If you have dogs, you are aware of the difficulties in maintaining a beautiful, green grass. Due of your dog’s urine’s alkaline pH, concentrated pee, and nitrogen load, turf burn is a frequent problem for many dog owners.
Dogs’ urine should ideally have a pH between 6 and 6.5, which is somewhat acidic. The higher pH of your dog’s urine, which is above 7, can burn your lawn and may develop struvite stones, which are bladder stones brought on by alkaline urine. You can buy pH strips and get a urine sample from your dog in the morning to check the pH of your pet’s urine at home. A diet low in carbohydrates and free of grains can lower the pH of a dog’s urine.
Dogs on a diet high in protein can also excrete pee that damages grass. Nitrogen is eliminated during the breakdown of proteins. Increased nitrogen from higher protein intake increases the risk of turf burn. The additional nitrogen in your dog’s urine could harm the grass if your lawn has been fertilized heavily and is already receiving amounts of nitrogen that are close to their maximum capacity.
To assist reduce the concentration of urine, keep your pet well-hydrated. To encourage good water consumption, place water containers throughout your home or yard. You may also think about putting water in your dog’s dry food or giving him wet food.
You can also teach your dog to relieve himself in a separate spot, such a designated gravel- or mulch-filled outdoor toilet place. Since the urine is typically at its highest concentration in the morning, this is particularly crucial. By using a pheromone-treated pee post or taking your dog on a leash to a new location, you can encourage your dog to relieve himself in a particular area of your yard while rewarding the behavior with treats. Regular walks with your pet are a terrific approach to combat this problem and provide both of you with exercise.
Picking a tough grass is essential if you want to maintain your lawn looking beautiful. Tall Fescue grass is a tough grass that can handle dog urine better. Fescue grass also requires less water due to drought resistance and strength to handle canine foot movement. You can add Ryegrass in its perennial form if your lawn has trouble spots. Consider Bermuda grass or Kentucky bluegrass for areas with plenty of foot traffic.
Gypsum should be applied to burned or yellow places to improve the color and health of your lawn. Water your lawn frequently to help dilute the urine. You can also create your own spot-removal spray to use on your lawn: In a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer, combine one beer can, one ordinary soda can, and one cup of ammonia. Apply the mixture every other week until the lawn’s color returns to normal, then cut any dead or dying grass.
Additionally, you should rule out any other issues that can contribute to brown spots. Use a lawn fungus control product and keep your lawn mower blade sharp to prevent brown grass fungus on your yard. Brown patches can result from overfertilizing your lawn and lawn pests like Japanese beetles and grubs can also produce discoloration; all of these issues can be resolved with treatments for controlling lawn insects. If the problem is being caused by the neighborhood dogs, fence your yard and think about putting a motion-activated sprinkler to stop other dogs from urinating on your lawn.
Your furry pals will remain content if you follow these advice for treating and preventing lawn burn, and your lawn will remain lush and green all year.
Water thoroughly
Water is your friend when trying to prevent dog poop stains, so grab your watering can or garden hose. After your dog uses the restroom, thoroughly water the area to remove salts and nitrogen from the soil.
Don’t skimp on the water. To appropriately dilute the nitrogen concentration, use twice as much water as there is pee.
Set up a designated potty spot
Here is an option because following your dog around with a watering can could become boring quickly. Instead of allowing your dog to relieve himself wherever he pleases in the yard, teach him to use a single specified location.
To guide your dog to her new potty area, you can use a gadget called a Pee Post. Your dog will receive the message “you should use the restroom here” from the Pee Post’s pheromones.
Give your dog plenty of praise and goodies as you train them to urinate in the same place every day. Dogs adore receiving praise.
The new bathroom location for your dog can be a back corner of the yard where brown patches won’t be seen or a region where there is mulch or gravel rather than grass. If you opt to utilize mulch, pick a substance that is safe for dogs to consume. Here are some secure recommendations:
- Rubber
- Cedar
- Straw
- fibrous coconut
Cocoa shell, sometimes referred to as cocoa bean hull, is the most harmful mulch material. Cocoa shells are poisonous to dogs just like chocolate is. And we all know that at some point, your dog will nibble.
