Question
2 questions please:
We currently have large patches of crabgrass in our backyard lawn. Is there any way (preferably organic) that we can remove/kill it besides digging it up and re-sodding or re-seeding? Also, we have 2 female dogs that leave huge "burn" spots in the lawn from urinating. I've heard of pills to give the dogs, but I'd rather treat the grass than my beloved doggies!
Thanks for any advice!!

Answer
Hi Martine;
I have always had dogs, and have 4 now. I get a lot of questions about those burn spots, but I have never had one in my lawn. I think the reason is, first, because my lawn has never had a high asid content. Very acid soil might be more esily damaged, as the urine is acid. So, it would be a good idea to test your soil for acidity.
Swcond, I believe is my way of watering. I always water to a depth of at least 6 inches, to encourage my grass to grow a deep root system, to help protect against heat, cold and drought damage. I rewater when the top two inches of soil are dry. this must surely keep the urine washed down through the soil.
I would not give my dogs those pills. They are my babies and I protect them the same way I did my 2 legged children when I was raising them. I would think the pills would have to cut down the acid in their urine, and that would mean it was still in their system.
You say your beloved doggies. Methinks you feel about them they way I do about mine.
As for that crabgrass. I battled with that so many years, ruining my knees and back digging the clumps out with an asparagus cutter, and I read an article in the organic about putting dry molasses on your lawn, or sugar if you couldn't find the dry molasses. Fertilizing kills beneficial microbes that enrich soil. Weeds love poor soil, and will not thrive in rich soil. I put sugar, 1 pound per 300sq.ft, on my lawn. In a couple of weeks, about half my weeds were gone. It didn't kill them, it just kept those microbes alive, and they made the soil richer. A few more mowings, and no weeds, anywhere. Some came up the next spring, but not nearly as many, and with a few mowings, those were gone. About the 3rd or 4th year, no weeds came up at all.
Put the sugar in the spring and fall, instead of fertilizer. You CAN fertilize, if you want, but put it down, put down the sugar, and water it all in together.
That will counter the killing of the microbes, at least partly.
I did not fertilize the year I put down the sugar the first time, and haven't since. That was 6 or 7 years ago. My grass is still full, dark green, and weedfree.
I think my husband has topdressed with compost once, maybe twice.
the weeds I had were. crabgrass, johnson grass, dollar weed, clover, dandelions, chickweed, and some others.