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The cost of artificial turf compared to natural grass when talking about the installation and maintenance of a sporting field is an interesting comparison. On the face of it, it would appear that the artificial turf is a much more expensive option owing to the fact that the initial purchase and installation price of artificial turf is about twice as much. But looks can be deceiving.

The huge upfront cost of installing an artificial turf playing field can have those who are stumping up the cash a little wary about making the commitment. It’s sometimes difficult to look further down the road when an expense that runs to twice the cost of putting in natural grass is staring you in the face.

Ongoing expenses involved with the regular maintenance of either type of surface must also be considered and when spread over a 10 year cycle, which is around the length of time synthetic turf is guaranteed for, the actual operating costs tip favorably towards the artificial option.

Synthetic turf looks even more economical when you consider that by putting in an artificial surface you are increasing the potential usage of the ground by as much as 5 times. When you consider the cost per usage over a 10 year time frame an artificial turf surface is 4 times cheaper than a natural grass surface.

The numbers were calculated during a study performed by the University of California, Berkeley in February 2010 and it was found that even though artificial turf maintenance equipment such as tractors, brushes, top dressers and high-pressure cleaners were required to maintain the synthetic surface, the irrigation, mowing, fertilizing and top dressing involved with natural grass was much more expensive.

Add to the cost the time a natural grass field takes to recover from the previous use, particularly when there have been adverse weather conditions and it’s no wonder synthetic grass comes out of the study the preferred financial option.

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