Mow the lawn higher
Give your grass a little room to expand. Raising the deck height on your lawnmower will allow you to cut the grass as high as you can without it becoming disorderly or unhealthy. Depending on your grass kind, you should mow at a specific height.
The highest suggested grass heights for several of the most well-liked grass kinds are as follows:
For two reasons, taller grass is better for pee stains.
- The roots of grass get deeper as it grows taller. Strong roots increase the likelihood that grass will withstand urine burn.
- Taller grass will better conceal and hide pee stains than shorter grass. Even if the spots are present, you might not notice them in tall grass.
Try Dog Rocks in your dog’s water
Probably the first thing you want to know is, “What the hell are Dog Rocks? Natural minerals called “Dog Rocks” that are non-toxic filter out nitrates, ammonia, and other contaminants from your dog’s water.
Less nitrogen in your dog’s pee equals less harm to your lawn because there are fewer nitrates and ammonia in his water.
Use of Dog Rocks is quite simple. Here are some straightforward instructions from the business’ website:
- Step 1: Thoroughly rinse the Dog Rocks before adding them to your dog’s water.
- Step 2: Fill your dog’s water bowl with water from the pitcher or, alternatively, place the rocks in a half-gallon of water and let them steep for at least 10 hours.
- Step 3: Fill up the bowl or pitcher again to keep the rocks submerged in roughly a half gallon of water at all times.
- Replace Dog Rocks every two months in step four.
Don’t allow your dog to drink water from other sources for optimal results (like the garden hose, puddles, or the toilet). Bring water that has been treated with Dog Rocks when you go for a long walk or to the dog park.
Change your dog’s diet
The amount of nitrogen in your dog’s urine can vary depending on their diet. Here are some suggestions for modifying your dog’s diet to stop urine burn:
- Encourage your dog to hydrate themselves more. More water will not only make him happy and healthier, it will also dilute the nitrogen in his pee.
- Replace the processed proteins in your dog’s diet with fresh proteins, which encourage the body to create fewer waste products, such nitrogen, in the urine.
- Be cautious while feeding your dog dietary products made to lessen urine burn. In particular for dogs who have a history of liver or renal disorders, kidney or bladder stones, or crystals in the urine, these supplements can occasionally result in health complications.
WARNING: If you’re thinking of giving your dog dietary supplements or making other modifications to their diet, always talk to your vet first. Because each dog is unique, what works for some dogs can be harmful to your dog. Don’t jeopardize your pet’s health in order to maintain your yard.
Plant urine-resistant grass
Some kinds of grass are more resilient than others to the daily onslaught of dog poop. It could be time to change things up if you frequently see urine burn on your lawn. Change your present grass for a type that is more urine-resistant.
Which grass varieties are most effective at minimizing dog urine damage? In general, warm-season grasses are more tolerant of urine than cool-season grasses. Zoysiagrass and Bermudagrass are two common warm-season grasses.
Fescues are the most urine-resistant option for you if you must use cool-season grass due to where you live.
Which grass is ideal if you have dogs?
The top 6 grasses for dogs
- Fescue. dbvirago / Getty Images, image 1 of 6.
- Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis), image number two of six.
- .
- Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne) Kirill Rudenko / Getty Images, position three of six.
- 6th of 4, Zoysia
- Fifth of six. Bermuda (Cynodon dactylon)
- Centipede, number 6 of 6. (Eremochloa ophiuroides)
With dog urine, how can I keep my grass looking nice?
There’s a good probability that if you have a dog, your grass also has brown spots. This occurs as a result of dog urine’s high nitrogen content, which when accumulated over time in concentrated volumes, is known to destroy vegetation.
The effects of dog urine on your grass are comparable to those of a liquid fertilizer high in nitrogen. Your lawn will die if you use too much fertilizer, but a moderate quantity will keep your yard healthy. You must lessen the amount of nitrogen that gets into touch with your grass in order to prevent burns.
To make your lawn greener and healthier, use these seven suggestions:
In locations where your dog defecates, fertilize your lawn less frequently or not at all. There may already be too much nitrogen in fertilized lawns. Dog pee contains nitrogen, which could be just the right amount for burning the grass.
Use water to mist the places where your dog defecates. After your dog defecates, you can help to diluted the pee and minimize the nitrogen’s impact on your lawn by sprinkling water on the area.
