
How Dog Pee Kills Your Grass & How to Fix your Yard?
Yes, dog pee kills the grass, taking away all your hard to keep it lush and green. The ugly brown spots on the grass are ruining the show. Despite all efforts to make the grass lush green, these shabby brown spots can ruin all your efforts. These are dog pees, which kill the grass.
Dog urine has a high level of nitrogen and associated salts. If left unattended, this high concentration settles down, allowing the grass to absorb, leading to brown patches. The best way to fix them is to get rid of the affected grass, rake the silk and plant a new seed in the dead spots. The article deals with understanding the dog pee effects and the ways of fixing it as under:
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Why Does Dog Pee Kill Grass?
As said above, dog urine is rich in nitrogen and has several associated salts in its content. It hampers the grass by giving it back a brown spot. Dogs are carnivores, and they rely more on nitrogen-rich content food. This makes urine also rich in nitrogen. It acts like a concentrated dose of nitrogen fertilizer and thus burns the grass.
If the turfgrass gets negatively affected by getting overly acidic or alkaline, the urine falls between 6 to 8 on the pH scale. This only means that it’s not the pH level that is the problem but the nitrogen content that plays bad. These brown spots are close to 3 inches in diameter and ringed with green grass. It grows quickly. You see a smaller boost of nitrogen in the circles that burns the grass.
How to Fix Dog Urine Spots on the Lawn?
If you are unfortunate to face this issue with your lawn, you have the choice of fixing the spots on the lawn. You want your yard to remain live and beautiful. You can do the following few things to revive your yard as under:
- Get rid of the dead grass: If you come across brown patches, the best you can do is to remove the affected grass.
- Trill or rake the soil: To remove the dead grass, you must break the grass and soil. Trilling will help you aerate the ground only to prepare the new seeds. Do not hesitate to eliminate all the grass in your yard unless you have enough room to put the new seed.
- Seed it: Start planting new seeds over the dead areas or the entire lawn to get the new growth.
- Fertilize and water: In the next step, you must check the new growth. Thus it is essential to add fertilizer and water the new seeds. Use clear fertilizer with nitrogen to get rid of the brown spots.
You can even think of overseeding these dead patches over the fall or late spring season so that the new grass comes green during the summertime.
How to prevent brown grass in Lawns?
Once you reseed your yard to get rid of the brown and dead spots that came earlier this year, you need to be sure that it does not return. The summer season is the time when your lawn grass can have these death spots. For this, you need to focus on the preventive measures that spot before it seems to be happening.
- Spray Water: One of the simplest and most beneficial tips is to pour or spray water on the area. The moment your dog pees at any spot, you should be ready with the spray hose of the bottle. Water can easily help in cleansing the harmful nitrogen from the dog urine and prevent the brown spot over the grass.
- Walk your dog: Instead of adding any risk over the green lawn, taking your dogs out of the lawn is a suitable alternative to the animal. You need to walk with your dog, and then you need to accomplish it with one activity. Walking will refresh you and your got and even keep the animal away from peeing on your lawn. Make sure you deal with the spot immediately when you find your dog peeing on it to prevent the brown patches over the lawn.
- Train your pets: Training your canine to urinate in any particular spot can reduce the dead spots on the lawn. You need to choose any corner on your lawn where you can keep your dog busy there. You need to reward your dog when it is doing business there. You have to ensure that the damaged area is not away from the brown patches.
As an important tip from experts, you should not allow any spot on the lawn. You can even think of putting the tall grasses, dog rocks or mulch so that it can easily regulate the effects.
What are the common myths about dog urine on yards?
There are several myths surrounding dog’s peeing:
Myth: Only female dogs’ urine give brown spots
The reality: When we see female dogs, they tend to squat, allowing only a dense and small urine spot on the grass. This can cause the grass to burn. Also, it is true that dogs do not free flat surfaces to pee and more often pee on shrubs and plants. Yet they cause brown spots on the grass, allowing the concentrated urine to fall on the grass as the females do.
Myth: Dog Urine Spots are more among certain breeds
The reality: The breed barely has any damage over the spot. This myth was realized when certain homeowners with a certain breed of dogs had issues with the grass. Some of the dogs have specific issues with urine. Also, there is no such diet with intake and general health that are seen with a certain breed of dog.
Myth: You can prevent dog urine spots with certain food supplements
The reality: Many dog owners live with the notion that certain shelves of dod diet or supplements can help reduce the dog spot. However, these foods can only reduce the alkalinity of the urine or make the drink more like water. Due to the heavy nitrogen or salt content that can cause dog spots, the food supplements or certain dog food have no use.
Will you get grass on the brown spots?
When you find the grass turning brown, it only means it is dead. However, the soil is still in a good state, so you can easily reseed there and take your growing grass, thus getting healthy grass on time. But make sure that your pet does not pee again on the same spot.
How can you reduce the nitrogen level in your dog’s urine?
Salt can reduce the nitrogen level in a dog’s urine; however, it can have some side effects. It can medically impact the dog’s health. Also, discuss with your vet before you make any changes in your pet’s diet. Making your god consume more water will only dilute their urine but doing it against their will is not a good idea, claims the experts.
In conclusion, putting so much effort into making the lush green grass and getting brown spots is not welcome. Make sure you consider all the prevention things to make the brown spots go away. If you are keen on overseeding the brown spots, you can always call a professional for any mowing activities. You may invest time with your dog and even spend some time landscaping. Consider Eden for any professional lawn care services. Call Eden for more!
Enjoy a beautifully manicured lawn with our timely yard work services that care for your yard according to the season. Call us today!