Why do I need to spread sand on astro turf grass for my garden?

Decorative artificial grass has long blades of grass ranging in height from 25 to 45mm. These blades of grass need to be supported in order to stay upright. Products without thatch (synthetic moss or rootzone) need the help of a sand layer of approx. 2cm deep. This photo is a close-up of Royal Grass® Exclusive. There is a layer of white sand with on top of it a layer of special brown sand to create a natural effect. This makes quite the difference!

BENEFITS OF SAND FILL

Sand fill has a number of advantages which apply to all types of artificial grass, both with thatch and without.

Sand weighs down the artificial grass. With this extra weight the grass stays in place and does not need to be fixed in any other way.
Sand provides stability and protects the artificial grass. Thanks to the sand fill your artificial lawn will not get wrinkles or folds.
Sand surrounds the long blades of artificial grass so the blades will remain standing upright.
Sand makes your artificial lawn more resistant to fire.

Whichever type of artificial grass you choose, we recommend you to always use sand fill (except for indoor use). After all, the lifetime of artificial grass can be extended thanks to sand.

YOUR ARTIFICIAL LAWN LOOKS MORE NATURAL

This is something you probably did not know, but artificial grass looks more attractive with sand fill for a number of reasons. Firstly, the grass fibres will be standing upright thanks to the sand and secondly if you brush the sand into your artificial lawn the fibres will come to stand in different positions, making it look more natural. This benefit becomes clearer and clearer over time. The sand slows down the process where artificial grass becomes flattened through walking.

ARTIFICIAL GRASS WITHOUT THATCH

Astroturf grass WITH THATCH

FACTS ABOUT SAND FILL

We use a special type of sand for artificial lawns. Please do not confuse this filling sand with normal ‘soil’. This sand is specially developed for this purpose.

Sand fill is clean and is not a nourishing foundation for the growth of weeds.
Sand fill does not absorb water. Your artificial lawn will be drained and dry quickly after rainfall, so do not worry about mud!
Sand is heavy. It will not be blown away even when you use a leaf blower to remove leaves from the lawn.
Sand is fixed with the fibres. When you walk on the grass the sand will not go anywhere.
Kids can play on the grass without being bothered by the sand.

Types of astro turf grass

Below you can find close-ups of the different types of astroturf. As you can see, for grass without synthetic thatch, sand is required to keep the fibres standing up straight.

In the case of the grass type with thatch, you can see how the astro turf grass fibres are supported by the thatch. You can understand that every time the grass fibres are walked on, they will become more flat. This can be prevented by using a thin layer of sand.