Why the autumn is the best time of year to install artificial grass; it offers the best of all worlds in terms of weather, softness of ground for digging and more. The best season to fit your new grass is neither too hot or too cold Having decided to have an artificial grass surface, the next decision is when should it be installed? There are pros and cons as to what time of year is preferable with all four seasons making a case for themselves, but autumn may well be the best of all. Autumnal benefits for installing artificial grass Soft ground – while the summer months could prove difficult for installation due to hard ground if it’s been hot and dry, the winter by contrast could be too wet and the surface could quickly become a quagmire when digging up the existing grass or top layer starts. The autumn could be ideal in that the ground should have a degree of moisture but hopefully not too much if excessive rain hasn’t fallen. It could be argued spring might also offer a good trade off between dry and hard ground, but the possible disadvantage compared to autumn is the growth of plants, shrubs and trees. Carrying out a major task such as artificial grass installation could damage them in their early growth phases; in the autumn growth more or less stops, plants have been cut back, and things go ‘quieter’ in the garden. Remember to order your artificial grass in good time; preferably a reasonable interval before the dates you wish to install it or have it installed professionally. Weather – the autumn can often be the best weather of all for working outdoors; winter is naturally likely to be cold while summer can be a bit too hot to be undertaking intensive work in the garden. The spring may also be a pleasant season to be working outdoors, but autumn may just edge it. In any event, the spring can be an ‘outdoors’ time of year so perhaps better to be out enjoying the garden than working on a major installation project. Timing – if you install your new surface on the autumn, then you’re all ready to enjoy it when the milder weather and longer days start the following spring. Settling – artificial grass requires a certain length of time to settle, and the less it’s in use during this period the better. It’s certainly possible to use artificial grass as soon as it’s installed, but some ‘settling time’ will pay dividends in the long run. If you install the grass in the autumn, by then gardens are generally used less often as the weather turns colder, so the surface has the rest of the autumn and the whole of winter to settle before seeing more use once spring arrives. Autumn colours – it’s not all about waiting to see the benefits by installing your new grass in the autumn; you’ll benefit at least from an aesthetics point of view by having your new, lush green surface laid as the attractive golds and deep reds of autumn colours take hold in the garden. Planning ahead Artificial grass is one of a number of ways to create a low maintenance garden and more people are turning to it as the production techniques have improved considerably in recent years. It pays to contact your grass installers if you’re not going to do it yourself in plenty of time so they can schedule an autumn installation slot with you.