With the abundance of plastic and artificial gardens out there, it's always refreshing to find people willing to put in the work to create something of their own.
This homeowner turned to the r/GardeningUK subreddit for advice on removing the plastic grass already installed at their newly purchased house, as they wanted to plant their own grass and start a garden but had little direction on how to proceed.
"I've never had a garden before and it's all a bit overwhelming but I have a vision in my head of a wildlife-friendly, fertile and veg-filled garden! Please help me get there," the post read.
Luckily, help was on the way in the comments, as users offered the safest and most cost-effective ways to remove the grass. Artificial turf like this not only prevents worms and other insects that help break down the soil, but also creates a larger carbon impact by inhibiting photosynthesis in the soil.
The plastics in artificial turf also get much hotter than regular grass during the same time, potentially contributing to the heat island effect and even causing burns. The plastic can also break down, exposing both humans and wildlife to microplastics and PFAS contamination, ultimately making the soil less healthy in the long run.
By removing artificial turf like this and implementing your garden, you open it up to the natural world and can create a more beneficial environment.
"Do a bit of research into what kind of lawn you might like. If your goals are to have a wildlife-friendly garden, you might want to consider more than your standard grass," one user commented, aligning with a list of helpful advice for OP to help them decide on how they wanted to approach installing the new lawn.
Planting a native garden is perhaps the most beneficial option, as native plants are more attractive to pollinators in your area, which can help other plants grow, particularly those that contribute to maintaining our scarce food supply and tend to require much less manual maintenance to keep them in good shape.
Artificial turf requires a large sum of money upfront for materials and installation, and it degrades over time. Native plants and lawns help you save money and time by requiring less overall lawn maintenance and resources, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a year on water, mowing, and fertilizer.
Other lawn replacements, such as clover and buffalo grass, are also low-maintenance and more resilient to weather events like droughts. You can also refer to these as xeriscaping lawns, and more and more people are seeing results by replacing their lawns in this manner.
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If you were to switch from a grass lawn to a more natural option, which of these factors would be your primary motivation?
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Making it look better 🌱 Several others in the original posts offered their insights on how to replace the OP's lawn safely and affordably.
"Have a look at the no dig method, you could remove the membrane underneath, fill with compost and have a huge veg patch and add your own paths in!" one of them commented under the post.
"I had exactly the same as you described. One thing I found useful is that I saved all the sand (it may look like a thin layer but it's a lot!) then when I'd removed the rock layer I mixed the sand in with the very clay-ey soil," said another.
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