A garden isn’t a garden without a lawn, and you can’t have a great garden until that lawn is as vibrant, rich and eye-catching as the decking, tiles and buildings that adorn it. Naturally, this is far easier said than done.  

For the uninitiated, picking out the right turf for your garden can be a daunting task, if not near impossible. That’s why we’ve done the legwork for you. Below you’ll find answers to all things lawn turf and, with a bit of luck, get a head start on the hunt for a perfect turf of your own.

• What is Lawn Turf?
• Narrowing Down Your Options
• Real vs Artificial
• Shopping Natural
• Shopping Artificial
• Checking the Quality of Your Artificial Turf
• Working to Your Budget
• Installation & Maintenance Tips
• Shop Lawn Turf

Turf is grass, grass is turf. It is pretty much as simple as that, but whilst most may think of this grass as something purely visual, Lawn turf has some fairly practical purposes besides. Including regulating your ground temperature, preventing erosion by absorbing heavy rain and even helping to prevent garden flooding. 

Typically, Turf is seen as the alternative to traditional seeding. One that is both a far safer and, more importantly, far quicker method of creating a lawn than the typical ten-plus days it would take for your seeds to take root (and that’s if they don’t get washed away by rain). Besides this, Turf is also far more versatile, able to be lain year-round – even during the winter.

How Much Stress Is My Turf Going to Be Under?

Some will treat their gardens like expensive paintings, making a meticulous effort to keep them maintained, well looked after and stunning to look at. Others are more like a football pitch, using them regularly to play, dine and host BBQs. It’s important to know in which of these two camps you reside as turf that sees a lot of foot traffic will need to be far more hardwearing.

How Often Do I Treat My Lawn?

Just as sports cars and thoroughbreds need far more care and attention than Civics and cats, some turfs will require a bit more TLC than others. Really consider how often you have the time to mow your lawn. If the answer is ‘not often’, then consider a lower maintenance option.

The big question, and one hotly debated by manufacturers, should turf be real or artificial? It’s a good one, and one best answered after some careful consideration. 

First off, let's take a look at some of the advantages of real turf. For a start they are cool, much cooler in fact than artificial grass, being up to 93% water, and so make for a far more comfortable experience for bare feet in the summertime. Like any other naturally grown plant they also take in Co2 and give back oxygen, a process that generally improves the surrounding air quality as well. 

Of course, also like any other plant, they grow. This means far more manual labour with regular mowing to keep it tamed, trimmed and looking good. Aside from this, real turf doesn’t tend to gel too well with the rain. Yes, it can help prevent soil corrosion, but the unfortunate by-product is a fair amount of mud. Mud can make your garden virtually unusable at certain times of the year. 

Artificial grass or Artificial turf on the other hand, doesn’t pose any of these problems. For a start, they are exceptionally low maintenance. Once installed, they require no water, nutrition or sunlight to keep up a consistent colour, length and overall appearance. An appearance that offers a far wider range of appeal, with it being suitable for use even on balconies, terraces and across small front gardens. 

This type of turf is not all sunshine and roses however, literally quite the opposite. Many are created from non-biodegradable plastic; this means that unless you plan of keeping it for life it will one day end up in a landfill. It can also be on the higher end of the price scale. Both for its initial purchase and disposal. Although, it is worth remembering that this added cost can also save hours of maintenance and can even be made up by selling the lawn mower you now no longer need.

Natural Turf

Artificial Turf

If you’ve landed on natural turf as the best choice for your lawn, then the next step will be to decide what type exactly your garden needs.  

Ornamental

Just like the name suggests, Ornamental turf is for those looking for form over function - boasting phenomenal aesthetics so you can make the most out of relaxing in your garden on sunny summer afternoons. Many are also comprised of several different types of grass and thus benefit from fantastic levels of growth in almost all conditions. Naturally, more growth also means more mowing so do keep your maintenance time in mind. 

Properly trimmed however and very few alternatives can match these turfs' visual appeal, making them the ideal choice for those looking for a classic, lush and green garden design that blends in well with colourful flower beds and natural timber decking.

