Are there any posters with experience of dogs plus artificial grass who could comment?
The consensus of quite a lot of people on a dog rescue forum I'm on is that good quality artificial grass stands up to the wear and tear of dogs pretty well but it can smell really bad if you don't wash it down regularly with a detergent. That affects what you can plant around it which will be frequently doused in Jeyes fluid. Paving and paths - no problem. If it's planting and borders, you'd need some sort of up-stand or raised edge to stop the detergent getting onto the soil. In your (very good) 3d drawing - looks like it would be a realistic option for that layout.
OTOH, I like clover and moss in a lawn - stays green in droughts, moss is lovely and springy under your feet (and paws), bees love clover. Depends if you or your parents have the 'lawn gene' which means you can't abide a nice wildlife friendly, weedy lawn and have to have perfect grass.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I work with someone who has both artificial grass and two [small] dogs - and it's a very small garden. It seems to be coping well. The only issue she has is that one of them chews at a corner of it and has lifted it. It's a young dog though, so I expect it just needs a bit of firm training I also have a neighbour who has it and two dogs. Not been down very long, so I don't know how it's holding up. I must ask her the next time I get a chance.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ye I don't think they mind a natural mossy/clover lawn, the worry more so was the grass wouldn't take at all but I think if I put a good 150mm-200mm of topsoil hopefully it'll be alright.
Artificial would be the easiest option but the things putting us off were the cost for a good artificial lawn seem to be a minimum of £20/m2 and also as you guys have mentioned that I'd read a bit about the fact that it can start to smell with dog urine if it isn't washed down regularly and disinfected. Thought this sounded like quite a job to keep on top of and not very enviro friendly.
We had artificial grass once in a small (inaccessible with a mower)courtyard,I would never do it again,it just filled with mud and debris,expensive waste of money.It ended up being slabbed.
The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
as long as you get decent hardcore under it (for drainage and to stop the clay seeping back up) and it laid by a professional i would go with fake grass
I think it's almost impossible for any of us to give you the right answer Callum. One of those situations where you'll have to weigh it all up and make the decision based on your own assessment and conditions, plus time and energy to maintain the plot. It's possible that the water pooling a bit when you dig down is simply because it's been gravelled for a long time and the soil is just very compacted. I had the same issue here as the back 'garden' was just paving and gravel. When I removed a lot of it to create grass and planting areas, I had to loosen it all up well with a fork. We have clay soil and a lot of rain, so the gravelled bits were quite difficult to work with. It can be done - I kept lots of the gravel [because of our high rainfall] and didn't put a lot of soil on top. The grass has been perfectly happy until this year of course!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think it's almost impossible for any of us to give you the right answer Callum. One of those situations where you'll have to weigh it all up and make the decision based on your own assessment and conditions, plus time and energy to maintain the plot. It's possible that the water pooling a bit when you dig down is simply because it's been gravelled for a long time and the soil is just very compacted. I had the same issue here as the back 'garden' was just paving and gravel. When I removed a lot of it to create grass and planting areas, I had to loosen it all up well with a fork. We have clay soil and a lot of rain, so the gravelled bits were quite difficult to work with. It can be done - I kept lots of the gravel [because of our high rainfall] and didn't put a lot of soil on top. The grass has been perfectly happy until this year of course!
That sounds very similar to the type of ground we have here. How much soil did you put on top?
So do you think maybe if I dig down, break the gravel/stone up as best as I can with a fork and then place topsoil on top the grass should take? Or at least in your experience it did?
Personally I think the stone/gravel has been whacked down too so maybe that's why there's so much water collecting on it, I think the builders just used the garden as a place to lose left over material they h
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In your (very good) 3d drawing - looks like it would be a realistic option for that layout.
OTOH, I like clover and moss in a lawn - stays green in droughts, moss is lovely and springy under your feet (and paws), bees love clover. Depends if you or your parents have the 'lawn gene' which means you can't abide a nice wildlife friendly, weedy lawn and have to have perfect grass.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
The only issue she has is that one of them chews at a corner of it and has lifted it. It's a young dog though, so I expect it just needs a bit of firm training
I also have a neighbour who has it and two dogs. Not been down very long, so I don't know how it's holding up. I must ask her the next time I get a chance.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ye I don't think they mind a natural mossy/clover lawn, the worry more so was the grass wouldn't take at all but I think if I put a good 150mm-200mm of topsoil hopefully it'll be alright.
Artificial would be the easiest option but the things putting us off were the cost for a good artificial lawn seem to be a minimum of £20/m2 and also as you guys have mentioned that I'd read a bit about the fact that it can start to smell with dog urine if it isn't washed down regularly and disinfected. Thought this sounded like quite a job to keep on top of and not very enviro friendly.
It's possible that the water pooling a bit when you dig down is simply because it's been gravelled for a long time and the soil is just very compacted. I had the same issue here as the back 'garden' was just paving and gravel. When I removed a lot of it to create grass and planting areas, I had to loosen it all up well with a fork. We have clay soil and a lot of rain, so the gravelled bits were quite difficult to work with. It can be done - I kept lots of the gravel [because of our high rainfall] and didn't put a lot of soil on top. The grass has been perfectly happy until this year of course!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
So do you think maybe if I dig down, break the gravel/stone up as best as I can with a fork and then place topsoil on top the grass should take? Or at least in your experience it did?
Personally I think the stone/gravel has been whacked down too so maybe that's why there's so much water collecting on it, I think the builders just used the garden as a place to lose left over material they h