All About Turf

When you hear the word turf, you probably have an image in your mind a golf course or a sports stadium covered with a very artificial-looking grass-like substance that never grows. However, these days there are a variety of kinds of turf out there, and people use them for a variety of purposes not limited to the golf course or sports stadium. In fact, when we use the term turf or sod, we are referring to the grass, a layer of soil beneath it, and the roots that hold the two together. It can have a similar quality and texture and can even grow. And believe it or not, if installed correctly the natural grass substitute can be more cost effective and better for the environment.

Advantages of Turf

Turf is most critical in areas where natural grass is unable to grow. By using it to develop or repair areas of one's lawn, one can prevent soil erosion and at the same time maintain a beautiful outdoor image. This can take place a lot more quickly and effectively than trying to bring back the original grass.

The most obvious advantage of turf is easier landscape maintenance. Unlike natural grass that too often requires pesticides and fertilizers, sod is more resilient on its own and doesn't need the constant upkeep that natural grass does. With little need for pesticides, fertilizers and other forms of maintenance necessary, turf can save money as well as time.

Another advantage of turf is in the area of safety and health. The lack of pesticide and fertilizer treatment has an added bonus for your family of removing the chemicals from your own. Also, there are fewer injuries in areas with the natural grass substitute because of its durability compared with natural grass. It is no surprise that people have been using and developing it for quite some time.

Finally there are the environmental benefits of sod. Again, the lack of fertilizers and pesticides reduces the contaminants that can be part of run-off. Turf also prevents soil erosion, absorbs rainwater, neutralizes pollutants and reduces runoff. An additional surprising environmental advantage is that an average size lawn with turf that can have a cooling effect equivalent to a home air conditioner making the landscape one of the coolest outside areas imaginable during the summer months..

Kinds of Turfs

Now that you are familiar with their advantages, what are some types of turfs that are popular with landscapers now? The two main types of turf are completely artificial or the polyethylene plastic grass and the kind that resembles natural grass in its look and substance.

If you are looking for a natural quality that will resemble natural grass and actually improve the environmental quality of the area, then the turf resembling natural grass is one to choose. There are numerous kinds of this kind of natural grass substitute like Sapphire Buffalo Grass, Palmetto Buffalo Grass, Kikuyu turf, and Couch Grass, all of which have their own special qualities and can seem indistinguishable from natural grass.


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River Mifsud is a subject matter expert on of growing grass. Read more at http://returf.com.au/buffalo-grass/ for more information about buffalo grass.