Artificial Turf Maintenance Considerations
The case for or against artificial turf could come down to a matter of cost as you have to not only compare the initial cost of the purchase and installation of the turf but also the expense of the artificial turf maintenance. We are talking about artificial turf that is used for playing surfaces such as soccer, lacrosse and American Football fields in this case.
The cost of natural grass is quite extensive given that a top quality surface must be re-laid each year to ensure a consistency of coverage. As an example, Wembley Stadium has been re-laid 5 times since it reopened in 2007. Other major stadiums require constant turf replacement and even full replacement of turf during a season. The expense of this constant laying of the turf adds up to an enormous cost.
On the other hand an artificial turf stadium only has to be laid once and they are usually guaranteed to last for at least 10 years, most for considerably longer than that.
On the natural grass side the maintenance tasks and expenses are constant with watering, mowing fertilizing and spraying required to keep the surface at the optimum level throughout an entire season. Add to that the ground staff salaries as a significant expense and we are, again, talking large amounts of money.
But here is where artificial turf doesn’t necessarily streak away. There are maintenance tasks that must be carried out, even with a synthetic turf surface. The surface of the grass must be regularly cleaned and groomed to maintain the quality of the grass and to ensure that the fibers do not become compressed. Dirt and other debris must be removed when it builds up and with so much activity taking place on the ground, there is going to be quite a quick build up of foreign objects to remove.
There are significant costs involved in the equipment required to carry out the grooming and other maintenance tasks for artificial turf. However, it’s a one-time expense. Once you’ve bought the equipment you can virtually expect it to last for the life of the artificial grass.
So artificial turf is not a cheap option but it is probably going to work out to be cheaper than having to maintain natural grass over the long term. Those who are forward thinking enough to do the sums will no doubt come to the conclusion that paying now is going to save you money down the track.