Opinions on artificial turf/lawn

[kira000]

I asked a qustion earlier about whether you could returf at this time of year, and got a nearly unanimous no!

Had a network feezing glitch and my question was deleted as a result of multiple sending.

One suggestion was using artificial turf instead.
Has anyone had any eperience with this?
Is it a reasonable option- if you go for a decent quality one that is.

Thoughts?

[voltr4m4x]

Yes, using artificial turf is highly expensive, as I explained in my previous post to you (which appears to have been "lost" in the glitch that you have recently experienced).

I have a friend who was the Head Groundsman at Loftus Road (home of Queens Park Rangers Football Club) who tells me that in 1984-85 the Club experimented with artificial grass for one complete season but the idea was abandoned for a number of reasons (which we need not go into right now) BUT among which included the fact that the turf was easily torn, was susceptible to flooding, and the undersoil was unable to breathe naturally. Huge sections of the turf needed to be replaced almost weekly.
Now...I realise you are not likely to be playing football on your front lawn but the whole concept is thwart with problems - after all, it isn't grass grown naturally, it's plastic which will contract over a short period of time and then you have to replace it, again at some expense.

If you are still wishing to give it a go, then I wish you luck !!!