Fix Lawn Spots - Problem: Dog spots on grass

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine

An ounce of prevention

1. Soak your pet's favorite areas in your lawn to get the salts out of the root zone before they kill the grass.

2. Fertilize your lawn in the spring to boost the overall color and mask the darker green dog spots.

3. Train your pet to urinate in a designated area. Replace or repair the grass in this area annually or cover it with mulch.

4. Keep your pet well hydrated to make its urine less concentrated.

5. Become a cat person.

Photo 1: Soak
Soak the patch until the grass is sopping wet to dilute the urine acids and
 salts and wash them deeper into the soil, beyond the grass roots.

Photo 2: Scrape
Scrape up the dead grass with a hand rake and remove it.
Rough up the area to loosen the soil 1/2 in. deep. Seeds germinate better in soft soil.

Photo 3: Sprinkle
Sprinkle on a 1/2-in.-thick layer of topsoil, then pepper it with grass seed.
Cover with a pinch of new soil and press it to firm it up. Keep the area moist until the new grass is about 3 in. high.

Symptoms: Dog spots are round patches about 4 to 8 in. in diameter with dead grass in the middle, encircled by dark green grass. They’re most apparent in the early spring when dormant grass first begins to turn green again.

Cause: Dog urine contains high concentrations of acids, salts and nitrogen, which burn (dry out) the grass roots and kill them. As rain washes the area, the urine is diluted and the nitrogen spreads, causing the grass surrounding the spot to grow faster and turn greener.

Remedy: You have to replant your grass; it won't come back on its own. But first you have to dilute or remove the caustic urine from the soil (Photo 1). Thoroughly soak the area with lots of water. Let the hose run for at least three minutes. Then you can start the replanting process (Photo 2). Add a half inch of new soil to help absorb any remaining urine (Photo 3). Then you can spread new seed, as we show, or use a commercial yard patch mixture (available at most nurseries or home centers) or even sod. In any case, the secret of good germination is keeping the seed moist. And keep the area moist until the new grass is about 3 in. high.

When you're watering new seed, moisten the soil daily and keep it damp—but don't soak it. Overwatering is a common mistake.

Recovery time: Four to six weeks.

CAUTION!

Call your local utility provider or 811 to mark your underground utility lines before you dig.