Alternative Grass: Eco-friendly Lawn Options for your Garden

Alternative Grass: Eco-friendly Lawn Options for your Garden

Your lawn requires dozens of gallons daily to retain its lush and vibrant color. Maintaining your grass lawn can cost you thousands of dollars each year. However, did you know there is an affordable alternative to your traditional lawn? Enter synthetic alternative grass.

If you want eco-friendly artificial grass in your yard, then installing synthetic grass turfs as an alternative to grass lawns is highly recommended.

What Does “Eco-Friendly Lawn” Mean?

An eco-friendly lawn is a type of yard that can decrease energy usage, conserve water, and reduce pollution. The term “eco-friendly” generally refers to something that doesn’t harm the environment.

Most eco-friendly lawns are designed to consume less water and require little maintenance. They also don’t require as many pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers as any regular lawn.

The most popular alternative to grass in the backyard is to replace it with drought-resistant plants such as wildflowers, clovers, perennials, and herbs.

Other eco-friendly grass alternatives include using mulch backyard instead of grass. artificial turfs, ground covers, and decomposed granite.

eco-friendly lawn

Why Choose Alternative to Grass in Backyard?

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American household consumes about 320 gallons of water daily. Fifteen percent of that water, or 48 gallons, is used in watering their lawns.

Choosing grass alternatives, such as synthetic grass or artificial turf, can help reduce residential and water consumption. Some grass alternative ground covers are also made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles or tires. Hence, it can help the environment by limiting the number of plastic ending up in the ocean or other fragile ecosystems.

Synthetic turf lasts 25 years or more, and its aesthetic value is just as good as the real thing. You can also choose the design elements of your synthetic turf based on its textures, colors, blade lengths, and materials.

Meanwhile, using mulch instead of grass is cheaper and requires less maintenance than traditional grass lawns. Furthermore, they help reduce weed growth and help control erosion in your yard. Additionally, they are an excellent method of turning poor soil into nutrient-rich ground.

Overall, choosing eco-friendly artificial grass is not only good for the environment, but it’s also good for your wallet.

alternative to grass in backyard

Some Types of Alternative Grass

We are aware that conventional lawns are bad for the environment. The lush, carpet-like grass that covers a large portion of suburban North America needs to be cut frequently, which uses up resources and creates pollution. It also consumes water and pollutes our rivers with dangerous runoff from chemical fertilizers.

  • Eco-Friendly Ground Covers

Groundcovers are the ideal grass substitute since they spread across the ground but don’t become very tall. These low-maintenance plants spread fast, smother weeds, and fill up cracks in the ground. Which groundcovers will work best in your yard ultimately depends on the environment where you live and the design of your landscaping.

Some incredible examples of groundcovers include creeping herbs like oregano and thyme, Asian star jasmine, Barberry cotoneaster, and the Japanese sweet flag. These plants are great in bright, sunny areas.

  • Artificial Turf as an Alternative to Grass Lawn

Artificial grass is among the lowest maintenance surfaces available. Faux grass emerged in the 1970s and evolved into a contemporary, eco-friendly landscaping alternative since it requires no upkeep. Its numerous variations are remarkably lifelike and don’t need to be watered, fertilized, mowed, or controlled for weeds.

You can build a lush, green yard that is practically maintenance-free and eco-friendly with careful design and planting, giving you a beautiful area to enjoy. And the most significant part is that you may select from various backyard artificial grass and pavers options.

grass alternative ground cover

  • Wildflowers

Wildflowers are a great alternative to lawns since they only need to be mowed once each season and require minimal upkeep or additional water after they have been established. Some landscapists advise homeowners to blend wildflowers, combining various species and placing them side-by-side on the lawn.

Although wildflower seeds can also be sowed in the fall, some can be lost to water, birds, and other animals. Direct sow the annual species in early spring to get the most out of them.

You could pick a fescue seed choice if you want something that more closely resembles a typical lawn and can withstand foot activity. The Poaceae grass family includes flowering plants called fescues.
Because of their deep roots and sluggish growth, they require less watering and mowing regularly.

  • Mulch and Gravel

Mulch is frequently used to cover the soil’s top layer. They are created by decomposing plant materials, including compost, leaves, tree bark, and grass clippings. They can also enhance soil quality and control weed growth. Additionally, you may use them to prevent the earth from drying up by the sun’s rays, conserving water.

Your garden’s aesthetic appeal is not just dependent on plants, flowers, and grass. Gravel, pebbles, and wood are other hardscape components that may improve the overall appearance of your grass.

Choose porous materials for the driveway on your lawn so that water may soak into the soil and rocks beneath. This technique will make drawing moisture from the underlying soil simpler. Asphalt, concrete blocks, and gravel are examples of permeable pavers.

Traditional lawns might be doing more harm to the environment, given the amount of water and other resources required to keep them. Using alternative grass and other eco-friendly alternatives to grass can help solve this problem.

If you need the best artificial lawn in Las Vegas has to offer, make sure to contact the best artificial company– Festival Turf.