How To Maintain Artificial Grass in Winter
As the leaves begin to fall and the darker nights draw in, it can only mean one thing. Winter is well on the way.
The colder temperatures at this time of year have an impact on the day-to-day lives of all of us, and the way it is going to affect our homes is always a consideration. In particular, people are often concerned about how their garden or outdoor space is going to cope with the cold weather.
If you own artificial grass, you may be wondering what you can do to keep it looking and performing at its best during these months.
In this article, the team at Easigrass Northants will explain the things you can do to ensure your turf remains in top condition at this time of year.
How Does Winter Affect Artificial Grass?
Before we go into detail about some of the things you can do to maintain your artificial grass in winter, it’s important to understand how the turf is affected during the colder months.
The good news is that most artificial grass, and particularly our range at Easigrass Northants, is extremely durable. This means that they’re able to handle the most adverse weather conditions.
During winter, your grass is more likely to experience extreme weather such as snow, ice and wind. Despite this, it’s highly unlikely that this weather will have any lasting effects on your turf.
At most, you may experience a slightly harder surface due to the grass freezing. However, these effects will be temporary.
Even still, it’s important to be aware that the ground is harder than usual, especially if you have children or pets who like to play outside.
Now that we’ve discussed the potential effects of winter weather on artificial grass, let’s look at some of the things you can do to maintain it…
Avoid Anti-Freeze
As mentioned above, if the temperature dips below 0°C, then it’s likely that your artificial grass may temporarily freeze. While it might sound unpleasant or feel unusual to walk on, and be much harder than you’re used to, it’s important to understand that no lasting damage will occur to the fibres.
If you’re tempted to use antifreeze to prevent the grass from freezing, don’t! Anti-freeze products are not suitable for artificial grass and include chemicals that can have harmful side effects. Similarly, throwing salt or grit down is also not recommended as it can prevent the grass’ drainage system from working effectively.
Our advice is to simply let the frozen grass naturally return to its normal state.
Use Tarpaulin For Snow
Again, you really don’t need to protect your artificial grass from snow. It’s more than capable of handling even the wildest snowy conditions itself.
However, if you really don’t want a winter wonderland aesthetic for your garden, you can lay down a tarpaulin sheet to catch the snow if you know it’s coming in the forecast. Failing that, a simple snow shovel will do the trick.
Remove Fallen Leaves
Leaves falling from the trees is a sure sign that autumn and winter are well on the way. Heavy wind can cause trees to drop leaves on your pristine artificial lawn. While this isn’t a huge issue, we do recommend you remove fallen leaves either by hand or with a leaf blower.
This is because particles from decomposing leaves can end up clogging the artificial grass’ drainage system and could cause larger problems, such as flooding.
Other than what we’ve mentioned in this article, there isn’t a great deal you need to do to protect your artificial grass during winter. This is because all of the artificial grass that the team at Easigrass Northants supplies is durable and extremely low maintenance. To find out more about the range of products we supply and install across Northampton, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and beyond, contact our team today.
