Living in a suburban neighborhood has its perks; general quietness, minimal traffic, and sense of community. Housing developers style each house based on a general theme. No matter where you live, one physical trait we’re all familiar with is the traditional freshly-cut green grass on a front lawn.
While manicured lawns have its perks for style and use, keeping a perfectly green lawn is costly. The price of maintenance and the idea of a year-round perfect green front yard is becoming more impractical for modern times. Alternatives, like artificial grass or natural mulch are taking the lead for practical landscaping.
Throughout time California has experienced its fair share of droughts and water restrictions on residential communities. One of the biggest agricultural headaches from 2012’s drought sparked new water regulations. New restrictions made it even more difficult to keep your lawn bright and green.
As a result, people watered their grass less frequently to avoid fines and found new options against the impracticality of a perfect green manicured lawn. People either took the route of creating desert-friendly landscapes with natural mulch, boulders, bark, and native plants. Whereas, others aimed to keep a familiar experience with artificial grass.
There are many residential landscaping ideas which embrace the dry climate or embrace traditional styles with alternative options. When it comes to deciding as to whether to try out artificial grass or stick to natural mulch; all decisions are better made well-informed. Here are the pros and cons of installing artificial grass versus natural mulch for residential properties:
Artificial Grass
As an alternative to natural grass, artificial grass is made from recycled materials to mimic the look and use of natural grass. You can find it useful for indoor sporting facilities, playgrounds, and residential properties. It’s meant to mimic the look of grass, but not the feel.
Pros:
- Lasts from 5-15 years depending on the installation, maintenance, and environment.
- Made up of recycled materials like crumb rubber derived from cars
- Works against extreme environmental elements like rainstorms.
- Turf remains green, and the appearance is year-round.
- Local water district may offer installation rebates for drought-affected neighborhoods
Cons:
- installing requires intensive preparation for grounding which means complete removal of the surface base to see yards irrigations and wiring.
- homeowners with pets must add a deodorizer to the base to prevent odor from dog urine.
- potential of overheating during hot weather, artificial grass retains heat because of the synthetic fibers
- areas with high traffic use might not return to original appearance.
- requires replacement after 5-20 years depending on the installation, turf, and climate
- Harder to spot dog urine which requires an artificial grass cleaner to avoid pneumonia odor
- homeowners Association employs regulations on installing artificial grass
Cost per square footing price ranges from $5 -$25
Natural Mulch
Natural mulch is a collection of organic materials like bark, wood chips, grass clips, or leaves compacted in a designated space to provide soil protection or landscape design. Natural mulch allows for minimal use of grass in designated areas.
Pros:
- retails moisture levels in ground and reduces dirt from drying
- protective barrier against temperature, especially useful in garden beds for regulating temperature in hot summers and icy winters
- prevents weeds from festering and growing
- prevents plant rotting and roots from lifting
- maintenance is minimal, spray and rake accordingly
Cons:
- dogs may spread or ingest the accessible mulch
- natural mulch can attract pests if not turned over after rain storms
- the color fades over the years unless mulch spray is used to keep a vibrant look
At Paradise Landscape Centers we have a wide selection of premium bark and mulches, with competitive prices and delivery services. Take your time, we’re open 7 days a week at 42201 Division St., Lancaster, CA. We offer services to the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita, and San Fernando Valley areas. Give us a call at 661-878-8886.
