On the internet, everyone has their opinion, and one user took to Reddit to get an answer for a question they had long been pondering: to artificial turf or not to artificial turf?
In their post, which was shared in the r/Ireland forum, the Redditor asked for the others' opinions on artificial grass. They stated that their "missus" wanted to get the lawn substitute because of its perceived ease of use. "She essentially refuses to do any garden work and thinks we should get fake grass as it's less hassle," the poster explained.
The user also noted that their beloved pooch had dug up the real grass, which makes it a good time to consider switching over. And based on the replies in the comment section, it's clear that this user will be thinking again.
Artificial grass poses numerous risks to human and environmental health — besides often just looking tacky. There have been recent studies linking fake turf in baseball fields to cancer, as well as studies about the movement of "forever chemicals" like PFAs into waterways and soil from the plastic substrate.
Although the user implies that the artificial lawn will be less work, that's actually not the case. Fake grass must be watered to keep the smell of pet urine off of it and keep it cool enough for folks to walk or play on.
Other users in the comment section were quick to express their feelings toward artificial lawns.
"Artificial grass can be a lot of work if you have a dog. It can smell pretty quickly and attract flies. I knew someone who had it and it became infested with maggots even though it was sprayed down every day," one person noted.
"It's terrible for biodiversity and contributes to flooding," another pointed out. Since the water has nowhere to absorb, it can create an issue with drainage. Meanwhile, there's no food for important pollinators that help bring life to the garden.
Although plain grass isn't as biodiverse as a lush garden filled with native plants, it is a step in the right direction away from artificial lawns.
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