Myth 5: Dog Pee Damage Can Be Cured With Household Products
The Truth: Will baking soda neutralize dog urine on grass? Sprinkling baking soda, gypsum, dishwashing detergent, and other random household products won’t get the yellow out of your yard and may cause even more trouble.
Here’s why: Baking soda and gypsum contain salts, and may increase the problem.
Dishwashing detergent is a surfactant and could help with water movement through the soil. But other ingredients in the soap might burn the grass itself, so it’s best not to add to the problem.
The real magic ingredient is water. Deep watering of the spot can dilute the nitrogen and salts and allow them to leach into the surrounding soil.
Myth 2: Dog Urine Spots Are More Common With Certain Breeds
The Truth: The breed doesn’t have any say in the size or damage of the spot. This myth was probably started when a dog owner noticed more spots when owning one breed of dog in relation to another breed, says Harivandi.
Some individual dogs have urine with a higher pH level and/or nitrogen content, or their urine is more concentrated. This has more to do with diet, water intake, and general health than with a specific breed of dog. Whether it is a Dalmatian or a dachshund, X still marks the spot.
FAQ About Your Lawn and Your Dog
Not without some help. When grass turns brown, it’s already dead. But the soil is still good, and if you reseed and take care of your new growing grass, you’ll have a healthy green lawn in no time. That is, as long as your furry best friend doesn’t keep peeing on it.
While salt can lower your dog’s nitrogen levels, giving your dog more salt than is medically necessary can cause damage. Always talk with your veterinarian before making changes to your dog’s diet. Getting your dog to drink more water may help dilute their urine but getting your dog to do anything when they don’t want to can be a handful.
It is a common misconception that dog poop is good for grass. It isn’t a natural fertilizer like many people would like to believe. Nitrogen, the stuff in dog urine that kills your grass, is also found in dog feces. It’s best to pick up the dropping left behind from your proud pooch and dispose of them before they turn your yard brown.
How to treat dog urine spots on grass | before and after
Dog urine damage is a common problem for home lawns, and one that has generated numerous home remedies and commercial products claiming to be cures for the spots. This lawn problem is misunderstood when it comes to causes and cures. Dog spotting on turfgrass is caused by the deposition of a high concentration of nitrogen (N)-containing compounds and associated salts on a small area in the lawn. These deposits are often concentrated in a relatively small portion of the lawn, resulting in turf injury or death. Some common “urban legends” surrounding dog urine damage to lawns are: