What does Pet Friendly Artificial Grass mean?



We fit and supply a lot of artificial grass for our customers and many of them initially ask "do you supply pet friendly artificial grass"? The confusion is, what does this actually mean? Some believe that it means the dogs urine won't stain the grass, others think that it means that it is ideal for pets/dogs while most believe that it's resistant to the dogs urine odours. The truth of the matter is that almost all fake lawn on the market these days is classed as child and pet friendly.

So what does pet friendly actually mean? In simplest terms, it means, that it will not harm your pet, because it does not contain any harmful elements such as lead, cadmium and zinc. It has no relevance whatsoever, to the ability of the fake grass to deter dog urine odours, in fact the majority of artificial grass on the market is actually the cheaper pet friendly latex backed grass which absorbs water and thus absorbs dog urine which of course holds smells that are extremely difficult to remove, if not impossible. The only grass that should be used for dog toilet areas is PU backed or on some occasions, anti bacterial mesh backed fake grass because they don't absorb the urine. Never, if you can avoid it, install latex backed grass if the area is to be used for your dog to toilet on or it is very likely to result in unpleasant odours, even although the grass will be classed as pet friendly and will have drainage holes just like almost all fake grass does. PU backed grass also holds in the grass blades far better than latex backed so it is far more durable.

The installation method for dog areas is quite different too, for example the weed membrane should be installed under the substructure and never directly under the astrograss itself. The sub-base itself ideally should be built from a layer of granite or limestone chippings (Type1 without the dust) and then a layer of 6mm drainage stone at the top. This method is recommended as it allows a very fast drainage system when compared to using the usual Type1 and whindust method. It should also be noted that sand should never be used because it will absorb and hold the urine, it's an ideal medium for growing weeds plus it will gradually wash away and sink.

Conclusion

The ideal dog area installation should be constructed from PU backed artificial grass and a very fast draining substructure to help avoid the urine odours.