Purchase Green offers a creative solution to a large-scale problem; one that affects local and global communities. We have expertise in drought-tolerant landscaping that not only looks fantastic, but provides a sustainable approach to water usage and conservation, recyclability, and more.
Opting for synthetic turf over maintaining a traditional lawn is guaranteed to conserve water over time. According to the STC, “A typical grass sports field requires between 500,000 to a million gallons of water or more each year.” While this does depend on the geographical area and usual rainfall, maintaining a green space without regular watering is not feasible.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day. In areas, especially desert climates, where rainfall is low, this is simply not sustainable for ensuring water accessibility to all. Choosing a synthetic option for some or all of your green space can help you personally save hundreds of gallons of water per year.
The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that every square foot of natural grass replaced saves households between 400 and 750 dollars annually in water usage costs, depending on the size of the yard. Synthetic turfs provided by Purchase Green are low maintenance; they don’t require watering, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides.
Water conservation is of interest to all: individuals, businesses, and policymakers. Protection of water began in 1948 when the Clean Water Act was signed into law. Since then, water as a resource has been looked at in an entirely new way, as an entity with integrity and intrinsic value, driving the need for more drought-tolerant landscaping.
Concerns over periods of drought and water availability have increased in recent years. More individuals, and businesses, depending on their geographical location, may even be subject to water usage restrictions due to drought conditions. As of July 20, 2021, 40.1% of the U.S. is in drought, affecting 48 states.
Homeowners, landscapers, businesses, municipalities, and many others who wish to maintain their backyards, grounds, and sports fields may feel overwhelmed by water usage restrictions. They also may feel responsible for doing their part to limit water usage and wastage.
At Purchase Green, our remnants can be purchased online or in-store. Our online store displays an assortment of remnants at highly discounted rates. If a particular remnant found online does not meet consumers’ needs, we encourage them to visit a local Purchase Green store. Our stores have a more extensive selection of remnants and one of our team members will gladly help customers find the perfect remnant for their projects.
Because remnants vary in size and shape, the applications for these products are endless. In the past, customers have displayed their creativity by using remnants as table runners, mudroom mats, wall art, outdoor chess boards, shoe trays, rugs, coasters, doormats, and pet mats. Larger remnants are perfect for event centerpieces, mini soccer fields, gym areas, roof/deck applications, and mini-putting areas. Find out more about some spectacular DIY (Do It Yourself) remnant projects here or watch our remnant video below!
Cut two pieces of timber for the width and six pieces of timber for the length. You will need the four extra lengths to create inner joists. Position them in place before fixing together, to ensure that everything is the right size.
Step 3 – Assemble the base
Fix the outer frame together using an electric drill and screws. Next, place your inner joists within the frame and ensure they are equally spaced using a tape measure. Once you are happy, screw these lengths into the frame.
Building the shed
Step 1 – Lay down the floor
Lay down the floor of your shed on top of your platform. Check it is level using your spirit level. Once you’re happy, secure it in place.
Step 2 – Put up the walls
Erect your walls and secure them into place. You may need help from a family member in order to do this safely.
Step 3 – Attach the roof support bar
Measure the centre of your front and back panels to ensure that the roof support bar will be central. Fix this into position.
Step 4 – Adding the roof panels
You can now fix your roof panels to make the shed watertight. Once they are secure, you can add roofing felt, using felt tacks to keep it in place.
Step 5 – Attach trims and fascia boards
Finally, you can attach any trims which came with your shed, and fix the fascia boards on the front, covering the felt. You should pre-drill the holes to prevent them from splitting.
On long summer evenings, we all love to spend time in the garden with friends and family and have a barbecue. By creating your own outdoor bar, you can entertain your guests all night long. This is a great idea for your back garden, as well as for restaurants and pubs.
You can build your own structure using timber, or for an easy alternative, you can use a wooden shed as the main structure. Follow our helpful instructions to build your own outdoor bar or for general garden bar ideas to make the most of your summer evenings.
Before You Start
Before you start building, you need to prepare the area in which you’ll be building your bar. Remove any garden furniture or debris, sweep up any leaves, and ensure that the ground is level. If this preparation requires moving or lifting heavy items, ensure that you ask a family member for help.
