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Many clients are ecstatic about the reduced lawn maintenance when installing artificial grass in their yards. But does installing turf actually guarantee no weeds? Learn how we prevent weeds after artificial grass installation. Discover what best practices achieve the greatest results in weed prevention.
Synthetic turf is a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass lawns that allows you to enjoy the look and feel of grass without the extensive maintenance and mowing that conventional grass requires. However, this does not mean that synthetic turf is completely maintenance-free. Most people request the full removal of weeds and a promise that they'll never return. The truth is, that's not something that any company can promise.
Installation
When artificial grass is installed, it is a very strong weed barrier already. Most of the weeds that you see on artificial turf installations are on the sides at the edges. There’s nothing we can do about that, but we can help to reduce the probability of those weeds from occurring. We're doing this by removing a few more inches of soil on the sides. We will also treat the sides with the weed killer, if it’s asked for, to further reduce the probability of weeds.
We can apply a weed preventer and weed barrier to help reduce weeds, but they are sneaky and can sometimes still find a way to the surface because they can peak through virtually anything. If a company guarantees you no weeds, reconsider working with them because they're making false promises.
Weed Preventer
Weed preventer is an herbicide. It is designed to control over 40 types of grass and broadleaf weeds. Excavating the area during soil removal will remove any current weeds from the surface. We then spread the weed preventer right over the soil before applying road base as a preventative measure.
Weed Barrier
Weed barrier is a cloth-like fabric that lays on the base. Although it's called weed barrier, it's not designed to stop weeds from poking through. It's used to prevent seeds from embedding themselves into the soil and developing roots in the ground. In our experience, weed barriers aren't worth it. Seeds still begin to grow on the surface of the weed barrier and they penetrate through the turf and sit on top. Often clients that opt for weed preventer still see weeds popping through the surface.
Our Recommendations
The best protection against weeds is the proper amount of road base and the application of weed preventer. When artificial grass is installed, it is a very strong weed barrier already. Most of the weeds that you see on artificial turf installations are around the perimeter. There’s no way to guarantee this won't occur, but we can help reduce the probability. We achieve this by removing a few more inches of soil around the perimeter than we did throughout the surface. We can also treat the perimeter with the weed killer if requested to further reduce the probability of weeds.
In conclusion, while we can't 100% guarantee no weeds will occur. They will, however, be greatly reduced when your turf is installed with quality materials. Pulling a weed or two every once in a while in comparison to mowing, trimming, watering, and fertilizing natural grass sounds pretty great to most of our customers. For any unanswered questions, feel free to give us a call!
