YARD DOGS LAWN CARE
Who enjoys your grass nearly as much as you do? The dog. On it, he moves around.
He snuffles it while pointing his nose downward. He occasionally even eats it. When you own a dog, it becomes a member of your family—the part of your family that uses your grass as a bathroom.
Is it possible for a family pet and healthy grass to coexist? How can you keep your lawn green and lush when a dog is nearby? For dog owners, standard grass care advice only sometimes works. Consider factors others do not, such as the impact your dog’s faces will have on your grass and the possibility that certain lawn care products could harm your dog.
There is a way, however!
Ten dog-friendly lawn care ideas
1. Reseed the lawn with grass kind that is damage-resistant.
Although you might only think of grass as “grass,” many distinct types exist. Some grass varieties can withstand your dog playing, running, and eliminating them every day, while others cannot.
If you frequently notice dog puddles or worn-out patches in your lawn, the cause may be a weaker, more delicate grass kind. Think about replacing your current property with a grass variety that can withstand damage, like
– Long fescue
– Virginia bluegrass
– Evergreen ryegrass
– Bermudagrass
– Zoysiagrass.
Is it too much of a task to replace your entire lawn? You can still improve your yard by just sodding new areas where your dog likes to play or relieve himself.
2. Immediately deal with dog excrement.
If you allow urine and feces to permeate the soil, they can both harm your grass. High nitrogen levels in your dog’s excrement cause the grass to burn. You can see the brown areas where the grass was scorched by nitrogen. If you never allow the soil to absorb the nitrogen, you can prevent it from getting to your grass. Permanently remove any dog waste right away (yes, even in your backyard). After your dog urinates, thoroughly wet the area with the hose to wash the soil and dilute the nitrogen.
3. Cut the grass shorter.
Deeper roots and a more complex lawn are both correlated with taller grass. Allowing your grass to grow taller will make it more resilient so that it can withstand more punishment from your dog without perishing.
That doesn’t mean you should stop cutting your grass altogether or allow it to get out of hand to the point where your yard resembles a jungle. Adjust the cutting height on your lawnmower to the highest level advised for the type of grass you have.
4. Reduce fertilization.
Because nitrogen is crucial for your grass to develop healthily, several lawn fertilizers contain it. But too much nitrogen will cause the grass to burn. Sometimes the nitrogen from dog waste and fertilizer can be too much.
Urine burn can be avoided if you fertilize less frequently or use a fertilizer that doesn’t include nitrogen. While many typical fertilization regimens call for four or five feedings annually, you may reduce this number to one or two at seasons that are ideal for your particular grass type:
– The best time to fertilize cool-season grasses for dogs is both early spring and early fall
– A warm-season lawn fertilization program that is dog-friendly in both early spring and late summer
Where you live will determine the exact time of year you should fertilize. Contact the extension office in your area for advice that applies to your situation.
5. Watch for yellow stains.
Keep an eye on your lawn, paying particular attention to the places where your dog tends to congregate. The grass will fade to a straw-like yellow before it dies and goes brown. Catching these patches while they are still yellow may allow you to save them.
To get rid of excess nitrogen and salts from your dog’s faces, cleanse the soil in those places when you notice yellow patches. To prevent dog urine damage to the ground, you can use a remedy like Spotless Lawn Dog Spot Aid Revive Dog Spot Treatment Envii Neutering. The sooner you discover damage from dog urine, the better. You are waiting until the grass goes brown results in already-dead grass, necessitating reseeding of that area.
6. Minimize grassy areas.
Give your dog somewhere to play where there is no grass if you don’t want him to destroy your lawn. To create dog-friendly landscaping, remove the grass from a portion of your yard and replace it with hardscapes, mulch, or groundcovers.
Materials like concrete or paving stones make up hardscapes. Create a patio or dog path with these items, so your dog has somewhere to run about. Smooth surfaces shouldn’t irritate delicate paws, and lighter-coloured materials should be used because they don’t absorb heat as much as darker ones.
