Mom issues warning about one of her biggest mistakes as homeowner: 'Slowly decomposes'

Thatveganmomof2 (@thatveganmomof2) recently opened up to her TikTok followers about her landscaping regrets as a homeowner.

Needless to say, she won't be installing artificial turf if she moves again.

@thatveganmomof2

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The Arizona resident admits she fell for marketing claims lauding turf as an "eco-friendly option," when in reality it is a plastic product that leaches chemicals.

Those chemicals seep into soil and "whoever touches it as it very slowly decomposes," she adds.

Studies have shown that turf contains harmful PFAS and microplastics. The slow leaching of toxic material contrasts with the idea of low maintenance and price. Due to retained odors, it can even stink.

Turf installation can cost between $7,400 and $9,350 on average for mid-quality artificial grass, with a 20% price increase if nylon turf is used, according to LawnStarter. However, the low costs of upgrading your yard with natural alternatives like native plants and rain gardens continue after they're established.

According to Wild Ones, the cost of enough prairie seed mix to cover 1,000 square feet of landscape ranges from $50 to $100 — and it won't require irrigation or fertilizer. These spaces mostly manage themselves through natural ecological processes such as pollinator activity.

However, those plant-sowing pollinators can't feed off of or nest in turf. So the type of landscape one has can either aid or detract from the food chain that all life needs. Without the natural cooling properties of grass, a landscape with turf becomes very hot, especially in arid Arizona.

"Heat radiating from the turf last year killed so many of my plants!" thatveganmomof2 notes.

Thanks to this material's urban heat island effect, it can absorb enough heat to burn bare feet and exacerbate heat illness in children.

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After thatveganmomof2 removed the turf, she gave it away. While she replaced it with grass, she could have gone an even more eco-friendly route through xeriscaping, clover, or a native garden, as grass will need frequent watering.

Several commenters suggested a "clover yard" to which the TikToker responded: "It doesn't live through summer here."

However, the right conditions, such as maintaining partial shade, planting in the fall to establish strong roots in cooler months, and using a neutral pH soil, can produce a clover garden in Arizona.

"Grass tips, please! I have zero experience with grass," she added. A commenter advised using a succulent like buffalo grass.

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