Hardwearing

The most common choice for your average garden, Hardwearing Turf is perfect for those looking for a good balance between appearance and practicality. They are easy to maintain after being laid, quick to establish and well suited to withstanding daily wear and tear from a lot of foot traffic – perfect for parties, play and pets.

Needlessly to say, Hardwearing Turf still benefits from all the visual appeal of natural grass with a well-treated lawn able to produce the rich greens you’d expect. Ideal for creating that idyllic family scene, without the worry of damaging your newly lain turf.

How to Check for Turf Quality?

The quality of turf can be a difficult thing to determine when you can see and touch it, let alone when looking at a screen. A great key indicator, however, is clear compliance with the TGA (Turfs Growers Association). Most reliable products will have this mark, and its appearance is a good sign that you are looking at something of a high standard.

You may be surprised to learn that Artificial Turfs come in as much variety as their natural counterparts, more even, with attitudes towards this material beginning to shift more and more in a positive light. When shopping for this type, the questions you’ll want to ask yourself are as much the same as above. Namely, whether you want to focus more on looks or durability. To that end, here are some of the specs that we recommend keeping an eye out for.

Pile Height

Pile height simply refers to the length of the blades of ‘grass’. As a general rule of thumb, a longer pile height is favoured for its looks – tending to lean more towards a natural aesthetic. However, left too long and years of wear can cause them to bend and look flat, leading to the opposite - a very artificial look.  

This may be less of an issue for those of you who don’t plan to tread on their grass very often, and as such can afford the risk of a higher pile. Though, we would always suggest taking the cautious approach with a happy medium of around 30-35mm. A height which offers a finish that is both lush and easy to maintain.

Pile Type

Again, this refers to the blades of your turf, specifically their style – either straight or curled. Both have their benefits depending on the specific application. For example, straight piles tend to look more uniform, ideal for covering smaller surface areas such as front gardens and balconies. 

Curled, on the other hand, have a more natural look. In truth, for a standard garden lawn, a mixture of both tends to prove the closest approximation to the real thing, though this primarily comes down to personal opinion and is a prime example of why ordering a sample first is the preferred course of action for many buyers.

Durability

Not all artificial grass is created equal. Whilst most do provide durability equal if not exceeding natural alternatives, there are still some more tailored made for accepting large quantities of foot traffic – able to withstand years and decades of use when properly maintained.

The question of how much stress you expect your lawn to take needs to be asked again here. If you are just planning on using your garden as a place to relax and maybe enjoy some alfresco dining, then a great deal of durability may not be needed. On the other end of the scale, if you’re expecting to host BBQs and big family get-togethers a stronger turf would likely serve you far better.

Colour

Unlike natural grass, you have far more control over colour when fitting artificial turf, with the option to choose a shade that actively compliments the other elements and features in your garden. This includes lighter shades to match natural timber and darker to blend in better with stained decking or composite. 

The most common request, however, as you may well be looking for yourself, is a turf that can accurately match the look and feel of real grass. To achieve the best results with this aim in mind, rather than any specific colour the best thing to be on the lookout for is the number of colours instead. After all, plants in nature are rarely a single shade.

There are a few simple methods you can employ to test the build quality of the turf you’ve got your eye on. Some simply being a deeper dive into the product’s technical specifications, whilst others require a bit more of a hands-on approach. The most important thing we can recommend, however, is to ALWAYS order a sample of your turf first. Turfing a whole lawn can cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds, so complete confidence in your choice is a must before you start to order.

Check for Fire-Resistance

Both for your safety and your gardens, it is extremely important that you make sure your artificial lawn won’t spread fire in a worst-case scenario, however unlikely. All artificial turf can be tested to meet CfI-s1 in compliance with European regulations, so it is always worth confirming this with the manufacturer if you are ever unsure.

Check Which Type of Plastic Fibre Has Been Used

In most cases, you’ll find that one of three different plastic has been used to construct any given artificial turf. Those being Polypropylene, Polythene and Nylon. The latter two are generally accepted as the stronger of the bunch, with Nylon handily being around 40% more resilient than its counterparts – ideal for those looking for a lawn to stand up to the damage pets can cause.  

Manufactures Warranty

When checking a warranty, besides the number of years it is good for, take some time to look a bit closer at the fine print. Ideally, those that cover against UV damage are the standouts as this is one of the most likely culprits if you find your turf’s colour to be fading over time.   