Any form of loose material that may be spread out and used to cover the soil is known as mulch. Mulch is typically used in gardens but can also be used to make a dog play area. Never use cocoa shell mulch because dogs cannot handle it. Use a dog-friendly mulch instead, like
– Supple gravel or stones
– Tire nuggets
– Wood chips
– Straw
– Fibrous coconut
Ground covers are plants that grow along the ground. Many homeowners use ground cover plants as lawn replacements. Ground covers are more low-maintenance and damage-resistant than traditional turf grass. Some durable, non-toxic ground covers for homes with dogs are:
– Snow-in-summer
– Creeping thyme
– Labrador violet
– Silver carpet
– Irish moss
7. Keep fleas out of your yard.
Fleas will inevitably get onto your dog and into your home if they are present in your yard. Even if your dog is on flea prevention medication, as he should be, you should still make an effort to reduce the flea population surrounding your home. They’ll nip at both you and your loved ones!
The following actions can be taken to prevent fleas on your lawn:
– Clear your lawn of trash, such as broken branches, twigs, or abandoned toys.
– Lawns should be routinely mowed.
– Avoid over-watering the lawn or garden.
– To prevent raccoons, mice, and other wild creatures that carry fleas from congregating around garbage cans, keep them closed and take care not to leave out food waste.
Cover your grass, flowerbeds, garden, and other outdoor areas with cedar chip mulch to keep fleas away.
8. Prevent applying chemical lawn treatments.
If your dog ingests the chemicals in popular lawn treatments like fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, and fungicides, it could become very ill. They may destroy the chemicals when they lick their paws or consume grass. Avoid chemicals at all costs if you want your dog to be able to play in the yard without any danger.
Try homemade cures or commercial organic, chemical-free items as an alternative. On our blog, you can find several natural lawn care procedures guides, including
– Organic fertilizers
– Weed herbicides made from natural ingredients
– Organic pest control
9. Watch out for foxtail weeds.
Common weeds like foxtails typically develop in turfgrass in the summer. One species or another can be found in every state. Their seed heads include barbs that can pierce your dog’s skin. Foxtails are particularly harmful since the seed heads don’t disintegrate, which means that if you don’t detect them and remove them in time, they could make their way inside your dog’s body. They might pierce essential blood vessels or organs and spread diseases.
If you notice foxtail weeds in your lawn, take them up immediately and use a natural weed killer (remember, no chemicals) to prevent them from returning.
10. Keep poisonous plants away from your dog.
You must be cautious when choosing landscape plants to encircle your dog-friendly lawn. Dogs are harmful to a variety of common plants. Always look up a plant on the ASPCA’s list of dangerous and non-toxic plants before adding it to your landscaping.
The presence of a poisonous plant does not preclude its use in landscaping. You can merely plant it away from where your dog frequents. If you genuinely enjoy how a sago palm (a dangerous plant) looks, put one there rather than in the backyard where you let the dog out.
How your dog can hurt your lawn?
Dog pee damage
Dog pee can destroy grass, mainly if your dog uses the exact location or a small number of spots each day. Due to its high nitrogen content, dog pee damages grass. Nitrogen is a vital soil nutrient, but too much concentrated in a small space burns the grass from the inside out and causes it to die. Your dog frequently uses the same spot causing the soil to overflow with nitrogen. Dog pee damage might appear as dark green or brown patches (which initially appear as yellow marks).
Dog poop damage
Dog poo also includes nitrogen, just like dog pee. Additionally, it can result in brown or dark green stains if you leave the waste outside to decompose in the soil. But there are additional reasons why dog poop is nasty for your lawn.
The first problem is that it includes microorganisms that could harm the health of your family, your dog, and other animals. With your bare hands, you wouldn’t touch faces. Additionally, please include it for your dog to handle.
Additionally, faces promote the growth of fungi, which can result in bacterial lawn illnesses that damage your grass.
Digging up the lawn
Dogs naturally urge to dig and enjoy exercising in your yard. Grass and vegetation are killed when dug up. Additionally, it causes the soil beneath to dry out, which could harm the nearby grass and make future plant growth in that area challenging.
Daily wear and tear
Dogs put in a lot of foot movement, which can squish your grass and compact your soil. Even worse, they frequently cross the same sections of the lawn each day as they move back and forth from the door to their preferred location or patrol the outside of the yard.
By essentially wearing the grass down, those frequent excursions can result in bare patches of lawn. Aeration can alleviate overly compacted soil, which also results in dead grass.
It is attainable and effortless to keep your grass safe and healthy for your entire family!
RDK LANDSCAPING is available to answer any queries regarding your lawn’s condition or the impact your dogs may have on it.
