Are you getting barren patches on your lawn? Is your grass dying out only on some places and you are a dog owner? Here’s how to tell if dog urine is killing grass on your lawn, and what to do about it.
Can dog urine damage plants and lawns?
While dog urine is not inherently harmful to grass, it can cause damage under certain circumstances.
While small amounts of dog urine on the grass will not kill it, repeated urination in the same spot or by multiple dogs can lead to urine burn and eventually kill the grass.
Symptoms of dog urine damaging grass lawns
The most common symptom of dog urine having a bad effect on lawn grass is brown or yellow patches on the lawn.
Other symptoms may include stunted growth, thinning of the grass, and a strong ammonia smell.
Can dog urine be good for grass?
Dog urine contains high levels of nitrogen, which is a waste product from proteins, and a common ingredient in fertilizers that actually promote plant growth.
Small amounts may cause a green-up, which is good, as long as the urine doesn’t contain any pathogens that would affect you or your loved ones and we all know that’s far from true.
So now we have a conundrum on our hands. It’s best to have a designated spot for urinating and defecating (as some dogs already instinctively know) but doing so on the same spot all the time will damage the lawn.
Foliar fertilizers also contain dissolved nitrogen compounds but usually it’s extremely diluted and the manufacturers are very precise with instructions on how much this dilution is supposed to be to optimize uptake and avoid wasting the product or even worse – damaging the plant.
What forms of nitrogen are present in dog urine?
Urine contains urea which breaks down into ammonia nitrogen when dissolved in water, with carbon dioxide as a by-product. Ammonia has a quck-reaction uptake by the plants.
Urea is very slightly basic (alkaline) when dissolved in water. In fact it’s a myth that the acidity (low pH) of urine is what kills the grass, and it’s a myth that nitrogen compounds are behind this acidity.
Would salt in dog urine cause damage to grass?
Apart from nitrogen, urine also contains some amount of sodium. The same organ that filters out both of them from the body – that is the kidneys. We all know sodium is not a good thing to have in the soil, as it brings the soil’s salinity up. Luckily, just like most nitrogen compounds, it’s easy enough to wash down with regular water, into deeper layers.
Generally speaking, for most homeowners and in most places, salt shouldn’t be a big problem. If the lawn isn’t watered or it’s not raining or if the soil has too much clay that prevents surface water from draining out, other watershed management techniques are required. It’s worth noting that if you have sod-based grass, it’s probably bluegrass and that one simply does not tolerate salt.
Humans can tolerate much more salt in their diet than dogs without suffering serious consequences. Carnivores, such as dogs and cats, have relatively high protein requirements in their diet, so we will focus on nitrogen now. This is the fundamental issue that plants have with dog urine.
Why dog urine can become a problem for grass and lawns
Every dog activity on a lawn can become a problem, but urinating is something that is simply a non-negotiable need, so managing it can’t be just boiled down to simple training.
- First of all, there is a lot of conflicting information online about diagnosing the issue appropriately.
- Second, there are myths and surrounding solutions to the problem.
- And third, your mileage may vary when it comes to finding the proper solution.
If you picked a bad combination of grass varieties and you’re keeping multiple untrained dogs in a small yard that you don’t water regularly or thoroughly enough, your problem will be very hard to resolve.
Urine concentration is the biggest culprit here. Combined with urin intolerance of some types of grasses , highly concentrated urin can quickly kill a patch of grass or turn it yellow due to chemical burn.
Plant leaves are simply not built to uptake a huge concentration of nitrogen as quickly as your dog can dish it out. Some can tolerate it better, but others just give up and die. Kentucky Bluegrass and Bermudagrass have the worst tolerance in this regard.
Home remedies for dog urine killing grass: myths vs facts
Urban legends (or rather suburban and rural) are spread all across the web and from neighbor to neighbor about what works and what doesn’t work as a home remedy.
Some of them work in some cases, others help with other issues but not the one at hand, but some are just outright bad choices.
Neutralize dog urine grass damage
We can tell you right now that watering the patch after the dog’s urination will definitely help and is the cheapest way to dilute the highly concentrated urine. Though, most people would agree it’s impractical to monitor and follow your dog around with a hose or watering can.
Does tomato ketchup stop dog urine killing grass?
Before we go further – this myth is tied to dog diet, not putting ketchup on grass. And yes, it does help in theory but at what cost, and how significant of an effect will it provide?
Ketchup isn’t the healthiest thing to give your dog, so consult your vet before you do this.
The main mechanism behind this theory is that ketchup will:
- Alter the pH of your dogs urine and
- Make your dog drink more water, which will reduce the urine concentration.
Our final verdict for this method is: avoid experimenting with it.
Does lime prevent dog urine from killing my grass?
Applying lime is a simple solution that unfortunately doesn’t work in this case. The lime method is fundamentaly flawed in its assumption that the urine’s acidity is what is destroying the grass or building up in the soil. Sometimes lime is used in soil management, but it simply doesn’t work in this case since the cause of damage is not soil acidity or acid introduction.
If you’re willing to try out buying a chemical to solve your problem, buy a specialized one. Just search for dog urine spot removers online or at your local Home Depot.
Bonus Myth: Urine is worse than dogs running in the same line
This may sound completely off-topic, but some dog owners would beg to have “the urine problem” instead of the “trampled line of mud” problem. If your dog gives you both of these problems, you might have to rethink your yard management.
Either provide your dog a different kind of turf, or train the dog to behave differently. If they’re too old for training, then fencing off the affected area until the grass is repaired would be ideal.
Temporarily fencing off areas of heavy traffic and urination is a simple but efficient way to force the dog to find a secondary spot for activities. If you need the grass repaired as soon as possible and don’t have time to try out different solutions, re-sodding might be your only option.
Repairing dog urine grass burns properly
A more long-term solution would be to regularly aerate and dethatch the lawn to remove any built-up nitrogen and allow for better drainage.
If the dead grass area is large enough, reseeding or sodding may be necessary.
Of course if the same patch of grass gets the “dog treatment” constantly, over and over, then picking the right type of grass will significantly improve its condition under highly concentrated urine bombardment.
So in some sense, repairing the lawn can become a regular maintenance chore or a yard redesign project.
Think about whether or not regulating your dog’s behavior (or limiting it in some way) might be the better approach.
How do I stop dog urine from killing my grass?
First, it is important to train dogs to urinate in designated areas. These areas could also have gravel, sand or mulch on top. It will help concentrate the nitrogen in one area and minimize damage to the rest of the lawn.
Automatic watering with a sprinkler system is not a new technology and might be a great investment in the long-term since it makes everything easier. Additionally, regularly watering the lawn can also help to dilute any accumulated nitrogen from dog urine.
Another action that would have a big impact would be to feed dogs a diet that is lower in protein. High levels of protein in a dog’s diet will result in a higher concentration of nitrogen in their urine.
Conclusion
If you’re short on money, attacking the problem from multiple sides with the cheapest possible solutions might be enough to move the needle in your favor and allow the grass to regenerate faster than it’s being destroyed. Fence off the area, water it regularly
If you do have funds to invest, think about investing in both long term and short term solutions:
- In the long term, invest in a automatic watering system, and better choice of grass varieties that will be tolerant to high urine concentrations.
- In the short term, buying a dog urine spot remover might help, along with re-sodding or temporarily fencing the area off.
Always remember to not be mad at your dog for doing what is natural to them ♡