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kbkb14

Help with new lawn (dog related)

KBKB14
9 years ago

Hello. I'm looking for some answers and advice to correct our silly mistake. Last spring we had sod (Kentucky Blue grass base I'm assuming? And we are in zone 4.) installed around the same time we got our new puppy. Our first home with a large yard and first big dog. Puppy learned to potty outside like a champ. Our sod remained gorgeous the rest of summer until winter dormancy. Puppy got bigger and mainly pottied in our front yard with a few places in back. Spring came and much of our front yard was ruined -- I had no idea dog urine could do so much damage. Bad on my part but lesson learned. So dog now is only allowed in back but since spring and now into summer, he leaves "over fertilized" patches. We got him to go mostly in the side yard as well as follow him with a water can to dilute the urine. Without watering, burn patches appear within hours. With watering, dark, lush patches pop up that grow much faster than the rest of the lawn. So the side yard, I don't care. But what about the occasional dark green spots that are throughout the backyard? Is there a way to un-fertilize them? Will they even out after our long winters? I've tried to fertilize the rest of the lawn to make it less noticeable but no luck. Any advice would be great! Thanks so much.

Comments (7)

  • morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
    9 years ago

    Regrettably, un-fertilization is not possible. However, it doesn't last forever, and as we move into fall doggie burn will be less likely as temperatures drop and soil moisture rises.

    Those uneven spots will also tend to fade in if you're fertilizing correctly in fall.

    Some people train Fido to go in certain areas of the yard only, and simply give up that section to doggie damage.

    Over the course of several years, using high carbon, low nitrogen organic products will condition your soil to be able to handle the nitrogen fertilization from dog urine. We have two dogs, with up to three more visiting at a time (our dogs have more social life than we do), and no doggie burn. There's also no dark green spots in the lawn as it's well fed organically, and the organics bind the nitrogen and force it to release slowly. The whole lawn is dark green.

    That takes adding a lot of cracked corn and/or sawdust (horse bedding pellets) until the soil organic material rises...which does take time.

    Proper moisture in summer is key, as you found out. Essentially, you're diluting the dog damage down to a good urea-based fertilizer. Keep that up. While it would be theoretically possible to do that over the lawn area where the dog goes, it would be expensive--and wouldn't encourage the best conditions for grasses, so I'd recommend continuing with the watering can.

  • KBKB14
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you for the quick response. I will read up on keeping a lawn organically fed. I'm embarrassed to say the only products we've applied have been some kind of Scott's formula from Walmart last year and a water soluble Miracle Gro spray to try and darken the rest of the grass. We have such a beautiful new home, it deserves a great lawn but who knew you had to really work at it! :)

  • morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
    9 years ago

    It's not really that much work once you get into the swing of things. I've been ignoring the lawn since May, it has another week or so of ignore time until I drop my next organic feeding (August first, soybean meal).

    Fall's the most important time to feed for cool season grasses. Done synthetically, that's September 1, October 1, and when the grass stops growing for the season (highly variable date).

    Organic differs. I compromised on August 1, September 1, and October 1, with a synthetic winterization done at the stoppage of top growth (Thanksgiving-ish for me). That sets nitrogen levels pretty high, but I have a pure bluegrass lawn that really likes the nitrogen nice and regular.

  • KBKB14
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you again for these tips. One more question. How about power raking, aerating, de-thatching? I'm not exactly sure when or if these things are appropriate. I see neighbors do these types of things but I'm not sure when they're necessary. A general google search gives me way too much information. Thanks again in advance!

  • morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
    9 years ago

    >>How about power raking, aerating, de-thatching? I'm not exactly sure when or if these things are appropriate.

    My take is aerating--never. But there are exceptions to that "never," although they're extremely rare. Encouraging worms in your lawn will aerate the natural way, and far better and (feet) deeper than you could do it. Organic feeding encourages worms and bacteria that help flocculate soil particles and aerate soil by punching billions of holes per square foot in it.

    Power raking and dethatching, if you have a severe thatch problem. Which means more than half an inch of thatch.

    I have a pure bluegrass lawn and absolutely no thatch, which is odd if you look up bluegrass. It's the second-thatchiest, right behind zoysia. Again, organic feeding means the bacteria and fungi are entirely happy to dissolve, consume, and recycle all my thatch right back into the soil for me.

    I'm not saying that mechanical methods don't have their place, they sure do. It's just that proper watering, mowing, and fertilizing can go a very long way toward making sure you never need them.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    9 years ago

    I agree with all that. Until I had a couple years of organics on the lawn, I got dog spots. I treated them individually with table sugar. Use about a handful on each spot as you see them appear. That helps revive the grass and make the best use of the urine in the soil. It also makes a really green spot. Again, I think it was year 3 and I've never seen a dog spot since.

    When I converted to organics it was like I had a brand new lawn. Everything seemed to change for the better. I used to worry about every aspect of lawn care, but no longer. For the most part it takes care of itself. All I have to do is remember to feed it. For those occasional problems, the organic solution always seems to be the preferred and most complete solution. My lawn hassle factor is practically zero.

  • morpheuspa (6B/7A, E. PA)
    9 years ago

    >>table sugar

    (Whack head) I forgot about that one! Yes, I used that at my parents' place, where the (adorable but neurotic) Shetland Sheepdog insisted on always peeing in exactly the same spot. This led to a two foot wide circle of completely dead grass, and the soil absolutely stank of urine and decay products.

    It did take a few months, but table sugar and watering it in really helped out. And no, the ants and other insects are completely uninterested in it once it's watered in.

    The dog wasn't any less neurotic, but the dead spot shrank considerably and grass re-grew through most of it.