WHY SPREAD SAND ON ARTIFICIAL GRASS?
Decorative artificial grass has long blades ranging in height from 25mm to 45mm. Such blades of grass need support in order to stand up straight. In products without a thatch (synthetic moss or rootzone), this is achieved with the help of a layer of sand approx. 2cm deep. The photo is a close-up shot of Royal Grass Exclusive. You can see a layer of white sand with on top of it a layer of special brown sand to create the visual effect. There’s a big difference!
BENEFITS OF SAND FILL
Using sand fill has a number of benefits. These benefits apply to all types of artificial grass, either with or without thatch.
- One of the sand’s functions is to weigh down the artificial grass. The extra weight means that the grass stays in place and doesn’t need to be fixed in any other way.
- The sand provides stability and protects the turf. As a result, no wrinkles or folds develop through use.
- The sand also surrounds the long blades of artificial grass and ensures that they remain erect.
- An additional benefit of filling with sand is that it helps make the grass more fire resistant, for example in case the barbecue is knocked over onto the grass.
Whichever type of artificial grass you choose, we would advise you always to use sand fill (except for indoor use). Ultimately, it increases the lifespan of the artificial grass.
YOUR ARTIFICIAL GRASS IS MORE ATTRACTIVE WITH SAND FILL
You probably won’t expect it, but your artificial lawn will really be more attractive with sand fill. Not only does sand help the fibres stand up straighter, but by brushing in the sand, the fibres come to stand in different positions, which looks more natural. This benefit becomes more obvious over time. It slows the process of your lawn becoming flattened through walking.
FACTS ABOUT SAND FILL
A special kind of sand is used for artificial grass. You mustn’t confuse this filling sand with ‘soil’. The sand is specially developed for this purpose.
- The sand fill is clean and is not a nourishing substrate for weeds.
- The sand fill doesn’t absorb water, so your lawn drains perfectly and dries quickly after a rain shower. It doesn’t turn to mud!
- The sand is heavy. It doesn’t blow out of the grass. You can also simply use a leaf blower to remove leaves from the lawn.
- You won’t have any problem with sand being walked out of the grass. It’s covered by the fibres.
- Children can happily crawl on the grass without being bothered by the sand.
TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL GRASS
Below are close-ups of the different types of artificial grass. You can imagine that in the case of grass without synthetic moss, sand is absolutely essential to keep the fibres standing up straight.
In the grass type with moss, you can see how the moss supports the grass fibres. You can also appreciate that every time the fibres are walked on, they’re ‘trodden flat’. A thin layer of sand prevents this to a great extent.
