Dog Urine Spots on New Fescue

14 years ago

I am really, really new to all of this. I had fescue sod put in my back yard, specifically for my greyhound. I have some issues that are unrelated to him, primarily where I had the sod placed - too close to the house where the eave prevents proper natural watering and under the deck. However, the whole reason I spent the money to sod was for him. Now, many, many brown spots (big ones) are forming. I tried to be proactive and put down lime (per Home Depot). I watered it in. I also have tried to watch where he goes, and water it right afterward. That is not working either. I am desparate! It is not helpful to seed it now, but at the rate it is going, it will all be dead by the end of the summer. HELP!

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Comments (4)

obsolete
14 years ago
Hmm, I don't recall dog urine being that destructive before. I'm guessing now you live in the city with a small backyard and little room for him to do his BATH-ROOM chores.

I suspect it's the Urea & Ammonia that's causing the problems but not sure about a proper solution.
bpgreen
14 years ago
Dog urine kills the grass mostly by "burning" it with excessive nitrogen. Diluting it with water can help, but it may not be enough and only helps if you get it right away.

Another thing that can help, especially if you're using organics in your lawn care is to add sugar to the spots where the urine is. What that does is give the microbes some readily available carbon to counter the nitrogen in the urine.
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All good advise, thanks. . . I have a water bowl full of water at all times, so the dogs can drink as much as they want, I don't know how I can force them to drink more. I don't have this problem in the summer time when I water the lawn on a regular basis, only in the winter. But in the winter I can't dilute the urine with water, as we have a well and it all gets taken apart in the winter. I fertilize in the fall, and again this time of year, and that's about it. More fertilizer might help in the future?? Hmmmm. . . thanks again, Maid~
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2nd question first: If you had them this spring, then you will probably have them next spring. The best way to minimize the effect would be to strengthen your turf as much as possible. Lots of organic material, spread some compost, mulch your clippings and fall leaves. Late fall fertilization to enable healthy root growth over winter. Next spring, very early in the season, remove the dead grass from the pee spots, scrape the soil, throw down some seed and cover with thin layer of compost. If you use crabgrass preventer, then cover those spots when applying, so that the seeds have a chance to grow. Alternatively, plant the dead spots with plugs taken from an inconspicuous part of your lawn. 1st question: Is there anything I can/should do in the short term to even out the color where it's spotty? The green spots are over fertilized. You may try fertilizing the rest of that part of your lawn to even the color. Introduce more organic matter into that part of your lawn. Over-dress with compost, fertilize with organics, get your microbes to digest the waste products from your family pets. If possible, train you dog to go in a less conspicuous part of your lawn as opposed to the front.
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Frank: You simply MUST try turfpro! I have 2 labradors, and lots of large dog spots, and I tried many different solutions with no success. Finally, I called into a local radio show hosted by a well respected gardener and landscaper known as the Garden Rebel. He recommended this product, saying it was the best thing he had seen in at least the last 10 years. It is a super-concentrated liquid you simply attach to your hose and spray on the spots. It is called TurfPro, I bought it at www.ecofriendlyonline.com It is 100% natural and organic, and comes from an ancient humus deposit which is apparently one of the richest ever found. As I understand it, many humate amendments contain the very important Humic, Ulmic, and Fulvic acids, but, are often leached out of some type of coal with chemicals, etc, and therefore are not completely organic, and do not contain important microbiology. This product has a full spectrum of biology that is naturally left intact, and completes the beneficial cycle of a balanced soil. That is probably more than you wanted or needed to know, but, I have witnessed a reduced irrigation expense as I now am able to use less water, and my fertilizer use has been more than cut in half, and I think I will be able to eliminate it altogether. My grass and plants are stronger and more resistant to drought and disease, just like they said would happen. I started out just using it on my dog urine spots, but, when the brown spots turned into grass that looked better than the rest of my yard, I started using it everywhere! I hope you have a great experience with this product like I did. Here is a link that might be useful: Eco-Friendly Products and Services
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There can be several reasons why she's peeing in the house. 1. It's not unusual for dogs to pee on new carpet. Not sure why but a carpet layer told me he see's it all the time. Something about the smell of new carpet. 2. It's possible your MIL's dog has had some accidents she's not aware of and your dog is marking where's the other dog has gone. 3. Just because a doggy door is installed (anywhere) doesn't mean your dog will use it. It sounds like your dog hasn't gotten into the routine of living in a different house and the stress of the move has probably caused some anxiety. Plus, there may be something on the other side of the doggy door she doesn't like. 4. Your dog could also have some urinary problems, either stones or an infection, so it warrants a trip to the vet to rule out that possibility. For now, I'd suggest you walk your dog outside often so that she becomes comfortable with the surroundings. There could be a neighbors dog or something else outside that she's afraid of. Take her out thru the door that has the doggy door and when she does pee/poop give her lots of praise (treats are optional). While outside, observe her reactions to anything in the general area. Purchase a black light to find any missed pee spots and treat them with a product made for pet urine. The black light will also show if your MIL's dog has had any accidents. The little things that show up with a black light can be scary. :) Also, don't assume every spot is pee. Food and liquid spills can also leave spots that show up with the black light, so to determine if it's truly pee.......you'll need to smell it.
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dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
I think it indicates an overall lack of fertility. The spots are caused by the spot fertilization by the dog. You can either follow him around with a hose to dilute the urine right away or try the sugar. Scatter a heaping handful of sugar onto each spot as soon as you suspect a spot is forming. You might need to patrol the yard more frequently.

What the sugar does, apparently, is signal the microbes in the soil to populate instead of feeding. But it isn't long before the expanded population of microbes is back to feeding. It is the microbes that decompose the urine.

With fescue it could be the plants are dead, but the best solution I've seen is the sugar. Feeding your dog a different diet has been suggested over and over, but I can't remember anyone claiming it worked. Lots of people claim the sugar works.

Generally you should probably fertilize the entire lawn. Normally I suggest waiting until Memorial Day but that date is not really cast in concrete. It is just easy to remember.
obsolete
14 years ago
I am not so sure about the changing diet thing, unless somehow it's the excreted proteins causing the grass-kill? (I think unlikely).

But perhaps there may be something to it. I do know different dog owners have told me contradicting stories about the grass. Some have told me the grass does much better after their dogs have urinated onto it.

Dog Urine Spots on New Fescue

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obsolete

bpgreen

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