Lawn maintenance can take a lot of work for homeowners with all the watering, fertilizing and mowing so when dead spots start showing up in the grass, it is very frustrating to see all that hard work being ruined. Often the blame is placed on the family dog but how can the problem be avoided? Scoopy Doo’s dog poop service in Longmont can help prevent damage to your lawn from concentrated dog waste.
In his article “Dog-on-It Lawn Problems”, Dr. Steve Thompson, Director of the Teaching Hospital Wellness Clinic at Purdue University, explains that while all waste products contain nitrogen, the urine and feces of dogs, cats and all carnivores, is highly concentrated. At the right levels, nitrogen can act as a fertilizer but too much will burn vegetation which is why dead brown spots from pet waste are usually surrounded by a dark green ring where the diluted nitrogen caused growth. According to Dr. Thompson, “Female dogs, being less likely to urine mark and more likely to squat, are the primary culprits of lawn damage since they will urinate anywhere on a lawn and usually all at once.”
Dr. Thompson emphasizes that the pH level of pet waste is not a factor in the damage done to lawns, so modifying your pet’s diet by adding acidifying supplements, like tomato juice, or alkalizing material, such as baking soda, is not recommended. Actually, both acidic and alkalizing additions to your pet’s diet can increase their risk of bladder stones! A better option is to invest in a food with high quality protein which is more digestible and therefore leads to less nitrogen being dumped in their waste- and smaller stools.
The other two recommended approaches for dealing with burn spots were to 1) train your dog to do their business in a separate area from the lawn, and 2) water the grass after it has been urinated on to dilute the concentration of nitrogen. But perhaps the best solution would be to hire a low-cost weekly dog poop service like Scoopy Doo’s of Longmont to keep your lawn looking its best!
