| Turf
Management
- What The Dog Taught Me |
| June
24, 2007 -- Issue 22 |
|
|
| Better
Fields for Better Play |
|
|
A couple years
ago I needed to have some electrical work done in a shed out back.
As the electrician
entered my back yard, he looked at the grass and said, "you must
have a female dog." (Oh, no! Did I have a turf
management problem right here in my own back yard?)
I looked at the
dead yellow spots along the edge of what otherwise is a great looking
back yard. I have two female dogs. A big dog and a little
dog. They both tend to go on the grass right near the patio
edge.
Sometimes the
grass seemed to take off and grow more green and longer on the dog
spots. And sometimes the grass would be dead in a couple days.
Now
fast forward a couple years.
I set all my
sprinkler timers for 20 minutes at a time and watered three times
a week. No more dead dog spots on my lawn. Why?
This is really
similar to the ammonia nitrate in fertilizer. A couple years
ago my brother used 21-0-0 on his lawn. He put on too much and
didn't water enough. He burned his entire lawn.
Dog urine is like
strong liquid fertilizer. Water the dog areas often enough and
long enough and dog doesn't kill the grass when he is out doing his
duty.
Lessons
learned
So, now I enjoy my dogs
and a good looking lawn. No more dog markings on my lawn.
Yours for better
play more often,
J.
Reiner
Jim Reiner
Publisher, Editor, & Groundskeeper
The Ultimate
Baseball Field Renovation Guide
