate to most of these:

1. Muddy paws walking back into the house! 

With the combination of the ever changeable weather here in the UK and a playful dog running around your lawn it is inevitable that muddy paw prints will end up being walked back into the house. With an artificial lawn installation there will be no more muddy paws. No matter what the weather your dog can play outside without the worry of the mess you'll have to clear up afterwards.

2. Staining and Odour

A lot of dog owners ring us because they have an issue with staining on their real grass, once an area is stained it will take a lot of hard work to get it back into shape. The artificial turf will not stain and the grass is permeable so any urine will drain away freely just the same as rainwater. Any dog mess can be scooped off the lawn and the lawn can be hosed every now and again to get rid of any stubborn mess. There will be no risk of odour either as everything drains away. The area could even be disinfected if required and this would not damage the surface in any way.

3. Damaged and worn patches of lawn

If you have a boisterous dog playing on your lawn on a regular basis you will find yourself with worn patches where the grass struggles to re-grow and it will also be highly likely that your dog will try to dig up areas of your lawn. Our artificial grasses are so hard wearing that they can withstand constant play. Not only do you benefit from this but you also have a lush, green lawn all year round whatever the weather and however much punishment it has taken. You will also find that your dog won't attempt to dig areas of the artificial grass lawn up.

In conclusion, you will find that an artificial grass lawn is a perfect solution for your lawn as a dog owner. It is also perfect for kennel owners who struggle to maintain an exercise area for the dogs in their care. All our turfs are non-toxic, UK manufactured and suitable for pets and there is something to suit everybody's budget. For more information please visit www.hitechturf.co.uk

Safe Play Shock Pad for Artificial Grass Installations for Children

We are now extremely pleased to be able to add to our range an affordable shock pad underlay which can be laid directly under our artificial grass products to create a safe play surface for children.

As the products in our artificial turf range are manufactured from soft polyethylene yarns they are ideal for children's play areas. If installing play equipment in an area it is vitally important to make sure the floor surface adheres to the correct critical fall height and the installation of shock pad underneath the grass allows for this. It is an excellent alternative to wet pour and bark mulch.

The Safe Play Shock Pad should be installed under a sand filled grass to achieve the optimum critical fall height. The pads are available in a 25mm and 45mm thickness. A critical fall height of 1.4m can be achieved with the 25mm pad and a critical fall height of 1.8m can be achieved with the 45mm pad. The shock pads are manufactured from scrap cross-linked polyethylene foam which ordinarily would have gone to landfill.

The pads are priced per square metre:

25mm - £9.99 including VAT per m2

45mm - £12.50 including VAT per m2

For more information on our HT Safe Play Shock Pads visit our website http://www.hitechturf.co.uk/