If you own any pets, then you want to provide them with the safest, healthiest environment possible so they can live a long and happy life with you. You likely also want to let them enjoy the beautiful outdoors — especially if you own a dog — but many pet owners aren’t aware of all the health and safety risks present in natural grass lawns.

If you’re seeking a safer landscaping alternative that you and your pets will enjoy, synthetic grass is the premier choice. Beautiful, cost-effective, and low-maintenance, pet turf will also enhance your furry friend’s safety in these key ways.

1. Prevents Bacteria Growth

Natural grass and other organic outdoor surfaces are vulnerable to the possibility of mold and mildew growth due to exposure to rain and other sources of moisture. As water pools on the surface of your lawn, your grass harbors bacteria which causes mold and mildew growth. Not only can these trigger allergies in your pet, but certain types of mold can accelerate health problems in ailing pets.

Synthetic grass, on the other hand, is installed with an ultra-efficient drainage system that keeps your landscape dry after even the most intense downpours. Pet turf drains at a rate of more than 30 inches per hour per square yard, so you don’t have to worry about pooling water or rapid mold growth. You can further eliminate the risk of any potential mold spores by choosing an antimicrobial infill material. Options such as Envirofill absorb moisture over time, inhibiting the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew and keeping your backyard safe for play 365 days a year.

2. Eliminates Poisonous Weeds

There are dozens of common weeds and wild plants that can harm or even kill your dog, including milkweed, oak acorns, tansy, hickory nuts, and pokeweed. While you can manually remove dangerous weeds from your natural grass lawn, they can easily spring up again and be ingested before you get to them. Herbicides to remove these weeds can also be toxic for your pet.

With artificial pet turf, you can eliminate the need for toxic herbicides and reduce the risk of poisonous weed growth by installing your synthetic grass with a weed barrier. Artificial turf already significantly reduces the risk of weed growth thanks to its synthetic nature and tightly woven backing, but the addition of a weed fabric during installation will make weed growth of any kind virtually impossible on your synthetic grass landscape.

3. Keeps Fleas and Other Pests Away

Fleas, ticks, and other pests are not only a nuisance, but they can also pose serious health risks to you and your pets. From Lyme disease to tick paralysis, the diseases caused by these pests aren’t something to take lightly.

Luckily, synthetic grass landscaping can help reduce the risk of these hazardous pests. Insects generally thrive in cool, moist areas, such as natural grass. Since artificial pet turf remains dry through its efficient drainage system, it’s a less desirable environment. Fleas and ticks also tend to prefer organic matter, so pet turf’s synthetic nature and lack of topsoil further discourage these insects from nesting and bothering your furry friends.

4. Avoids Toxic Chemicals

Most people with a natural grass lawn use chemical-based fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides in their yard to keep it healthy and weed-free. However, these chemicals can be toxic and harmful to your pets. Exposure to the chemicals in these lawn treatments can cause skin irritation, respiratory problems, and even cancer. They can also contaminate water sources and, therefore harm local wildlife even if you don’t have pets of your own to worry about.

With synthetic turf, you can eliminate the need for toxic chemicals thanks to pet turf’s evergreen nature. The polyethylene turf fibers remain perfectly vibrant all year long without the need for any maintenance chemicals. This not only saves you time and money on lawn maintenance, but it also makes your yard a safe place to be for your pets and any local creatures.

5. No Need for Mulch

Mulch and other organic materials are often used in traditional grass lawns to retain moisture, suppress weed growth, and encourage the growth of other plants. While these may seem like innocuous solutions, these substances can often be extremely harmful to your pets if eaten. Cocoa mulch is particularly dangerous as it contains theobromine, the same chemical found in chocolate.

By switching to pet turf, you no longer have to worry about these hazards. Artificial grass is never installed using mulch, and you can suppress weeds through non-toxic weed fabric underneath your turf installation. In fact, all materials used in pet turf installations, from the infill to the turf itself, are non-toxic and don’t pose any significant hazard to pets.

If you need further guidance in choosing the right wholesale artificial grass products and installation accessories for your pet-friendly turf installation, contact your local Synthetic Grass Warehouse location. At SGW Las Vegas, we can help you find the perfect synthetic grass products for your home or business. 

SGW Las Vegas has been an industry-leading artificial grass manufacturer and artificial turf distributor for more than 20 years, helping installers and homeowners alike with all their artificial grass installation needs. To find out more about our products or to receive guidance with your next turf grass installation, contact your local Synthetic Grass Warehouse facility today.