Check the Backing

This is one you’ll need a sample for. All artificial turf backing will be comprised of multiple layers of material, the lower quality grass (and those less able to handle impact stress) will separate far more easily than others. How can you tell? Easy, simply pull apart the layers with your hands. If they maintain their integrity despite this, you’re looking at some good-quality turf.

With the above tucked neatly away in the back of your mind, it shouldn’t be too long until you find the perfect turf for your next garden project, however, there is still one more thing to consider. Perhaps the most important factor of all. Your budget.  

To give a brief idea of just how much turfing your lawn can cost let's take a 30m2 garden as an example and start with natural turf, more specifically a mid-ranged grass. This can run you anywhere between £10-20 per square meter, plus additional garden maintenance, skip hire and (if you choose to outsource) installation costs. In total, you could expect to pay in and around the realm of £1200 - £1400 for a good quality lawn.  

Now for artificial turf. As we’ve mentioned above, like-for-like artificial tends to be more expensive, with mid-range products clocking in at around £14-£24 per square meter. Add to this labour, skip hire and any additional extras (incl. a solid sub-base) and you’ll be looking at parting with roughly £1800 for your 30m2 lawn.  Naturally, both of these numbers can be increased or decreased depending on the quality of your turf and whether or not you opt for a DIY fitting.

How Much Turf Do I Need?

Got a budget in mind? Great, but to understand whether or not it’s a feasible one, we first have to determine how many square meters of turf you’ll be needing. Fortunately, figuring this out is as simple as sourcing a good measuring wheel. 

The very first thing to do is to clear away any bushes, trees, branches etc. that may be obscuring the edges of your lawn. Depending on the size of your garden you may be able to get your length and width measurements as is. However, if working on a larger scale the easiest way to progress is to split your garden into a number of squares or rectangles and add the total square meterage of those together. 

You can more clearly mark these out with a chalk line, however, do not worry too much about getting pinpoint precise measurements. As with tiling, it is always best to order around 15% more material than you need anyway, to account for errors and damages.

Artificial Turf

1)      Choose Your Sub-Base & Laying Course Carefully – When installing artificial turf, you will need to replace your lawn with a suitable base. Most reputable installers recommend 50-75mm of Type 1 Aggregate & Grano dust for domestic applications OR 10-12mm of granite/limestone chippings if you have pets (for a free draining base). Both can be topped with a laying course of 0-6mm granite/limestone dust at a 25mm depth. 

2)      Double Up Your Weed Membranes – If only installing one layer of membrane above your sub-base, there is a distinct possibility that weeds will still grow through to hamper your lawn. An initial layer installed directly atop the earth can help prevent this. 

3)      Use Silica Sand In-fill – An ideal way to finish off an artificial lawn, Silica Sand can be used as a ballast to keep your turf in position, whilst also doubling as additional fire protection and drainage.

Natural Turf

1)      Water Regularly – Like us, grass is made up of mostly water. This water is incredibly important, playing a key role in developing the turf's roots. In fact, if not watered enough the grass will simply die and the hard work that went into installing it will have gone to waste. To prevent this, a good routine of watering 2-3 times a week for the first 6 weeks should be followed, before dropping down to just once a week after this. 

2)      Mow Often – You’ll know that your turf’s roots are taking in enough water when the grass starts to grow. Mowing this not only keeps your garden looking great but also encourages the upper layer of soil to stay thick. Which is what you need to keep weeds at bay. 

3)      Retreat with Soil Nutrients – Watering more pre-turfing feed into the upper layer of soil can do wonders for your lawn. Supporting its initial growth and making its maintenance far easier going forward.

Artificial Turf

1)      Brush & Wash When Needed – Once installed artificial grass requires very little. Keep an eye out for dust, dirt or debris and clear out as required. Avoid putting hot equipment directly atop it (such as BBQs) and when it snows, leave it to melt through.

From turf to line your entire garden, to smaller patches across a terrace or balcony find the perfect product for your next project right here at DIY Megastore. Any questions? Feel free to get in touch with us by phone or chat with us online. Our award-winning customer service team is here to help.