Hi all. I've been asked about our fake grass with ducks. So far it's working great. We have had it about three years now with Ducks consistently on it. There is maintenance involved, daily.
First ducks, heat shocked potted plant and new turf.
All grown up, first swimming pool in the background. Yes, it's a plastic tote. Dog poop tested also.
To maintain it with ducks and dogs, I scoop poop daily, even the duck poop. If the duck poop is wet still you have to scrape as much as you can get off the grass, I try to go with the grain. If its dry, you have to give it a sharp tap with edge of your scooper to break it free from the grass blades, than the whole patty will come up. Every couple of days, I hose the entire area off. I use the jet setting and blast the grass from one side, hosing debris into surrounding flower beds. I imagine some sort of power washer would be ideal. This also removes fallen leaves, blossoms and spilled food. Trying to break hubby of just dumping treats right onto the grass instead of in a dish. Gaahhhh!
I don't normally have any smell problems, maybe because of the frequent hosing. The grass will heat up tremendously in the sun. Too hot to walk on with bare feet and the ducks won't stay on it long during hottest part of the day, unless it's shaded. The heat seems to sterilize it, dry it out, also helping with the smell. We have good drainage underneath, drains installed at regular intervals, and used grass made for pets.
This year we had ducklings that I held onto longer than normal, trying to ensure I would have some girls. In the heat, with more poopers and with drought water resrictions, I've had to get alittle creative. After picking up poop, I dollop some DE on any wet poop smears that won't be washed off right away. You know those dark brown tarry ones. Stall fresh/sweet pdz is great sprinkled onto the grass and raked in with a carpet groomer. Enzyme products made for turf work really well also. Simple green makes one, its safe for plants and pets.
Turf would not work if you had a large amount of animals. For those with only a few, I would recommend it, but only if you are willing to spend time on upkeep.
The really nice thing about it is, after you clean it, its like the day you had it installed. We sit on it all the time. When we have outdoor get togethers, I put the ducks in the garden area, do a thourogh cleaning, let it dry/bake in the sun and you would never know a duck had ever been on it.
Putting green grass is even better because the short grass blades don't trap the poop. With the putting green, a carpet grooming rake will get up almost everything, and needs to be washed MUCH less.
You might be able to pick up used turf cheaply on craigslist. It's often old turf from sports fields with white lines.
Three years later.
First ducks, heat shocked potted plant and new turf.
All grown up, first swimming pool in the background. Yes, it's a plastic tote. Dog poop tested also.
To maintain it with ducks and dogs, I scoop poop daily, even the duck poop. If the duck poop is wet still you have to scrape as much as you can get off the grass, I try to go with the grain. If its dry, you have to give it a sharp tap with edge of your scooper to break it free from the grass blades, than the whole patty will come up. Every couple of days, I hose the entire area off. I use the jet setting and blast the grass from one side, hosing debris into surrounding flower beds. I imagine some sort of power washer would be ideal. This also removes fallen leaves, blossoms and spilled food. Trying to break hubby of just dumping treats right onto the grass instead of in a dish. Gaahhhh!
I don't normally have any smell problems, maybe because of the frequent hosing. The grass will heat up tremendously in the sun. Too hot to walk on with bare feet and the ducks won't stay on it long during hottest part of the day, unless it's shaded. The heat seems to sterilize it, dry it out, also helping with the smell. We have good drainage underneath, drains installed at regular intervals, and used grass made for pets.
This year we had ducklings that I held onto longer than normal, trying to ensure I would have some girls. In the heat, with more poopers and with drought water resrictions, I've had to get alittle creative. After picking up poop, I dollop some DE on any wet poop smears that won't be washed off right away. You know those dark brown tarry ones. Stall fresh/sweet pdz is great sprinkled onto the grass and raked in with a carpet groomer. Enzyme products made for turf work really well also. Simple green makes one, its safe for plants and pets.
Turf would not work if you had a large amount of animals. For those with only a few, I would recommend it, but only if you are willing to spend time on upkeep.
The really nice thing about it is, after you clean it, its like the day you had it installed. We sit on it all the time. When we have outdoor get togethers, I put the ducks in the garden area, do a thourogh cleaning, let it dry/bake in the sun and you would never know a duck had ever been on it.
Putting green grass is even better because the short grass blades don't trap the poop. With the putting green, a carpet grooming rake will get up almost everything, and needs to be washed MUCH less.
You might be able to pick up used turf cheaply on craigslist. It's often old turf from sports fields with white lines.
Three years later.
