Fixing the Yard
I did some research online to learn about what
other pet owners do to keep their yard looking somewhat presentable, some don't
care and just deal with the dead grass, some buy expensive additives for their
dogs food and some have crazy remedies like pouring sugar on the dead
spots.
...The first area I just raked with a short prong metal rake and then roughed it up to expose some dirt and loosen some of the yellowing grass and then saturated the soil there until it was soggy- supposedly new grass will begin to emerge.
The second area I again raked with the large metal rake and then on my hands and knees roughed up and pulled out most of the yellow dead grass, exposing much more soil, removing most of the yellow dead grass roots and all as best I could.
...The first area I just raked with a short prong metal rake and then roughed it up to expose some dirt and loosen some of the yellowing grass and then saturated the soil there until it was soggy- supposedly new grass will begin to emerge.
The second area I again raked with the large metal rake and then on my hands and knees roughed up and pulled out most of the yellow dead grass, exposing much more soil, removing most of the yellow dead grass roots and all as best I could.
We had some yellow dead spots in our yard from
our dog Meko and also dry conditions last summer/fall that killed off area's of
our grass. I did some research online to learn about what other pet owners do
to keep their yard looking somewhat presentable, some don't care and just deal
with the dead grass, some buy expensive additives for their dogs food and some
have crazy remedies like pouring sugar on the dead spots. All in all I learned
that excess nitrogen and acid in dogs urine is what yellows the grass and really
the only way to combat it is to dilute it right when the dog goes by pouring
water over the spot. But for those of us that didn't run out with our watering
can all summer and winter, we now need to revive the dead spots. There again
were several ideas, but I decided to try 3 different things on 3 different
areas.
The first area I just raked with a short prong metal rake and then roughed it up to expose some dirt and loosen some of the yellowing grass and then saturated the soil there until it was soggy- supposedly new grass will begin to emerge.
The second area I again raked with the large metal rake and then on my hands and knees roughed up and pulled out most of the yellow dead grass, exposing much more soil, removing most of the yellow dead grass roots and all as best I could. I then spread out a mulch with grass seed and fertilizer built right in. It's called Magic Start Grass Patch and it is all natural. I got it at Franks and it explicitly says on the box that it's for filling in dead spots due to dogs. I spread the mulch with the enclosed scoop, the first few scoops I did I may have put it on too thick - it doesn't really say how thick to put it on. Then I watered the mulch in- it makes a nice green color.
The third area I prepped the same as the 2nd, the only difference is I added a layer of growing mix before I added the mulch on top. Again, I watered that in as well.
So time will tell which area succeeds better than the other. The box says there is supposed to be grass emerging within 6-8 days if the conditions are met. If this doesn't work, then we will go get some good ol' black dirt and sprinkle grass seed on top and hope for the best. Each area that is seeded with mulch is roped off so Meko and we don't walk through them. We will water each area regularly.
The first area I just raked with a short prong metal rake and then roughed it up to expose some dirt and loosen some of the yellowing grass and then saturated the soil there until it was soggy- supposedly new grass will begin to emerge.
The second area I again raked with the large metal rake and then on my hands and knees roughed up and pulled out most of the yellow dead grass, exposing much more soil, removing most of the yellow dead grass roots and all as best I could. I then spread out a mulch with grass seed and fertilizer built right in. It's called Magic Start Grass Patch and it is all natural. I got it at Franks and it explicitly says on the box that it's for filling in dead spots due to dogs. I spread the mulch with the enclosed scoop, the first few scoops I did I may have put it on too thick - it doesn't really say how thick to put it on. Then I watered the mulch in- it makes a nice green color.
The third area I prepped the same as the 2nd, the only difference is I added a layer of growing mix before I added the mulch on top. Again, I watered that in as well.
So time will tell which area succeeds better than the other. The box says there is supposed to be grass emerging within 6-8 days if the conditions are met. If this doesn't work, then we will go get some good ol' black dirt and sprinkle grass seed on top and hope for the best. Each area that is seeded with mulch is roped off so Meko and we don't walk through them. We will water each area regularly.
Posted: Wed - April 28, 2004 at 08:40 PM
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Published On: Jun 03, 2004 09:27 PM
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Published On: Jun 03, 2004 09:27 PM