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Guides · Turf vs the alternatives

Turf versus the alternatives: sod, native grass, xeriscape and rock

Turf next to sod, low-water grass, planted beds and rock: water, upkeep, heat, feel and what each one suits.

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Comparisons · the guides

Six questions, each answered up front.

Each short answer is right here. Open a guide for the full explanation and its sources.

  1. Guide

    Artificial Turf vs Sod in Northern Colorado

    Should I put in new sod or artificial turf, and is turf worth it over time?

    Sod for a sunny lawn, a big tree’s root zone, or a front yard your town or HOA wants living, if you can keep it moist for three weeks. Turf where grass keeps wearing out, is hard to water or mow, or watering rules block new sod. Over time, sod needs water and weekly work; turf doesn’t, but wears out.

    Inside

    1. What does new sod need in its first weeks?
    2. What do Johnstown, Severance and Fort Collins allow for new sod this year?
    3. What does a lawn ask for every year, and what does turf ask?
    4. When is new sod the better call?
    5. When does artificial turf make more sense?
    6. 1 more section

  2. Guide

    Artificial Turf vs Xeriscape or Rock: Which Goes Where

    Is artificial turf or xeriscape (plants and mulch) the better lawn replacement for my yard?

    Usually both, in different places. Turf suits the parts kids and dogs use hard. Planted xeriscape suits front yards and sunny borders: plants cool the ground, feed pollinators and can earn plant rebates. A rock-only yard stores heat and still gets weeds. Wellington, Firestone and Frederick set front-yard live-plant minimums that neither turf nor rock counts toward.

    Inside

    1. Which parts of the yard suit turf, rock or planted beds?
    2. Which one stays coolest in a Northern Colorado summer?
    3. Which one keeps weeds down?
    4. What happens to each one under snow and de-icer?
    5. How do they handle water on clay, and how much do new plants need?
    6. 2 more sections

  3. Guide

    Buffalograss or Artificial Turf in Northern Colorado

    Should I plant a low-water grass like buffalograss, blue grama or microclover instead of artificial turf?

    Plant a low-water grass where the lawn gets full sun and light traffic and a brown lawn from first frost until about May is fine. Buffalograss needs about half the water of bluegrass; blue grama is as drought-tough but won’t take trampling; microclover cuts fertilizer, not water. Artificial turf fits where kids and dogs wear grass out.

    Inside

    1. How much water does a low-water grass save on the Front Range?
    2. How do buffalograss, blue grama and microclover compare with turf?
    3. What does it take to get a low-water lawn started?
    4. Do Northern Colorado codes and HOAs favor grass or turf?
    5. Where does each one belong in a Northern Colorado yard?

  4. Guide

    Is Artificial Turf Bad for the Environment?

    Is artificial turf worse for the environment than a watered bluegrass lawn here?

    Neither is harmless. A Northern Colorado bluegrass lawn takes water often piped from the West Slope, plus fertilizer and gas mower exhaust that adds to Front Range ozone. Turf saves that water but is plastic: far hotter than grass in sun, a source of microplastics, and mostly landfilled at the end. Where nobody walks, waterwise plants beat both.

    Inside

    1. What does a watered bluegrass lawn cost the environment here?
    2. What does artificial turf cost the environment?
    3. Why did Fort Collins push back on artificial turf?
    4. Why won’t Northern Colorado rebates pay for turf?
    5. When is turf the lower-impact choice, and when isn’t it?

  5. Guide

    Playground Turf vs Mulch, Wood Chips and Pea Gravel

    What should go under a swing set or playground: padded turf, rubber mulch, wood chips or pea gravel?

    Whichever stays rated for your set’s fall height. The CPSC credits 9 inches of wood chips or 6 of rubber mulch with a 10-foot fall, pea gravel with 5 feet. Loose fill packs down, kicks out under swings and can freeze solid in a Northern Colorado winter. Padded turf stays level; its rating comes from its own test report.

    Inside

    1. How far can a child fall onto each surface?
    2. What does a Northern Colorado winter do to loose fill?
    3. Is rubber mulch safe under a swing set?
    4. What does padded turf do better, and what should you check?
    5. What are Northern Colorado parks putting under playgrounds?
    6. 1 more section

  6. Guide

    Turf, Pavers or Concrete for a Patio or Side Yard

    Turf, pavers or a concrete slab for a patio or side yard on Northern Colorado clay: which holds up?

    It depends on what the space does. Pavers or concrete belong where feet, shovels and ice melt land every day; turf doesn’t take metal shovels or rock salt. On expansive clay a slab is likeliest to crack and heave; pavers and turf sit on rock that can be lifted and re-leveled. In summer sun, turf runs hotter than concrete.

    Inside

    1. Which one fits a patio, a path or a side yard?
    2. What does expansive clay do to a slab, pavers and turf?
    3. Which one gets hottest in a Northern Colorado summer?
    4. Which one handles snow, shovels and ice melt?
    5. Does a patio change my stormwater bill or my town’s yard limits?

Other topics

More questions, sorted by topic.

Each topic has its own page of short answers. All 102 guides are listed on the guides page, with a box to search them.

Every guide, by topic

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