Backyard / dog friendly...
just_janni
7 years ago
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just_janni
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Lawn on the Texas Coast
Comments (3)Fertilize now with something that is NOT weed-n-feed. Then in 2 weeks spray the back yard with "Weed-B-Gone for Southern Lawns." For the front yard I would use baking soda. Seems crazy but baking soda is very salty and will kill almost everything except St Augustine, which is highly salt tolerant. If you want to use baking soda, write back and I'll provide details on how to do that. There are some tricks. Here are the basics of lawn care to get you started. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds. Mulch mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above....See MoreDog Friendly Backyard in Phoenix (West Valley)
Comments (5)I can't help much with surfaces, but I will suggest you consider your dog's behavior. If there is a fence, some dogs will patrol it, so you may want to consider any areas along a fence or wall to be dog paths. Think about whether your dog likes to dig or if you will want an area to turn out the dog unsupervised such as an enclosure or a zip line. Do you want an area that will be easy to clean up after your dog? A consistent water source? Also, whatever surfaces you choose, you will want to consider your tolerance for it getting tracked into the house on your pets' paws and how hot it will get in desert sun....See MoreNeed budget-friendly design help for backyard and 2 dogs
Comments (3)As a long time dog owner AND gardener, I will tell you that dogs will patrol the perimeter of a property regardless of what might be on the other side :-) You could pave the area but that seems like an unnecessary expense - wood chips will achieve the same result. Gravel will as well but less pet-friendly. Both will need some sort of restraint system/edging to keep them from migrating all over the garden. When I redesigned my back garden, I allowed a 3-4' wide track all along the fenceline for the dogs to patrol. The planting area in front of it was mounded up/bermed so that the plantings screened this track from view once the plants grew and filled in. With the existing trees, this will not be possible, but just a thought for any areas where existing trees may not be present....See MoreBlank Canvas Backyard (Dog Friendly/Garden/Privacy)
Comments (12)Consider creating terraces. Decide how much room immediately behind your home you eventually want for a backyard patio. Leave at least six feet beside each fence not dug but dig a ditch/footing for a wall of concrete block down to hard ground across the center of the rest of the back yard. Once your terrace wall is built, level the area above the wall, including by adding a truck load of gravel and/or dirt and/or shoveling dirt from below the wall to above it to level both your patio area and a space below the wall. Once you've reserved your patio space -- while your dogs pack it from using it -- you can begin to plant your garden, preferably in a way the dogs can be taught to leave what you plant alone. Pay attention to how the sun passes over your back yard so you're not planting anything that will eventually shade your garden too much for it to grow. Brackets on fence posts can hold potted plants -- choose the strong ones. https://www.google.com/search?q=very+strong+bracket+for++holding+flower+basket&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjy1KW5l4LoAhWiSt8KHRZkBw0Q_AUoAnoECAwQBA&biw=1366&bih=628 Consider the stronger tomato cages for tomatoes and beans. You can buy individual trellis/cages in the spring from the big box stores or build your own -- there are You Tube videos on how to build different kinds. This is just one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozQNsd5Oek4 Consider building a mini greenhouse using plumbing pipes and/or wood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsSI4w3CqEo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWPnaiixe0 https://www.bing.com/search?q=building+greenhouse+with+pvc&form=EDGSPH&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&plvar=0&refig=d03dc932a900445e84174ddd49ea6bb8&sp=1&ghc=1&qs=AS&pq=building+greenhouse+with+&sk=PRES1&sc=8-25&cvid=d03dc932a900445e84174ddd49ea6bb8&cc=US&setlang=en-US If you build raised beds with wood, remember to line the wood box with plastic to make the wood last longer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef_TS19TRQg and / or building tiered structures for plants https://www.google.com/search?q=wood+tiered+structures+for+planting+strawberries&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiv8fyvk4LoAhXEEFMKHS1JBKMQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=wood+tiered+structures+for+planting+strawberries&gs_l=img.3...95448.101579..102697...0.0..0.134.1724.15j4......0....1..gws-wiz-img.NbM-ukJ-fRs&ei=qFFgXq_9FcShzAKtkpGYCg&bih=654&biw=1366&client=firefox-b-1-d#imgrc=irj20Wqm9lLhnM...See Morejust_janni
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