Question
Southeast central

I have zoiza grass. Since the grass has become dormant, we have aquired 2 puppies and they have been urinating on the lawn. The grass is still dormant. What is the best treatment for the lawn at this time?

Answer
Hi Thomas Sowell,

About Dormant Lawns and Dogs.

Dog urine contains a high nitrate bio-chemical called 'urea' which when properly used can be a great fertilizer for lawns and gardens. All commercial lawn fertilizers are also various forms of nitrogenous SALTS, and these always have a potential to cause hypertonic effects in plants and grasses.  In lawns, this is called the 'fertilizer burn syndrome'.  With pets and their urine, it is manifested as urine-caused 'lawn spotting'.

A dormant warm-climate grass-type (Zoysia and Bermuda, e.g.) will start to revive at a variable rate in the spring and by the time night temperatures are in the mid-fifties F' the grass will be actively metabolizing nutrients in the soil.  At that time the soil and the lawn can tolerate any category of fertilizing event.

Grasses which go dormant in the fall should not have any salty nitrogenous fertilizing chemicals applied to them until they are actively metabolizing nitrate from the root-zone.

Unfortunately, the urine of domestic animals and dogs in particular is often a highly concentrated source of the salty nitrogenous compounds which will accumulate in the places where the animals urinate. With cold temperatures, the salts are not utilized and they can adversely affect the spring wake-up of turf-grasses.  With the addition of rain, snow or watering, the salts perk-down into the root-zone where they are diluted and dispersed and used by zillions of microbes in the top-soil.  When the soil is warm enough the nitrates and phosphates are taken up into the grass to make plant tissues. If there has been a lot of rain or snow during the dormant winter months, there may be no eventual major problem from un-utilized 'localized' high-nitrates in the soil. However, except from 'observational experience', there may not be much of a way to determine this hydration sufficiency which might be preventive.

Therefore, To avoid the 'fertilizer burn' syndrome potential caused by the un-used and toxic urea in the top-soil and root-zone, there is not much you can do except to provide extra watering of the potentially problematic areas.  You may have to experiment to learn what amount of extra watering does the job.

There are no valid food or water additives for dogs on the market for this enduring and common problem. Beware of people marketing such remedies for this problem.

The smaller breeds of dogs may never pose a problem in a hardy well-draining and adequately irrigated warm-climate lawn.  And the size and area of the lawn can be a major factor as well.  One big dog in one small lawn can be a futile situation for canine urine damage.

 The only other preventive action is to more carefully monitor and control the outings of the dogs themselves.  Sometimes, a young pup can be well trained to never be a cause of lawn damage due to urine spots in a lawns. The dogs should not be punished for being dogs, but rather rewarded for going in the more acceptable areas of the yard.

So, extra watering the problem areas until the grass is actively removing the nitrates is, at least, preventive and recommended IF you suspect there may be a problem from urine spotting.  With cool weather, this should not be an emergency;... but with warmer temperatures and on warmer winter days, you may need to water directly after every urination event to prevent the hypertonic effects of urea.
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With a good fertile-loamy well draining top-soil, best quality hybrid grass type(s), 1-3 inches of water per week, plenty of sun-light, ...almost anyone can have an excellent lawn with a minimum maintenance effort.
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