artificial grass

Has anyone ever tried using the artificial grass
( 3 cm deep by 2 metre wide and 10 metres long rolls )
on top of the earth above a cave ?

I am thinking ' hobbit styling ' , maybe with pots of aloes , succulents and small olives on top.

Basically the idea aside .....is that a bad thing to do in terms of drainage , thus possible damp ?
I have never used or seen the stuff close up, so have no idea whether it's permeable or waterproof.

Anyone had experience of this stuff ? Good or bad ?

Haven't tried it personally, but someone I know did use some in England.
The biggest issue they has was stopping it from blowing away. Apparently you should use longer blade material and weight it down with a fine sand.
However the longer the blade, the more expensive it becomes - as I'm sure you've noticed.

Hi Pete_l
I guess an English house might be different to a Spanish Cave ??
I intended to cement it on all sides and joints and weight the bulk down with the cemented on piles of stones and planters inside them and on top.
Thought it might be a quick fix to waiting for anything planted naturally to grow.....my above rolls are about 28 euros each so maybe , say 150 euros should do it ?....and yes longer blade is more expensive , but a 3 cms ( a bit over an inch ) should be good enough for effect ..it's not going to be walked on ...just the visual effect
But the issue really is....it is a bad idea due to the potential to stop normal drainage ...or an okay idea if like a plastic impermeable sheet ...the rain or moisture can't penetrate and if it rains it runs away as it would on a cemented top....?
That part I don't know ! ( yet ! ) as the Materials yard don't know whether it's solid or breathable ..and brochure doesn't say either ! ( I wouldn't be worried if it covered a patio or yard...but roof is another matter )
Andy

I've never heard of anyone doing this - you'll be a pioneer if you try it!

miron wrote:I've never heard of anyone doing this - you'll be a pioneer if you try it!

Well , thanks....I like the sound of that ....I don't like to follow the herd....just seemed a potentially nice
visual effect.....( maybe it's my advertising and design background ? ) ...and I have today found out that indeed
these ' artificial grass rolls ' do come on a rubber backing pierced with lots of drainage holes.....
so think that is my real concern sorted, as it should allow normal drainage .
Cheers, Andy

We have artificial grass in our uk house ,it is breathable and water runs through it , similar to the membranes you put on your borders to stop the weds coming up , we put it over type 1 .the edges are nailed down on battens .
I could see this working ok for your needs

Hi...yes I have seen the better and very expensive ones ( like € 25 to 30 a sq. mt ) which would be perfect for the job.....however 2 reasons forced me to abandon the plan .
1) the top of the cave is so embedded with wild scrub plants ( that have massive roots , some over 8 metres deep ) ..plus it has a stepped design to the earth , that I decided it would be damn nigh impossible to lay it properly .
2) Also found out the local Ayuntamiento is having a purge to ensure cave owners do not cement or interfere with the ´roofs ´so as to keep them natural and breathable .
( same also applies to using Cal and no plastic paints allowed on the interior )
So in a couple of months when all works are finished my token nod to the idea ..will be to use the grass on flat concreted patios and terraces .

amm1007 wrote:2) Also found out the local Ayuntamiento is having a purge to ensure cave owners do not cement or interfere with the ´roofs ´so as to keep them natural and breathable .
( same also applies to using Cal and no plastic paints allowed on the interior )

Heh, heh.
Someone should remind them that cal is simply a water-based suspension and "plastic" paint is simply a water-based emulsion and that when the water dries out of either one, it's just as "breathable" (i.e. permeable to water) as the other is. Since they both work in exactly the same way it's pretty obvious that they will have similar properties.

But since PVC paints aren't "the spanish way" I doubt they'd listen  or care.

Pete-l.....it´s actually not that easy to avoid plastic paint as every shop sells it ......
only the ferreterias I find sell Cal ....and its hardly a shake , top off , and ready to go option !
I was mulching and mixing for 15 minutes before I could paint with Cal yesterday .
I think they are talking tradition ....though why that matters I am not sure ...
but no-one would use Cal outside and too many use shiny Plastic emulsions ( ie not matte ) inside .
Sadly Zujar T.Hall is very beauracratic .....10 meetings when 1 might do....
and ironically they seem to have deemed 2 of the towns Barrios ( the cave ones )
as ´for regeneration ´assuming they are poor people´s choices I think .....
the plans have now been adopted by the Junta !

Sounds like one of those situations where it's much easier to get forgiven than permission

You might think so.....but this morning I was back at Baza Endesa Office trying to get a legal connection ( ie Meter ....since it´s all done and ready correctly ) but the other thing about these ´Master Plans ´for regeneration
( which I found out only this morning could affect ALL cave areas......so check with your ´Technica ´at the Ayuntamiento ) is that until such time as the works are completed .......they ( in Zujar anyway ! ) will NOT grant the Primero Licencia de Occupacion !.....meaning you have bought....reformed.....then the sods ( who have told you nothing about this almost secret event ) say ´sorry we won´t give you the paper ´to take to Endesa ......so you can´t get a Leccie supply !!!
Luckily .....I hope ....the resolve from Endesa ( validated by Granada Head office ) is that they WILL give me a supply .....I just need a letter from the Mayor to say my cave is legal ...official and stamped .
So they are being total B###tards in Zujar T.H.
The Next village , Freila dealt with what turns out to be a law passed in May 2014 immdeiately and it´s all easy peasy there .....
Moral seems to be don´t buy a cave in Zujar !!