Arizona Natural Sod vs Artificial Turf

Have you contemplated the possibility of replacing your natural turfgrass lawn with artificial turf? You may think it’s the “green” thing to do, but you may be surprised to know the dangers of artificial turf. At West Coast Turf/Western Sod we feel strongly about the benefits of Arizona natural sod over artificial turf. Not only is natural turfgrass sod aesthetically more beautiful, a grass lawn benefits the environment.

Benefits of Arizona Natural Sod

  1. Natural Arizona sod is beneficial to the environment. Turfgrass is one of nature’s finest filters, helping to clean the air and recharge our groundwater supplies.
  2. Natural Arizona sod requires less water than you might think, as long as you water wisely (see our Sod Watering Guidelines) and follow appropriate Sod Maintenance Guidelines. When you choose the right turfgrass sod for our climate, your lawn can go many days without water.
  3. Sod reduces heat, glare and noise. On a hot summer day, a home lawn will be 30 degrees cooler than asphalt, 15 degrees cooler than bare soil, and up to 86.5 degrees cooler than artificial turf. The front lawns of 8 homes have the cooling effect in hot weather of about 70 tons of air conditioning.
  4. Your home value will increase with you install a sod lawn. In just one day, your bare soil becomes a lush, green lawn. Adding at top quality turfgrass from our Arizona sod farm immediately increases the market value of your home by 10-15%.

Hazards of Artificial Turf

  1. Artificial turf is not more economical than natural Arizona sod. The installation costs are many times greater with artificial turf and maintenance costs continue as well.
  2. Some artificial turf is made from ground rubber tires, which include toxic content that is prohibited from being disposed of in landfills or ocean dumping. How does this toxicity affect your family and where will this material be disposed when replacement is necessary?
  3. Artificial turf gets hot! Temperatures on artificial turf fields can be nearly 86.5 degrees hotter than natural grass lawns on an 81 degree Fahrenheit day. It’s way too hot for bare feet and how much heat are players being exposed to while playing there?
  4. The abrasiveness and hardness of artificial turf can result in additional injuries and some difficult-to-heal wounds. How does the toxicity of the materials affect open wounds?
  5. Maintaining clean conditions on an artificial turf field is a challenge. Removing bodily fluids and/or animal waste is a unique problem for artificial lawns and fields.
  6. Natural turfgrass is preferred by 88% of NFL players, and 96% believe that artificial turf contributes to injuries.
  7. Turfgrass lowers fire risks significantly. Imagine the danger to firefighters trying to fight a fire quickly with the heat and release of toxic fumes from the artificial turf?

What may seem like maintenance-free benefits with artificial turf just isn’t the case. To provide the safest and most beautiful lawn for your family or field, choose natural Arizona sod. At West Coast Turf/Western sod, we have nearly 30 years of experience in the turfgrass industry and have worked with major turfgrass clients including athletic stadiums, world-class golf courses, universities, and many more. Our turfgrass experts are available to answer your questions and help you choose the right sod for your property. Give us a call at 888-893-TURF(8873).

Share