@Scorpio64 so the snow has finally all melted up here and the area I had shoveled for the dogs is bare. The grass is all dead and yellow. Should I just spread seed and cover with straw or is there anything elce I should do? 

31 minutes ago, fishnut said:

@Scorpio64 so the snow has finally all melted up here and the area I had shoveled for the dogs is bare. The grass is all dead and yellow. Should I just spread seed and cover with straw or is there anything elce I should do? 

Your lawn's burned from the pee...  may need more pee-resistant strains of grass...

3 minutes ago, fishnut said:

Should I just spread seed and cover with straw or is there anything elce I should do? 

Seeding can't hurt.  If the doggie didn't go full chemical warfare, some of the grass will recover on it's own but there will be dead spots where ammonia is concentrated.  Areas that are beaten down from foot (and paw) traffic will probably come back if the root system is healthy.

Don't just throw the seed on top, use a steel rake and work it into the soil.  The trick to good germination is soil contact and moisture.  I recommend programmable sprinkler timers for things like this.  Set it up to water 10 minutes every hour.

32 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

Seeding can't hurt.  If the doggie didn't go full chemical warfare, some of the grass will recover on it's own but there will be dead spots where ammonia is concentrated.  Areas that are beaten down from foot (and paw) traffic will probably come back if the root system is healthy.

Don't just throw the seed on top, use a steel rake and work it into the soil.  The trick to good germination is soil contact and moisture.  I recommend programmable sprinkler timers for things like this.  Set it up to water 10 minutes every hour.

Any way to amend the ammonia  burned areas? Or should I spread some top soil over top? 2 mini dachshunds pissed in the same 10'  Diameter area fo about 6 months so I'm sure the soil is pretty full of ammonia. 

Normally I would not care but it's right at the bottom of my deck stairs and I ont want 3 dogs walking through mud right before they come in the house. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, fishnut said:

Any way to amend the ammonia  burned areas? Or should I spread some top soil over top? 2 mini dachshunds pissed in the same 10'  Diameter area fo about 6 months so I'm sure the soil is pretty full of ammonia. 

Normally I would not care but it's right at the bottom of my deck stairs and I ont want 3 dogs walking through mud right before they come in the house. 

 

 

Lime?

3 minutes ago, Zeke said:

Lime?

If ammonia is the problem, you wouldn’t want to make the soil more basic. 

8 minutes ago, fishnut said:

it's right at the bottom of my deck stairs and I ont want 3 dogs walking through mud

The ammonia will break down on it's own, there is not real cure for an over "fertilized" lawn.  YOu can water the area to percolate the chemicals into the ground, but you will most likely turn it area in to a mud wrestling pit, especially if your soil is heavy clay.

You may want to try out seed mats if the dogs will be running up and down the stairs to do their business.  They are fairly expensive and are not as good as a properly done seed job, but this is a special circumstance.

31 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

The ammonia will break down on it's own, there is not real cure for an over "fertilized" lawn.  YOu can water the area to percolate the chemicals into the ground, but you will most likely turn it area in to a mud wrestling pit, especially if your soil is heavy clay.

This is really the only thing he can do, heavy water the area to dilute the urine, since it's primarily nitrogen. It will eventually come back.

I dealt with this issue with my pups on sod I put down. That first urine blast in the morning was like sulfuric acid and always killed a ring of grass. It would take over a month for the grass to come back, but because it was such a nitrogen blast, that ring was nice and green when it re-grew.

I had to train the dogs to pee over in a gravel section in my backyard to save my grass. My current dude will sneak over occasionally and water the grass, but most of the time, it's small dosages, so it doesn't burn out much. Plus, he's so considerate, and will only pee on the outside fringe of the yard, never in the middle of the grass.

For those bare areas, I would just rough them up with a rake, and throw a handful of seed/mulch combo on it, and let it go. It always comes back in about a month.

The key is to get everyone in the family on the same page on where you want the dogs to pee in the future, so only a small area gets nuked, and not the whole yard.