You will need a fair amount of equipment to ensure that your outdoor bar is safely put together. We have included the equipment to build a platform for your bar to sit on, as well as the recommended shed style for your bar.
Following the preparation stage, you should now look to apply a non-oil-based moss killer onto the artificial grass/lawn. However, for the best results, we recommend doing so when the moss is actively growing and only when weather conditions are dry and no moisture is present/anticipated for several hours.
It is also vitally important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as not all moss killers are the same. Following this, you should look to thoroughly rinse off the moss killer (if the manufacturer states). Once the moss has dried out and died, you will need to sweep/rake it to one side to make collecting and binning it easier.
And that’s it – for now at least! We do recommend that you reapply the moss killer once every few weeks if you continue to see moss growth.
If you need any further advice on artificial grass maintenance, get in touch with our friendly team.
Now that we have shared a few reasons for installing landscape fabric for synthetic turf, it’s time to explain why weed barrier is not right for some artificial grass projects.
When You Have Pets Who Go to the Bathroom Outdoors If you have pets that will use artificial turf as a bathroom, you should be aware that weed barrier fabric will soak up liquid waste and create lasting odors. This is the main reason why some people with artificial turf choose not to install weed barrier.
However, if you have pets and still want to benefit from the protection and stability of weed barrier fabric, you can use a turf deodorizer like ZeoFill infill. ZeoFill infill is made of 100% natural materials and prevents the ammonium in pet urine from turning into a bad-smelling gas.
ZeoFill infill is just one of several pet-friendly options when choosing infill for your artificial turf.
If You Want to Remove Your Artificial Grass in the Future Weed barrier fabric is excellent at preventing soil aeration and stopping weed growth, but this also leads to less healthy soil. This could be a problem if you decide to remove the artificial grass at some point and choose to grow a garden. The ground covered by the weed barrier cloth will not be conducive to thriving plant life, and you will have difficulty growing a garden there.
Wondering why you should invest in a weed barrier? A weed barrier:
1. Blocks Weed Growth
The fabric blocks sunlight from reaching the soil. Weeds need sunlight to grow. Even if a stubborn weed pops its head out of the ground beneath your artificial grass, the weed barrier cloth physically stops the weed from reaching the artificial turf. As its name suggests, it acts as a barrier between the weed and the synthetic turf.
2. Prevents Soil Aeration
When soil is aerated, more oxygen gets into the soil, promoting weed growth. One of the most significant natural sources of soil aeration is the earthworm, eating its way through the soil, loosening it up, and leaving tunnels for water, nutrients, and air to reach weed seeds buried in the dirt.
The more earthworms in your soil, the more likely it is that weeds will be able to grow and thrive. Landscape cloth for synthetic turf is a barrier that will keep the earthworms at bay. They won’t want to live where they can’t reach the surface. With fewer earthworms, weeds will have a more challenging time reaching your turf.
3. Provides Ground Stabilization
You want a solid base for your artificial turf. If there is loose or rocky soil beneath your artificial turf, you could end up with bumps and dips that make it less comfortable to walk on. Weed barrier fabric adds stability, especially if it is a woven weed barrier. It provides an extra layer of firmness and helps prevent soil erosion, so you don’t have to worry about the elements destroying the base of your artificial turf.
4. Protects Synthetic Grass
Besides stabilizing the ground beneath the artificial grass, the weed barrier cloth cushions the artificial turf from whatever is in the soil beneath it. Sharp debris, such as pebbles and rocks, can puncture your artificial grass (if there is no base layer). A layer of weed barrier cloth under your turf adds protection. You want to avoid punctures in your synthetic grass because they can weaken the turf and make it susceptible to more damage.
5. Prevents Base Contamination
Weed barrier can separate the native soil from the base layer (also known as the sub-base layer). If contaminants are in your native soil, you could also get impurities in the base layer unless weed barrier fabric is in place. A weed barrier helps keep the base layer clean.
Weed barrier for artificial grass is a geo-textile fabric that is installed as a synthetic turf underlayment. It is also known as weed barrier cloth, weed block fabric, and landscaping fabric. Weed barrier is typically made from polyester or polypropylene. It comes in woven or non-woven styles.
