if Animal Wastes are such good Fertilizers

RidgebackRanch

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Hi Steve, it is the salts and ammonia in the urine killing the grass. Liquid humates will sequester the salts and help the soil in the root zone of the grass. As for the ammonia either dilute the area with water or use one of several products available for that very problem.

Two that I know of are See Spot Run and the other is called Grass Shield. Both have humates and a specific bacteria that will break down the ammonia. Both products come as a ready to use (trigger spray bottle) or ready to spray (hose end). Both products will 6-8 weeks in between applications.

Hope this helps ;)
 

digitS'

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Liquid humates, RidgebackRanch!?

Reading (just a little, which can get me in trouble) suggests that decomposing peat is a source for some liquid humates. What about peat, itself?

Since the dahlia roots go in peat and then I'm afraid to use the peat again for anything other than a soil amendment, I've often got old bags of peat around. I have raked it into the lawn grass at times. I've just been thinking it is time to do some more smoothing of some rough spots. If I could get Garbanzo interested in those areas . . . Maybe it would just be best to rake the peat in where she wants to go.

I'll see if that will kill 2 stones with 1 bird! Thank you!

Steve
 

AMKuska

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There's a supplement you can put in your dog's food that stops the urine from killing grass. :)
 

seedcorn

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Guessing salt content in urine from her food. Not enough nitrogen to kill grass. Make it grow darker, faster, that's what urine nitrogen should do.
 

digitS'

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Funny, I was just thinking this morning about those spots and that lawn as I came back from dragging the garbage cans out.

The grass is beginning to spring back from its flat-against-the-ground, post-snow conditions. There are spots but I'm not sure that they are from her. A couple more weeks will tell.

She sure has her favorite locations, tho'! At least, one of those isn't on the house carpet.

Steve
 

digitS'

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I didn't put down any peat on the lawn last fall.

Whether it protects the grass from dog urine or not, I'm not sure what protects the dog from the peat. Dust.

Garbanzo always has her nose against the ground. She is so short, she couldn't get her nose much above the ground anyway, even without all the shuffling. I'll just have to wait and see what the damage will amount to. Maybe she will be like Cat's dog . . . Cat's dog?

Steve
 
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