48 minutes ago, Sniper said:

 

The key is to get everyone in the family on the same page on where you want the dogs to pee in the future, so only a small area gets nuked, and not the whole yard.

The problem is we got 10.5' of snow this winter and the dachshund  legge's are maybe 8" long. I cant shovel my whole backyard so the area of dead grass is the area I shoveled for them. This is going to be an issue every winter probably. 

Just to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with. The pic is my backyard, the shoveled area to the right of my buddy's dog is now the problem area and those two wood poles below him are shovels. So yeah we got a bit of snow up here in northern New Hampshire this winter

28 minutes ago, fishnut said:

The problem is we got 10.5' of snow this winter and the dachshund  legge's are maybe 8" long.

Well, your first problem is having pocket dogs, instead of real man dogs who can climb and go anywhere (like your buddies dog).

29 minutes ago, fishnut said:

I cant shovel my whole backyard so the area of dead grass is the area I shoveled for them. This is going to be an issue every winter probably. 

What about it being a problem Spring, Summer and Fall. Where are they peeing and are they burning out the grass in those areas?

Another option, since you said it was a 10 foot area, just pick up some sod from Home Depot and put it down there. Instant grass and no mud or burned areas. A quick look has their sod at about $1/ sq. ft.

Or, put down astroturf...  it will never burn or turn yellow..

1 minute ago, Sniper said:

Or, put down astroturf...  it will never burn or turn yellow..

Just what he needs.  A shit and piss soaked outdoor carpet.

 

29 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Well, your first problem is having pocket dogs, instead of real man dogs who can climb and go anywhere (like your buddies dog).

What about it being a problem Spring, Summer and Fall. Where are they peeing and are they burning out the grass in those areas?

Another option, since you said it was a 10 foot area, just pick up some sod from Home Depot and put it down there. Instant grass and no mud or burned areas. A quick look has their sod at about $1/ sq. ft.

Or, put down astroturf...  it will never burn or turn yellow..

The dachshunds are the wife's I just got a Vizsla but the dachshunds are pretty cool. The Male (luger) has bigger balls that anyone. He attacked a dog aggressive GSD, got his ass kicked and tried to go back for seconds he next day. Hes a bad ass in a teeny package and will attack anyone on ou property unless my wife or introduce that person to him. He even attacked a logging truck that was going by my house.

If you think only big dogs are man's dogs maybe your trying to compensate for something. Lmfao. 

The rest of the year all the dogs go in the wood line for the most part so it's not an issue 

Forgot to mention that luger even attacked my buddy's German short hair pictured above because my wife did not properly introduce them while I was at work. He 80lb German short hair was running away from a 14lb dachshund. 

1 hour ago, fishnut said:

If you think only big dogs are man's dogs maybe your trying to compensate for something. Lmfao. 

Nah, I just like dogs that I can't accidentally suck up into the vacuum cleaner.

1 hour ago, fishnut said:

The Male (luger) has bigger balls that anyone. He attacked a dog aggressive GSD, got his ass kicked and tried to go back for seconds he next day. Hes a bad ass in a teeny package and will attack anyone on ou property unless my wife or introduce that person to him.

Somehow, this doesn't look like a really threatening dog to be worried about...

9 hours ago, Sniper said:

Nah, I just like dogs that I can't accidentally suck up into the vacuum cleaner.

Somehow, this doesn't look like a really threatening dog to be worried about...

I diddent say he is an effective protection dog but he would lay his life on the line for my family for sure. 

Personally I'm not scared of any one dog no matter big or aggresive they are pretty easy to stop if your willing to take a bite. 

7 hours ago, fishnut said:

Personally I'm not scared of any one dog no matter big or aggresive they are pretty easy to stop if your willing to take a bite. 

A few weeks ago I was BSing with a friend, we got to talking about dogs and how silly he thought small (chihuahuas and such) dogs are.  I mentioned, dogs are dogs and a pack of tiny dogs would be like getting attacked by piranhas.  One is not much of a threat, but you get attacked by a pack of 15 tiny dogs and you will be dead meat.

