Why are weeds growing in my artificial grass?

Weeds in synthetic turf are almost never growing up from below through a properly installed base. They are growing in the thin layer of organic matter that has built up on top from leaves, dust and pollen, and their roots sit in that layer rather than in soil. The fix is preventative: keep debris off the surface so the layer never forms. Existing weeds pull out easily because there is nothing solid for them to anchor into.

Can I use a pressure washer on synthetic turf?

Only with care, on a wide fan setting, held well back and at a shallow angle. A concentrated jet held close will blast out the infill that holds the blades upright, can damage the backing and can lift seams. In most cases a garden hose plus a stiff brush achieves the same result without the risk, and a pressure washer should be a last resort for a specific stain rather than a routine cleaning method.

How do I stop synthetic turf smelling from dog urine?

Rinse the areas your dog uses regularly rather than waiting for a smell to develop, because the odour comes from residue held in the infill. Solids should be picked up promptly and the spot hosed. For established odour use an enzyme-based cleaner designed for artificial grass, which breaks down the residue instead of masking it. Persistent smell in one patch usually indicates drainage that is not moving water away as it should.

Does synthetic turf need infill topped up?

Yes, occasionally. Infill migrates over time through foot traffic, heavy rain, brushing and blowing, and the areas that lose it first are the ones walked on most. When the blades start lying flat and will not stand up after brushing, or the surface feels noticeably thinner underfoot, it is time for a top-up. It is a straightforward job and it meaningfully extends the life of the turf.

How do I keep synthetic turf cool in summer?

Hosing it down drops the surface temperature quickly, though not permanently on a hot day. Longer-term the effective answers are shade from a tree, a shade sail or an umbrella over the area used most. If the turf is being installed for children or a dog who will use it through summer, planning shade at the same time is far better than trying to solve the heat afterwards.

📅 2026-09-07 · ✍️ Garden MC Team · ⏱️ ~9 min read

Looking After Synthetic Turf: The Maintenance Nobody Mentions at the Quote

Short answer: Synthetic turf is low maintenance, not no maintenance. Three habits cover almost everything: keep debris off it, brush the pile upright in the areas that get walked on, and rinse where the dog goes. Do those and it will look good for its full life. Skip them and it will look tired in three years while still being perfectly serviceable underneath.

The pitch for synthetic turf is "never mow again", and that part is completely true. What follows the installation is a much smaller job than lawn care — but it is not nothing, and the people who are disappointed at year five are almost always the people who were told it was nothing.

Here is the actual routine, why each part matters, and the handful of things that genuinely shorten the life of an installation.

The three-part routine

1. Keep debris off it

This is the most important task on the list, and it is the one that prevents the problem people complain about most.

Leaves, twigs, pollen, dust and seed land on synthetic turf exactly as they land on anything else. Left there, they break down into a thin layer of organic matter that sits on top of the turf — and that layer is soil, functionally. It holds moisture, it grows moss in shade, and it is where the weeds people find "growing in the plastic grass" actually germinate.

Use a leaf blower, which is quick and does no damage, or a plastic leaf rake. Never a metal garden rake — it tears fibres and drags infill out.

How often depends entirely on what is above the turf. A courtyard with nothing overhanging might need it monthly. An area under a deciduous tree in Camberwell or Kew needs it weekly through April and May, and that is not optional — a thick mat of wet leaves left over winter is how a good installation ends up looking green-black and growing moss by spring. Our guide to large established gardens in the east covers the autumn leaf load in more detail.

2. Brush the pile

Traffic flattens the blades. Brushing stands them back up, which is the single biggest factor in whether turf looks new or looks worn.

Use a stiff broom with synthetic bristles, or a purpose-made turf brush. Not wire.
Brush against the direction the blades lean. Brushing with the lean does nothing.
Concentrate on traffic paths — the run from the back door, the gate line, wherever the dog patrols. These flatten first and most.
Every few weeks in busy areas; a couple of times a year is enough for a lightly used courtyard.

Brushing also redistributes infill back where it belongs, which is why it does double duty.

3. Rinse it

A hose-down clears dust, pollen and residue, and on a hot day it drops the surface temperature immediately. In dusty conditions or after a long dry spell it makes a visible difference to the colour.

For most homes a rinse every month or so is plenty, more often in a pet area.

Pets

Synthetic turf is a good surface for dogs — no mud, no dug-up lawn, no bare patches on the run along the fence. It just needs a slightly firmer routine.

Pick up solids promptly and hose the spot. Left to dry, they work into the pile and become a genuine job.
Rinse urine areas regularly rather than reacting to a smell. Odour comes from residue accumulating in the infill, so the routine is preventative. Once a week is a reasonable baseline for one dog, more in summer.
Use an enzyme-based cleaner made for artificial grass if odour has established. Enzymes break residue down; deodorisers only cover it.
Avoid bleach and strong household cleaners. They can discolour fibres and damage the backing, and they are unpleasant for the dog.
A patch that always smells is a drainage message, not a cleaning one. If water is not moving away from that spot, no amount of rinsing fixes it — get it looked at.

Weeds along the edges

Weeds do not push up through correctly installed turf. They arrive from above, in the debris layer, or creep in from the perimeter where a garden bed meets the turf edge.

