Keeping your grass in good condition even in colder and wet weather
Low cost yet effective ways to use specially designed mats and mesh to protect grass against the ravages of winter if using it for parking or similar.
In an ideal world, you’d be able to keep your grass free from use in the winter months when it’s more vulnerable from excessive wet, cold and frost.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible; maybe you have to park on your grass or occasionally allow others to when visiting, or you store something on it such as a trailer or caravan. There are, however, cost effective options to keeping your grass in good condition through the ravages of winter such as mats and mesh especially designed to protect grass.
Specialist companies in the landscaping and related fields offer grass protection options such as this Essex based specialist with their Suregreen grass protection mats and mesh.
Ground protection mats
Ground protection mats make for an easy to fit solution ideal for occasional use such as temporary parking, but they’re also suitable for more prolonged periods. They’re manufactured from highly durable HDPE (high density polyethylene) plastic, and the 2.4 by 1.1 metre mats simply sit on top of the grass.
They feature grip patterns on both sides and can be simply washed down or swept clear of debris as appropriate. They’re durable when conditions warm up as they’re UV balanced, and are able to deal with contraction and expansion when temperatures change.
More mats can be added and linked together with specially designed interconnects to create one larger surface, and they’re easy enough to remove when all or some of the area is no longer required for parking. This makes them ideal for use at outdoor events such as fairs or concerts when overflow parking is required.
Rubber grass mats
A grid style mat with holes designed to allow the grass to grow through, these 23cm high mats keep footfall well clear of the main surface. They’re popular for use in protecting high footfall areas such as play areas for children especially as they offer a degree of fall protection.
They’re made from recycled rubber, easy to clean, fine for wheelchair or push chair access, and can be placed on both contoured and flatter surfaces.
They can be fitted securely to the surface with durable pegs designed to complement the mats, and are highly durable for longer term use.
Mesh
Available in various thicknesses, plastic mesh has a honeycomb appearance and is designed to make grass capable of withstanding parking without disintegrating.
A major asset of this type of mesh is in being able to preserve the appearance of natural grass yet dramatically improve its strength as it isn’t actually covered up. The mesh sits on the existing surface and is held in place by steel u-pins; in time the grass grows through each cavity in the honeycomb causing the grass to cover the mesh. Once this point is reached vehicles can be parked and manoeuvred on it.
This type of mesh should last from 15 to 20 years, it won’t rot or degrade, and the honeycomb design means it won’t trap water – it will naturally drain away into the soil below – so causing natural drainage capable of meeting sustainable drainage system (SUDS) requirements.
Higher volume use
A testament to the effectiveness of grass protection mats and mesh is their widespread use in higher volume applications such as at major events and tourist attractions. In some venues the dramatically reduced costs of using mesh compared to covering an area over with tarmac or concrete to create extra parking – not to mention preserving the look of natural grass – has made mesh in particular very popular in use.
So before you consider you may have to resurface or remove grass to prevent ugly churning up or excessive wear, consider the low cost yet effective mat and mesh options.
