Question
I live on Long Island, NY.  I have 3 dogs and 3 kids.  I want to start a nice lawn in my backyard.  I was wondering what type of grass seed mixture to use.  Dog urine which is high in nitrogen and major activity are my dilemmas.  Thanks for your help.

Dave

Answer
Dave, I always say a house is not a home until you have a piano, children and a dog.

Unfortunately, dogs come with their own set of side effects.  Doesn't change my mind about owning one - or, if you're really lucky, three.  It does not take people long to realize that at least one of those side effects is a real problem if you have any feelings for the lawn we work so hard to keep.  

There's nothing that matters so much to the look of a house, except maybe the paint job.  

Pull up to a house, and the lawn is everywhere.  If you have a dog, or three, sooner or later you are going to want to know what to do about the grass.

So, since so many American families with houses and lawns also have dogs, this problem has been heavily researched. Cornell University for starters has devoted an entire page to man's best friend and grass (plantclinic.cornell.edu/FactSheets/dogurine/dogurine.htm).  My only problem with the Cornell advice is that they practically recommend you replace your dog with a cat to solve this problem.  I don't know about you, but my dog is a member of our family.  We don't up and trade away our children.  We don't up and trade away our dogs.

For one recent study, scientists tested several grasses for their dog urine tolerance.  Top rated grass in that study was Kentucky 31 fescue.  Right behind it was Ryegrass, with fickle, fussy Kentucky Bluegrass in last place.

Experts at Seedland, my favorite grass seed supplier, have a different opinion: "In general grasses that spread by either rhizomes and/or stolons are the best choices as they tend to repair more easily."  They recommend Kentucky Bluegrass for dog urine tolerance.

Truth is, I don't think any grass is ever going to emerge damage-free after being doused with a highly caustic, concentrated liquid. Dog urine has a very strong, low pH plus a high level of salts.  Damage is going to occur no matter what grass you grow.

You can also check out the full Seedland position on this matter: www.lawngrasses.com.  Look for the section on Dogs.

Here's one homeowner's way of dealing with it:

1. Pour water where they have urinated

2. Sprinkle plain sugar where the urine spot is. People who like this method claim the sugar will add back to the grass what the urine has taken out.

3. Try to contain the dogs to a limited area to eliminate in.

Some products on the market claim to neutralize dog urine from the inside out.  There are conflicting opinions as to how effective they are.  Have a look at the YellowGrass.com (www.yellowgrass.com) website and Sitstay.com.  There is also a product called Green-Um (www.entirelypets.com/greenumtablets.html) that claims to minimize dog damage to grass.  I have not used any of these, but they are worth trying.  If you do experiment with any of these, please let me know how it works out.

What else can you do?

Well, when you let your dogs out, you might consider pre-watering the grass -- dog urine does the most damage to dry grass.  Follow the dogs around with a hose and dilute the spot right after a dog goes with a few seconds of water from the hose. In theory at least, this converts the waste into high nitrogen fertilizer that's good for the grass.

You can probably train your dogs to use the same part of the lawn, perhaps a corner in the back, regularly; that way at least, the damage will be closely confined, and the rest of your lawn can relax.

To plant your new lawn wait until September.  In the meantime, you can select your grass (I purchase most from Seedland because there is so much to choose from and I think they do a good job of recommending grasses).

Throw some alfalfa seed down in the meantime and let it grow for the rest of the season without mowing.  

In the fall, turn the alfalfa under with some pelletized lime and deciduous tree leaves, and sow your favorite grass on top.

Gardens Alive (www.gardensalive.com) can provide several choices of fertilizer and weed killer that will not hurt your dogs or the children who play with them.  You want your kids to be able to roll around in the grass this summer and watch the clouds float by without getting DNA damage, don't you?  So avoid chemicals like the plague.  You don't need them and you don't want them.

Let me know if you need any more grass info.  Sorry to be so pessimistic about the dog situation - but all us dog lovers have to face these facts sooner or later.  Stay tuned.  They're working on it.