Pull them. With nothing solid to anchor into, they come out easily, roots and all.
Focus on the edges and joins, which is where the organic layer collects first.
Keep the debris off and the problem largely stops existing. Prevention here is genuinely easier than treatment.
If you use any weed spray near the turf, check the label for compatibility with synthetic surfaces and keep it away from the fibres.

Stains and spills

Problem	What to do
Food, drink, most spills	Blot up the excess, rinse with water, use mild soapy water if needed. Deal with it quickly and almost nothing stains.
Chewing gum	Chill it with ice until brittle, then lift it off. Do not pull at it soft — you will take fibres with it.
Oil or grease	Mild detergent and warm water, worked gently. Avoid solvents, which attack the backing.
Moss and algae in shade	Brush out when dry, improve airflow and light if possible, and keep the area clear of the debris that feeds it.
Spider webs and insects	A hose. Common in still corners and entirely cosmetic.

The five things that actually ruin synthetic turf

Everything above is routine. These are the ones that cause permanent damage, and all five are avoidable.

Anything hot. A BBQ, a fire pit, a dropped cigarette, a mower with a hot exhaust parked on it. Synthetic turf melts, and a melt is permanent — the only fix is cutting in a patch. Keep BBQs on a hard surface, always.
Reflected sunlight from glass. A genuine and under-appreciated one. Low-E and double-glazed windows, and especially concave or slightly bowed glass, can concentrate sunlight into a hot spot intense enough to melt fibres in a narrow band. If you see a scorched stripe that tracks across the turf through the day, that is the cause, and the fix is at the window — a screen, film or an awning.
A pressure washer used like a pressure washer. Concentrated close-range jets blow out infill, damage backing and lift seams. If you use one at all: wide fan, well back, shallow angle. A hose and a broom are almost always the better tool.
Heavy static loads. Pot plants, furniture and the trampoline left in one place for months crush the pile permanently and, in the case of pots, create a permanently damp patch that grows moss. Move them occasionally, or put them on pavers.
Sharp and metal tools. Metal rakes, spades, star pickets, tent pegs. The backing is the structural element of the whole installation and a tear in it does not self-repair.

A Melbourne maintenance calendar

Season	What it needs
Spring	Clear whatever built up over winter, brush the whole area thoroughly, rinse off pollen and dust, check edges and joins after the wet months.
Summer	Rinse more often. Hose before use on very hot days. Keep the BBQ off it. Watch for flattening in the areas being used most.
Autumn	The heavy season. Blow leaves off frequently and do not let them mat down — this is the single most valuable month of maintenance in the year.
Winter	Least demanding. Keep debris off, watch for moss in shaded corners, brush occasionally. Check that water is draining and not pooling.

Once every year or two

Check the infill depth and top up where traffic has moved it. Blades that will not stand up after brushing are the signal.
Inspect the seams and edges for lifting, particularly after a wet winter.
Deep clean the whole area — a proper brush-through, a full rinse, and an enzyme treatment through any pet zone.

When to call someone

Most of this is a broom and a hose. It is worth getting help when:

The turf pools water or stays wet long after rain — a base or drainage issue, and it will not improve on its own.
Seams are lifting or edges are curling.
The surface has gone uneven or lumpy, which usually means the base has settled or something organic was left underneath at installation.
Pet odour persists after proper cleaning.
The pile is flat across the whole area and brushing no longer lifts it — usually an infill problem, occasionally end of life.

GMC installs and maintains synthetic turf across Melbourne, including cleaning, brushing, infill top-ups and repairs to turf we did not install. If you are still deciding whether synthetic is right for your block at all, read synthetic turf vs real grass first — it is an honest comparison, including where we think grass is the better answer.

FAQ

How do I clean synthetic turf?
Blow or rake off debris, brush the pile upright against the lean with a stiff synthetic broom, and rinse with a hose. Heavier clean after autumn leaf drop.

Why are weeds growing in it?
They are rooted in the organic layer that has built up on top, not coming through from below. Keep debris off and the problem largely disappears.

Can I pressure wash it?
Only carefully — wide fan, well back, shallow angle. A close jet blasts out infill and can damage the backing and seams.

How do I stop dog urine smell?
Rinse pet areas regularly rather than reactively, pick up solids promptly, and use an enzyme cleaner for established odour. Persistent smell in one spot means a drainage problem.

Does infill need topping up?
Occasionally, yes. When blades stop standing up after brushing or the surface feels thin underfoot, it is due.

How do I keep it cool?
Hosing drops the temperature immediately but temporarily. Shade — a tree, sail or umbrella — is the real fix, and it is best planned at installation.

Synthetic turf installation, cleaning and maintenance across Melbourne:

Brunswick · Preston · Footscray · Essendon · Camberwell · Craigieburn · Docklands · and 110 more suburbs

Synthetic turf looking tired, or draining badly? Contact Garden MC or call 0448 215 297. See our synthetic turf service for installation and maintenance.

About GMC. Melbourne's finest gardening and landscaping professionals — lawn mowing, hedge trimming, garden clean ups, rubbish removal, synthetic turf & commercial maintenance. Call 0448 215 297 or request a free quote.

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