9 minutes ago, Scorpio64 said:

A few weeks ago I was BSing with a friend, we got to talking about dogs and how silly he thought small (chihuahuas and such) dogs are.  I mentioned, dogs are dogs and a pack of tiny dogs would be like getting attacked by piranhas.  One is not much of a threat, but you get attacked by a pack of 15 tiny dogs and you will be dead meat.

Very true, even two or three larger dogs and it would be very hard to get the dogs under control without a bite stick (asp baton) or a gun

Okay, it's about time (I think) to be putting down your second application.

What's everyone using?

29 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

Okay, it's about time (I think)

When did you do the first application and what did you put down?

2 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

When did you do the first application and what did you put down?

Lime and gypsum. 

3 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

When did you do the first application and what did you put down?

I did my first a little late, and used up the leftover Fall fertilizer plus did heavy lime. It's a little light on nitrogen, but it's better than nothing. Not sure I'm going to do a second treatment. Got a few new weeds I have to pull.

4 hours ago, Scorpio64 said:

When did you do the first application and what did you put down?

Sta-Green Crab Ex Plus a month ago.

Seems to.have worked very well.  No Crabgrass, very little weeds and lawn looking great.  Of course some of that has to do with the amount of rain we have had.

What do you recommend for the next application?  

4 minutes ago, gleninjersey said:

Sta-Green Crab Ex Plus a month ago.

According to the Lowe's website, this product is a slow release fertilizer that lasts up to 3 months.  If you put it down a month ago, it should be good for another two months.  We have had a lot of rain though so maybe in another month you will be ready for another fertilizer application.

Here's the problem.  If your next scheduled application falls just before the hot (and dry) summer months, you risk burning out your lawn.  If you have an irrigation system, then your risk of burnout is lower.  If you want to play it safe, use an organic fertilizer. 

 

 

I'm doing the Scotts 4 step.  They say to put down step 2 around Memorial Day so I'll do it next Saturday.

14 hours ago, gleninjersey said:

Okay, it's about time (I think) to be putting down your second application.

What's everyone using?

Whatever the app tells me. 

On 5/17/2019 at 10:25 PM, Sniper said:

Well, your first problem is having pocket dogs, instead of real man dogs who can climb and go anywhere (like your buddies dog).

Hey, don’t underestimate a dachshund. Mine is a killer. She will take you out at the Achilles’ tendon, and when you are on the ground, she goes for the jugular...

Dont let her fool you. 

 

Goose grass!!!! THATS what I have in my yard! I always thought it was crab grass, and have treated it as such. 

Thanks to @Zeke for the positive ID. It’s been driving me crazy for years, now I have some strategies for getting rid of that crap!

 

Holy crap....always thought that was crab grass.

what are you doing?  Overall my front lawn is doing great, but the back has a few iffy areas...

Damn, I always thought that shizz was crabgrass, too...

10 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

Goose grass!!!! THATS what I have in my yard! I always thought it was crab grass, and have treated it as such. 

Goosegrass is an annual, just like crabgrass.  If you are using  pre-emergant crabgrass and weed control, you are already treating for it.

However, if the treatment is not working, you may not have goosegrass, but have quackgrass.  They share similar traits in the way they look. 

The way to distinguish between the two is the root system.  If it has a sprawling root system that runs along the ground, then it's quackgrass.  Goosegrass has a single cluster root system (like regular grass), whereas quackgrass spreads with rhizomes.  

Quackgrass is far more difficult to get rid of because it's a perennial, and can not be controlled with a pre-emergant or 2-4-D.  There will be some collateral damage in eradicating quackgrass.  Kill quackgrass by sponging or brushing Roundup on the plant.

Hopefully what you have is goosegrass, because quackgrass is a mofo to get rid of.

1 hour ago, Displaced Texan said:

Goose grass!!!! THATS what I have in my yard! I always thought it was crab grass, and have treated it as such. 

Thanks to @Zeke for the positive ID. It’s been driving me crazy for years, now I have some strategies for getting rid of that crap!

 

Tell @10X I smert