If you’re a dog owner, you likely absolutely love your dog and want to be able to give it a great yard to enjoy. The problem is that your dog might be making it hard for you to keep your yard looking great.
Dogs trample the ground, dig holes, and urinate all over the grass. What can you do when your grass isn’t growing well partially because you have dogs on the property?
Well, there are things that you can try that will make growing grass a bit more reliable. You don’t have to resign yourself to failure just because you have dogs.
You can learn how to grow grass so that your dogs will have a lush and green environment to run around in.
Try Not to Start Too Big
You don’t have to try to grow an incredibly large patch of your lawn all at the same time. It’s actually going to be much simpler if you’re willing to start smaller. This will give you a chance to focus on specific parts of your lawn so that it can grow over time.
When you think about it, this gives you the chance to try to keep your dogs away from specific parts of your yard, too.
If you want the grass to have time to grow strong in one area, you can simply keep the dogs away from the section of your lawn where the grass is growing. This wouldn’t be so simple if you were trying to grow too much grass at once.
Remember That Sunny Spots Will Grow Easier
Parts of your yard that are able to get more sun are going to have an easier time growing. If you want to get a good patch of grass growing in your yard, you should consider planting it in a spot that gets lots of sun.
Growing a patch of lawn in a shady spot will be a bit tougher, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.
Consider the Soil
Having the right soil composition is important when you’re trying to grow an ideal lawn. You want to ensure that you have sandy soil or good black dirt that you can work with. If your lawn is mostly clay, that is going to make things tougher for you.
You see, clay dirt is not ideal for growing many types of grass, and your dogs will likely make a mess of it anyway.
If your home is on a property where all of the ground is clay dirt, you don’t have to despair. You can buy the soil that you need and have it placed over the top several inches of your lawn.
Try Not to Grow Grass on Slopes
Trying to grow grass on slopes will be a very frustrating process, and you might not get the best results. It’s going to be a lot better to try to stick to spots that are relatively flat if you’re able to do so. It’s also a lot better when you’re trying to maintain a lawn when things are as flat as possible.
Mowing a slope is certainly not something that you want to have to do if you can help it. Take the time to consider the terrain on your property so that you can make practical decisions.
Certain parts of your lawn might not be good candidates for growing grass, but you can still try if you would like to.
Tough Varieties of Grass Do Better
If you’re concerned about whether your grass is going to be able to survive because of your dogs, you should try to plant the right grass.
There are certain types of grass that will be better at withstanding dogs than others. If you’re able to utilize tough grass varieties, you’ll certainly have a better experience overall.
Those who are looking to plant a lawn that can withstand dogs will need to find good options to consider. If you live in the northern parts of the United States, grass varieties such as tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass will be very good options.
Those in the southern portions of the United States will be able to turn to zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, and Bahia grass to get the results that they’re looking for.
All of the grass options mentioned above are hardy enough to withstand dogs running around and playing.
If you give these grass varieties long enough to grow, you’ll have the perfect lawn for your dogs to play in. It just takes a bit of time for these grass varieties to settle in and become strong enough.
If you want to get the best results, it’s wise to look up specific information about each type of grass. Some types will grow better in full sun, and others will have specific temperature requirements.
You want to choose a grass type that will be well-suited to your local environment as well as your property.
Try to Let the Roots Grow Deep
When your grass is able to grow deep roots, it’s going to be much easier for it to survive.
When grass only has thin roots, it will be all too simple for your dogs to ruin it by simply playing. A type of grass that grows long roots will survive the harshness of having dogs run around on top of it.
You can actually encourage your grass to grow deep roots by taking care of it properly. When you’re mowing your lawn, it’s going to be smart to avoid mowing the lawn too short. Try to keep the grass around three inches high at all times while avoiding taking off too much grass at once.
If you can try to only take off one third of the grass blade each time you mow, you’re going to be better off. The grass will have an easier time staying healthy so that it can grow deep roots.
Paying attention to how you care for your lawn is going to make a huge difference when it comes to the overall results.
Feed and Water Your Lawn
Feeding and watering your lawn can help it to grow strong as well, but you don’t want to go overboard. Look up some information about how often your type of grass needs to be watered. Don’t water your lawn if you know that it’s supposed to rain soon either.
If you keep an eye on the weather, it’ll be easier to give your lawn what it needs to thrive. You can also buy special fertilizer for your lawn that will give your lawn more nutrients.
This can help to boost the growth potential of the grass so that it can become as strong as possible.
Giving your lawn more nitrogen through the lawn fertilizer should have very good results. It’ll help you to get your lawn where you want it to be over time.
Just know that you shouldn’t use fertilizer more often than you’re instructed to, and you’re always going to want to pay attention to the included instructions on anything that you purchase.
Also, you need to keep in mind that some types of fertilizer won’t be good to use when you have dogs. You want to try to buy products that won’t harm your dogs, and it might require a bit of research. If you choose to use fertilizer on your lawn, you have to be mindful of what you’re doing.
It could be possible to keep your dogs away from areas of the lawn that you have fertilized, but most people wouldn’t want to have to go to that trouble. Just try to be good about buying fertilizer types that are specifically marked as pet safe.
This will give you peace of mind and you won’t have to worry about harming your canine companion.
Fixing Brown Spots
Sometimes you might notice brown spots on your lawn because of your dog peeing in specific places. This can be a real annoyance, and you might even be concerned about your grass dying. Try not to fret because you can actually fix this without it being a very big deal.
Just take the time to water the lawn a little extra near the brown spots and everything will likely bounce back nicely. Some pet owners even carry a hose around with them to hose the lawn off a bit when their dogs pee on specific spots.
You don’t necessarily have to go to this length to protect your lawn, though.
It’s also worth noting that brown spots can be caused by other things than dog urine. For example, some spots of your yard could get scorched due to the sun being particularly harsh.
You can’t always assume that it’s your dogs causing the brown spots.
Fix Your Lawn
Fix your lawn today by taking the above advice into account. You know a lot more about growing your lawn now, and this should make it easier for you to take the right actions.
Having dogs most certainly won’t prevent you from being able to grow a healthy and beautiful lawn.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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