Artificial or natural grass in Mallorca?

Artificial grass costs €20 to €60 per square metre installed and needs no water. A natural lawn costs €2,600 to €3,800 for a medium garden and then needs watering every summer, at exactly the time municipalities restrict it. The deciding factor is usually not cost. It is that artificial grass gets hot in full sun.

What each one costs

The heat problem

This is the part the brochures skip. A synthetic surface in direct sun absorbs heat and holds it, and by mid afternoon in July it is unpleasant to stand on barefoot and worse to lie on. Under a pergola, on a shaded side return or around a north-facing terrace it is fine. In the middle of an exposed plot it is a green surface nobody uses between noon and six.

What natural grass needs here

Regular water through the hottest months, cutting through the growing season, feeding, and repair where it wears. Island water is hard, the sun is strong and the summer is long, so a lawn that would look after itself in northern Europe needs attention here. It is entirely possible, and plenty of Mallorcan gardens have one. It is a commitment rather than a default.

It is also the part of the garden most exposed to rule changes. Watering restrictions arrive on the lawn first, which is why so many owners end up reading about lawn alternatives in the second or third dry summer.

Does artificial grass have drawbacks beyond heat?

• It has a life. Strong UV degrades the fibres, and a good product still looks tired after about a decade.
• It needs a properly prepared, draining base, or it ripples and holds water.
• It supports nothing. No insects, no soil life, no cooling from evapotranspiration.
• Removal and replacement is a disposal problem rather than a compost heap.

Is there a middle way?

Most gardens end up with one. A small natural lawn where people actually sit, artificial grass on a shaded terrace or a play area, and Mediterranean planting across everything else. That combination uses a fraction of the water of a full lawn, stays usable in August and does not look like a sports pitch.

How the matching works

We install neither. We keep a list of vetted lawn companies on Mallorca, including ones that fit artificial grass, and pass your job to the ones covering your area. Say how the area is used and how much sun it gets and you will get a straight recommendation with the price.

Decide by position, not by principle

Sun, use and water availability answer this question better than any general rule about synthetic surfaces. Send the details through and vetted Mallorca companies will quote both.