Artificial grass has rapidly been gaining in popularity over the last few years. And it’s leaving many homeowners wondering if it’s time to ditch their Denver sprinkler system in favor of installing artificial turf in their front and back yards. After all, it could save you on your water bill and spare you the frustration of having to mow the lawn several times a month. Before you make the switch to artificial turf, you need to think long and hard about the benefits your real grass lawn offers your property. Here are a few reasons why real grass is always best. 

1. It Adds Appeal to Your Home

Your lawn is one of the first things people notice about your landscaping. When it looks great, the rest of your property looks great. This is why so many homeowners immediately assume that artificial turf is better. But artificial grass can look too artificial. It’s overly green year-round and, unless you pay top-dollar for the best turf on the market, it won’t ever be able to mimic the look of natural grass. 

That fake appearance doesn’t just not add value to your property. It also can hurt your curb appeal. This will make it harder to sell your home in the long run and could leave you struggling to find qualified and interested buyers should you need to put your house on the market.

Real grass adds value and increases the curb appeal year-round. Even when it’s not bright green and growing, it’s clear when your lawn is healthy. People won’t have trouble imagining what your landscaping looks like during the growing season when they drive by during the middle of the winter.

2. Real Grass Is Good for the Environment

Believe it or not, grass does far more for the environment than it takes from it. The soil supporting the beautiful green blades you love helps prevent erosion and traps moisture for trees and shrubs to grow and thrive. Beneficial insects make their homes inside the turf and generate nutrients in the soil that further help the rest of your landscaping to thrive. Even better, it’s completely natural and as long as you avoid using harsh chemical insecticides and weedkillers, it’s safe for the surrounding environment.

Artificial grass is not conducive to holding moisture in the soil for the rest of your landscaping, nor does it create a welcoming habitat for creatures like earthworms, beetles, and other insects. It just takes up space and makes your yard less appealing for those creatures. Worse, it’s made of plastic. The production of that plastic involves chemicals and heavy equipment that contributes to environmental pollution. 

3. The Blades and Soil Help Keep Your Yard Cool

If you’ve ever walked outside barefoot on the hottest afternoon of the summer and stepped onto your lush, green lawn, you know that the ground is often significantly cooler than the ambient air temperature. This is because the grass itself shields the soil beneath it, helping to keep the ground cooler. That cooler temperature makes your yard more comfortable to use during the heat of the summer.

Artificial grass doesn’t help to disperse heat. Instead, it absorbs it. The turf will be warm to the touch and worse, will make the yard warmer, too. If you have pets, the artificial grass may get too hot for them to safely enjoy using the yard during the warmer months.

4. Real Grass Is Cheaper

If you’ve ever had to re-seed your lawn, you know just how cheap grass seed really is. You’re able to buy a large bag of seed mix for just a few dollars and spread it around to fill in holes. If you need to go all out, you may also spend a few dollars on fertilizer to help your lawn rebound. 

Even when you factor in the cost of your regular watering schedule, grass is still one of the most affordable additions you can make to your landscaping. And it doesn’t cost much to maintain over the years.

Artificial turf, though it saves you on your water bill, costs significantly more to install and maintain over the years. If a patch is damaged, you can’t just spread seed. You have to install a new section and hire an experienced contractor to make sure it blends in with the rest of the yard. That’s on top of paying the high initial cost for installation when you make the switch. 

And if you think that artificial turf doesn’t need water at all, you’re wrong. If you want to keep the blades cool to the touch during the summer, you’ll need water lines beneath the artificial turf to cool the surface. Further, you’ll need to spray the turf down at least a few times a week to flush any dirt, grime, and pet waste away since it can’t get absorbed by the soil.

5. It’s Safer for Your Family

Real grass is like a soft carpet that everyone can enjoy playing on outside. It’s cushioned by the soil and absorbs impacts without passing the shock back up into your foot as you walk or run. And if the kids fall while playing on the grass, they might skin their knees, but they won’t likely hurt themselves severely.

Artificial turf, on the other hand, lacks many of the comforts of natural grass. The plastic blades are more likely to cause skin irritation if kids fall on the lawn while playing. Further, the turf doesn’t have that added cushion of the soil and roots beneath it. This means the lawn won’t be as springy and comfortable underfoot.

This increases your family’s risk of impact injuries during the summer months. Those same injuries are minimized or even eliminated by sticking with real grass in your yard.

Stick to Real Grass

If you’ve been thinking of making the switch from a real grass lawn to an artificial version, spare yourself the frustration. Stick to real grass and your home, your kids, and your neighbors will thank you for it. Just make sure to get your sprinkler system serviced before the weather warms up so you’ll be able to get your lawn growing well early on.