How do I fix dead patches of grass from dog urine?
Question:My dogs have killed various patches in my lawn. I want to replant those areas and then build a small run for them to use for the bathroom to save the rest of the lawn. Is there anything that will neutralize the ammonia in the urine and reseed those patches? Also is there a fertilizer or other chemical that I can apply periodically that will neutralize urine so that the rest of the grass doesn't die? Thanks so much!
Answers:
Great answers so far, however, none have attempted to address the real issue. It is your soil and aeration!
I would agree that the dog(s) are probably female as they pose the greatest concentration of urine. The problem is not the urine as much as it is the concentration. The Nitrogen you use in fertilizer is Urine based. The problem comes with the amount of Urine.
Making an area/run is a great start. You need not apply a fertilizer (Urine) or other chemical to neutralize the damages.
You do not state the extent of the damage. If it is limited to small areas you will purchase a soil testing probe from a Landscape supplier (not a Box-Store). This is a device that is shaped like a spade and pulls cores of soil from the ground. If the damage is large, rent, for half a day, a core aeration machine and aerate the entire turf.
Aerate the spots or turf to four inches in depth. Spots go three to four inches from the outside of the patch. Now comes your cheap cure! Spread a granular Gypsum at the max Mauf. rate (generally 2-3lbs/1,000 ft.). A 50lb bag should run about $5-8.00. Top seed with a Certified Seed Mixture. Water it in deeply (or apply before a good rainfall), and keep the dogs abay for a few days.
I stongly suggest the trouble of renting the aerator. This will help you create the run you wish to build/use. The area you create should be punched with the aeration machine until it looks like you used a roto-tiller on it. Again you are going to spread some granular Gypsum at the Manuf Medium Rate.
In addition to this spread, at the rate of 2lbs/100 ft Unscented Kitty Litter. With a heavy rake combine the gypsum, kitty litter and cores into a workable surface. Topseed this area with a strictly Blue and Rye mixture and cover it a shreeded hardwood mulch.
Sounds extreme! First the Gypsum allows for water flow from both your irrigation and rainfall (thus moving the Urine). Second, the Kitty Litter does the same, however, it also attracts the dog to it's own scent and promotes going in basically the same area. The Mulch will soak-up the Urine before it reaches the soil. You will need to use some sort of course matting (Astro Turf) at the steps to clean their paws.
I had a Basset Hound that almost killed my lawn. As a turfgrass manager, at the time, it was a least an embarassment. Using this method my turf recovered and my neighbors were coming to me for advice on their turf. Every weekend I made sure to clean the paws/pads of the loved one with Ivory Dish Detergent and water. She loved it and the ritual continued until her passing.
Hope it helps. I am at gjgjobs@yahoo.com.
You must have a female dog don't you? jk. My female destroys our grass by urinating on it. What i do (which i don't know if it helps at all) is rinse the spot with water. U should just go to the hardware store or something and buy some grass seeds. Just sprinkle it around the area where ur dog has damaged it.
The previous answer is correct. In cases where the damage has been in place for a while like you have, dig out the damaged area removing the dead grass. Flush the soil with plenty of water to dilute the excess nitrogen. Then reseed or resod the spot. However if the area is recent, within a few days, a thorough flushing should head off any damage, and before long the grass will grow back as good as new.
Just in case you'd like a grass the dogs are less likely to damage. Dr. Steve Thompson says "Of the four grasses tested, Festuca sp. var. Kentucky 31 (fescue) and Lolium perrene (perennial ryegrass) were the most resistant to urine effects. In fact, the urine routinely produced a fertilizer effect on these grasses at diluted concentrations. Poa pratensis (Kentucky bluegrass) and Cynodon sp. var. Fairway (bermuda grass) were very sensitive to any urine concentration and severe burns resulted, persisting greater than 30 days after initial exposure to even four ounces of diluted urine. Even on the most urine resistant grass tested (fescue) urine concentration was a bigger problem than urine volume. Concentrated urine with volumes as little as 30cc (one ounce) caused lawn burn even on fescue grasses."
I suggest you set up a run for them before tackling the dead grass spots. I've also found that dogs seem to be attracted to the smell of hay. If you lay some hay down in their new run area, it may be easier to train them to go there.
Every one blames this on female dogs but i have only males and the same problem. I encouraged them to drink more water and this has helped with the spots in the yard.
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