When is The Best Time to Install Artificial Turf?
Congratulations! So you’ve decided to have artificial grass installed. It’s a wise choice. In the long term you’ll be saving yourself a great deal of time and energy in never having to mow, weed, or water your traditional grass lawn again. Instead, you’ll be able to enjoy your new space, safe in the knowledge that waterlogged areas, muddy puddles and squelchy underfoot conditions are a thing of the past.
No doubt you’ll now be wondering when would be the best time of year to go ahead and actually have your new artificial grass installed. Obviously the answer to this question will vary according to individual need. If you have a young family who enjoy playing football in the back garden during the long school summer holiday, or you like to host summer drinks parties with friends, these are factors to bear in mind.
It may come as a surprise to learn that you can in fact install an artificial grass surface at any time of year, even winter. Installation techniques may vary according to seasonal temperature changes, but there really is no right or wrong time of year to carry out this type of work.
In order to be able to make an informed decision around when would be the right time for you, your lawn surface and your needs, let’s take a closer look at the seasonal pros and cons of installing your new artificial lawn.
As Fresh As Springtime
The weather becomes milder, days begin to lengthen and it’s traditionally a time to prepare gardens for summer. This would probably be a good time to install your new lawn surface as weather is generally consistent, the ground is soft for excavation works and you’ll have an attractive new outdoor space in time for summer.
However, April is known for its Spring showers, in which case the lawn is likely to be waterlogged and difficult to work with. Remember – it’s always recommended that ground surfaces are dry before installing new artificial lawns, so this could be a problem if damp weather persists.
Soaking Up The Summer Sun
From a climate perspective, summer would definitely be an ideal time to install your new artificial lawn. The greatest advantage of this would be long periods of dry, sunny weather and longer hours of daylight – essential for your synthetic lawn to acclimatise. This means leaving it for at least 24 hours before cutting and securing it to the required shape.
One potential negative is that children may be home from school, keen to play out in the garden and therefore liable to get under your feet, making installation of your lawn awkward. As it only takes a day or two to fully acclimatise and install your new surface though, keeping the children occupied elsewhere would be a good idea.
Fall Into Autumn
Autumn is another good time of year for installing artificial grass, as the weather can be quite pleasant still. There will be less disruption or inconvenience to family and damage to overhanging shrubs, bushes, plants, etc and the ground is likely to be soft.
If you’re installing your grass to any existing surface, ie, decking, concrete or paving, do make sure that surfaces are dry. If there has been any volume of rain in the previous days, it’s likely that adhesive will not bond correctly. Obviously, not only will this be a waste of time, but also a most costly error.
Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
Your garden will be inactive during winter, making access to your lawn easier and there’s less likelihood of damaging any plants.
Days are shorter though, meaning it gets darker earlier, limiting your time to work. Weather is extremely unpredictable, the ground may remain wet owing to prolonged raining spells, frost, ice or even snow.
So, When Should I Get Started?
As can be seen, there’s no ‘set in stone’ best time to install your artificial lawn. It’s simply a matter of balancing personal life circumstances around the good old British weather.
That said, September is often a good month weather wise, the children are back to school and summer has taken its toll with constant wear and tear. Instead of worrying but having to spend time weeding and mowing, perhaps now’s the ideal opportunity to go ahead with installing your new artificial lawn surface. From here on in, as winter and Christmas approaches, time becomes in shorter supply and the weather less predictable.
AsGoodAsGrass can supply and fit appropriate artificial lawn surfaces for any domestic, commercial or leisure use. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the best time to install your new lawn, advise on lead times, give quotations and discuss individual requirements.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0161 207 3007 or email info@asgoodasgrass.co.uk
