Pet safe Mulch/Ground Cover? Low cost, low maintenance options?
Question:Im looking into laying some sort of groundcover in our backyard to prevent the ground it from becoming so muddy when it rains which in turn will keep our 4 dogs from tracking in so much mud. Im considering pine needles or some type of mulch to help control the puddles. The yard is pretty much bare not to mention on a severe dowslope. My main concern is making sure the cover i buy isnt hazardous to the dogs if they were to digest it. My second concern is to find a low cost, low maintenance material that will last and look half way decent. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.
Answers:
Don't repeat don't use the pine needles. They are highly combustible and there are many more suitable alternatives. There's pea gravel, which is inexpensive but rough on bare feet, and mid size bark mulch. Also decomposed granite.
If you want to bump up the cost of materials and improve the look, river rock is very appealing. I get our supplies from a local building company.
And then there's the green alternative, something like wild strawberry or a low-maintenance groundcover recommended by your local nursery. Give them the facts and they'll come up with a few suggestions that may work for you.
Good luck!
grass maybe? It looks good, non hazerdous to dogs, plus they love it!
Ground covers work well like ivy, wild strawberry, but take a long time to grow in. You can try lava rock, gravel, river rock, barkdust <and then plant ground covers on the slopes> Theres really no super cheap option. I would say landscape it, make it look good, youll be happier that way in the end.
Is the ground bare because nothing was ever planted or because the dogs run around so much that they killed the grass?
Four active dogs running in a yard will damage plants. Grass is the only ground cover that tolerate a lot of foot traffic, but even it will not survive if dogs are constantly running on it. And it will not do well is constantly subjected to dog urine. Mulch will be tracked in the house and will also be rapidly broken down by dog feet.
If you decide to plant grass, you will need to keep the dogs off it for several months as it gets established so sod might be a better option. Sod should be laid in the fall if you want it to survive.
Plant a tough, fast growing ground cover such as Ajuga to fill in muddy bare spots. I have it planted in my yard and my lab isn't bothered by it.
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