Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: It is good to have turf around the home 6Aug 14, 2010 4:35 pm Planned Landscape Constructions http://www.plannedlandscape.com.au Find us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... 9907611509 Re: It is good to have turf around the home 7Aug 14, 2010 6:03 pm Many choices regarding real turf stem from poor advice or poor maintenance from under skilled contractors and Horticultural people. This is something that must be addressed from our side of the fence. Another is poor turf selection and you know my views on couch. It only relates to domestic situations as couch in commercial and professional situations is sensational when managed professionally. Most of the WA lawns would be couches. It is also an exception to a rule that it is well cared for. If most Perth and SW domestic gardens had varieties like Sir Walter, Palmetto and Empire Zoysia I doubt very much that we would see people taking to plastic grass. I can tell you know that nearly every garden round me has more couch in the garden than on the lawn and that often looks better than the lawn area. That is followed by a hideous amount of weedkillers entering the ecosystem as well as unnecessary use of pesticides to control fictitious problems. The home owners are bombarded with conflicting advice from garden centres and lawn mowing contractors which either way is costing them $ in water from poor irrigation choices and in maintenance. It is our various industries doing it to our selves really and the public struggle to understand what to do. We use water when we shouldn't and we as various industries and the public don't do adequate soil prep to ensure the lawn grows easily and efficiently. Follow the advice found here by many professionals (funny how so many never use plastic grass ) with the right soil prep, the correct choices for domestic landscapes and you will love your lawn not cook from plastic grass and chemicals Use and include shade trees in your designs, look to using turf only where another plant option can't be used so it is done better. At a recent seminar here in WA by the ever wonderful Monty Don, the question was asked by someone about the plastic grass trend and his answer was that he feels people are too confused and making uninformed choices It sparked much debate. I want my kids to remember what it's like to lay on the lawn in summer, smell what healthy soil smells like, get grass stains on their knees playing and feel the coolness under a tree in summer and they will see the things that live in among the lawn. I bet all of us have fond memories of little things like that Re: It is good to have turf around the home 8Aug 14, 2010 6:14 pm Folks have a look at this short video by Homeone member Nigel Ruck and Sir Walter advocate It makes some very valid points about the use of plastic grass, and as I have mentioned, there is a time and a place for it. Lets take a look Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ (sorry Nigel, they used a frame where you are pulling a head/face ) http://www.sirwalter.com.au/webisodes.h ... link&id=27 Also make good use of this resource with many good tips for lawns. http://www.sirwalter.com.au/webisodes.html Re: It is good to have turf around the home 10Aug 14, 2010 6:35 pm Good video that one, especially the temp comparison. We've done a couple of jobs with synthetic because the owner stressed they wanted it, and it's not just the plastic grass that gets warm but the granular rubber infill as well. Planned Landscape Constructions http://www.plannedlandscape.com.au Find us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= ... 9907611509 Re: It is good to have turf around the home 11Aug 14, 2010 7:43 pm I have in the past posted the links relating to studies done by both the French Government and Californian Government to do with that very topic. It was also a topic put in print by Organic Gardener Magazine last year or the year before. Opens a can of worms on the subject They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? Any drainage behind sleeper? 3 6312 Thanks splashers, that makes sense. The waterproofing guy used this Davco product, I will raise the issue with builder and hopefully get resolved with him - if not… 2 13090 |