JoAnne Skelly: Artificial turf, good or bad?

Every so often we have a wet year with heavy snow that seems to solve all our water challenges. However, the overall trend is always toward aridity. Even after this amazingly wet winter, water efficiency and conservation should still be the norm going forward.

In light of that, some people consider replacing living lawns with artificial turf. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The benefits of synthetic turf over a natural lawn seem obvious: less water and less maintenance. No more watering, mowing, fertilizing or weeding. It’s green and neat looking all year. It fills in spots where grass won’t grow, like in the shade or on slopes.

However, manmade lawn is costly to install, particularly if a drainage system is required. This initial cost might be offset over time by reducing the expenses of water, fertilizers and paying landscapers. And, while these products can last 20 or more years, they may deteriorate more quickly in high traffic areas and in our desert sun. If artificial turf is removed, it ends up at a landfill and is not biodegradable.

Artificial turf has no cooling effect. It gets hot and warms the surrounding air. Think of standing on plastic mat in full sun all day. Some installations include watering systems to keep the material cooler, which reduces water-savings.

Another possible downside is that synthetic turf and the underlying pad are petroleum-based products, with the pad possibly made of recycled tires. Since current research is limited, we don’t know how safe these materials are for children and pets.

In 2018, research that sports injuries increased on artificial turf was published by The American Journal of Sports Medicine (2018. Mack, C.D., E.B. Hershman and R.W. Kent. “Higher Rates of Lower Extremity Injury Rates on Synthetic Turf Compared with Natural Turf Among NFL Athletes.” https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546518808499).

With living grass, water soaks into the soil reducing runoff and pollution. And, while artificial turf is designed to let water through, it may not soak in as deeply. Runoff can carry contaminating chemicals from the turf into waterways.

Organisms no longer live under synthetic turf, eliminating food for birds, insects, and other wildlife. This loss of biodiversity is not eco-friendly. On the other hand, the installation of a wire mesh underneath prevents mole, vole, or ground squirrel damage.

While there is no mowing, there is sweeping, vacuuming, or washing surfaces to keep them clean, as well as raking to make the “blades” stand up. Dog feces contamination is a problem. Artificial turf can trap bacteria and may need to be treated with a biocide.

If you are considering artificial turf, you may want to read this article from the New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-artificial-grass/#value-costs-maintenance-and-why-we-decided-against-artificial-turf.

JoAnne Skelly is Associate Professor & Extension Educator Emerita at University of Nevada Cooperative Extension. Email skellyj@unr.edu.