Encourage your dog to hydrate themselves more. The less nitrogen is concentrated in the urine and the less harm it does to your lawn, the more your dog drinks. Additionally, it will benefit your dog’s health.
Replace the damaged grass with more urine-resistant vegetation. The most sensitive grasses are Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermuda, whereas Ryegrass and Fescue are the most urine-resistant varieties.
Give your dog a nutritional supplement. The nitrogen in urine can bind with some dietary supplements, such as Green-UM and Drs. Fosters and Smith “Grass Guard,” lessening its detrimental effects on your lawn.
Teach your dog to relieve itself in one spot. Some items, like the Simple Solution Pee Post, are pheromone-impregnated to entice your dog to urinate on or around them. You can keep the rest of your yard clean by designating a spot for your dog to go potty.
Apply a treatment for lawn repair. Some treatments, like Dogonit Lawn Repair Treatment, combine soil cleaners with organic enzymes to flush the salts from the root zone.
Do Dog Rocks really function?
“Dog Rocks are meant to be the solution to the issue of grass dying from dog poop. Numerous nitrogen molecules, primarily metabolites of dietary protein, are found in urine. These are efficient fertilizers, but in the case of urine, they provide an excessive amount of nitrogen in comparison to other nutrients, which causes grass to suffer. Nitrates are naturally occurring substances found in water that might eventually appear in urine.
Where is this? “Dog Rocks arrive. They reportedly lessen the issue of yellow grass when added to the pet’s drinking water by eliminating nitrates. It is claimed that these rocks are unique and have pores that collect nitrates. However, the product’s marketers provide no support for their claims. There are no studies that demonstrate that these rocks can truly remove nitrates from water or that nitrates in drinking water contribute significantly to the nitrogen molecules in urine.
The amount of nitrate in the urine wouldn’t alter much, even if the rocks did eliminate nitrates, which is not supported by any research. In general, neither theoretical nor empirical evidence supports the idea that Dog Rocks should be effective. Dog Rocks are not rocking.
Will grass regrowth occur following dog poop?
Dog urine naturally causes havoc on grass, leaving scorched, bare lawn areas or discolored grass behind, despite the fact that your pet is man’s best friend and loves your yard as much as you do. The high levels of nitrogen and other associated ions that are naturally present in dog urine generate lawn stains. 1
Although female dogs are frequently held responsible for dog urine burning grass, their urine is identical to that of male dogs.
2 Lawn damage occurs when concentrated pee gathers in one spot. It resembles fertilizer burn a lot.
All dogs, including females, pups, old dogs, small dogs, and certain adult males, who squat to urinate, can burn grass when they urinate in a centralized area. Fewer dog urine stains appear on the lawn as a result of the fact that most male dogs lift a leg to “mark” their territory with spurts.
Dog urine patches on your lawn can occasionally go away on their own when your lawn grows healthy new growth.
2 However, dog urine spot treatment is generally required in places where your dog frequently relieves himself.
Does dog poop ruin grass?
There is a sense of accomplishment when your puppy really goes potty outside. Accidents in the house become less often as their bladder muscles develop. Some dogs could even establish a preferred location to urinate.
While completing toilet training may feel like a victory for you, it may seem like a lost struggle for your grass. Dog poop can destroy grass, leaving bare patches and dead patches behind. Thankfully, there are actions you can take to preserve your lawn and make sure that it continues to be a secure area for dogs to relieve themselves.
Why Does Dog Pee Discolor Your Grass?
Some nutrients are taken into your dog’s bloodstream through consuming food and taking supplements, while others are filtered out by the kidneys. Through urine, the body expels the unabsorbed nutrients.
The chemical components in the poop—rather than the actual poop—cause problems for your lawn. They leave behind a large amount of nitrogen as the water in their poop evaporates. Without treatment, the grass will develop those unsightly yellow streaks and become brown in the middle and green at the edges, where the nitrogen is less concentrated.
“Dr. Chyrle Bonk, DVM, a remote veterinary consultant at PetKeen, notes that while nitrogen and nitrates are advantageous for grass and even used as fertilizer, too much of either can be hazardous. ” Your dog may overdo it and damage the grass if you fertilize your lawn with nitrogen and then the nitrogen is concentrated in one spot in your dog’s poop.
