Alright so last Tuesday I finally decided to tackle my backyard mess. It’s basically mud and sad patches of dirt. Fake grass sounded perfect, right? Easy-peasy. But then, boom – the store guy hits me with: “You want black turf or the regular green stuff?” Who knew? I didn’t. So, I grabbed samples of both. Experiment time!
First Steps: Getting the Samples Down
Right after breakfast, I hauled the samples out back. My spot was bare dirt near the shed. Swept it clean – no rocks, no nothing. Laid out the bright green turf chunk first. Felt springy, looked okay. Then, unrolled the black turf sample right next to it. Okay, wow. It was… darker. Like, much darker. Less like grass I see around here, more like something fancy.
Playing Around With Them
This part was kinda fun. I basically messed around with both pieces all day. Here’s what went down:
- Stomping Test: Jumped on both. The black stuff felt firmer under my boots. The green bounced back quicker but sorta felt thinner.
- Sun Test: Left them both under the afternoon sun. Later, touched ’em. The black one was HOT. Seriously hot. The green was warm, sure, but not scorching like the black.
- Mess Test: Dumped some old potting soil and dog kibble bits on both. Here’s the thing: dirt practically vanished on the black turf. Blended right in. On the green? Every speck of brown showed up like crazy.
- Water Test: Hosed both down. Water ran through easy on both. No puddles. But afterward, that black turf looked darker, almost wet-looking longer, even when dry.
My kid kicked a ball around on them too. Said the green felt softer when she fell on it. The black felt… tougher.
Making the Call & Getting Dirty
Okay, results in. Monday morning, I was back at the store rolling green turf into my truck. Why? Simple.
- Heat: Black turf getting super hot scared me off. We got decent sun here. Didn’t wanna burn feet or scare the dog.
- Looks: The green, while maybe not super fancy, just looked more… normal. Less intense. Less like a putting green.
Installing it sucked. Hard. Sweat pouring. Had to:
- Dig out a bit of the dirt base
- Lay down crushed rock (back-breaking!)
- Compact it like crazy with a rental machine that vibrated my bones
- Finally unroll the heavy green turf rolls, trim edges, & pin ’em down
It was a complete nightmare Sunday project. Knees still hurt!
Is Green Turf the Winner?
Now it’s been down a week. Looks good. Feels okay walking barefoot, no crazy heat. Hides dirt… okay. Kid hasn’t complained. Am I 100% sure green turf is THE perfect fit for everyone? Nope. If you really care about hiding every leaf or crumb, and don’t mind potential extra heat? Black turf might rock your world. It looked sharp, gotta admit. But for me, the casual “just want fake grass” guy? The green works.
Basically, don’t be like me and just buy one type. Get samples! Play with ’em. See what heat feels like, how it handles your dirt. That’s the only way. Now, excuse me while I go ice my knees.
