Furbabies. We love them like our own kids. The problem is, they can be awfully hard on our lawns. Pet damage is fixable.
We’ve helped a lot of customers deal with the issues in their lawns caused by pets. Three of the most common turf problems we see because of pets are:
- Yellowing & dead spots. This is a product of urine and feces, both which contain concentrated nutrients that burn up the grass roots.
- Rutting & holes. This is from dogs just being dogs – digging holes in the lawn to find or bury their treasures.
- Compaction. This occurs from pets using the same trails through your yard or standing in the same spots. Over time the soil becomes compacted which kills the grass and prevents new grass from taking root.
Over time, your lawn can become downright unsightly if these issues go unaddressed.
And yes, contrary to popular belief, you can have both pets AND a healthy lawn!
If your lawn is suffering from pet problems, we can help. Our team is equipped with the knowledge and skills in seeding, fertilization, and aeration. We can address small areas in distress or overhaul larger areas that may have succumbed to weeds and invasives.
Lawn treatment options include
- Aeration. Aeration is a technique by which we utilize a tow-behind or rake style piece of equipment that rolls over the turf and pokes spikes into the soil. This practice addresses compaction by loosening the soil and allowing air, nutrients and water to penetrate to the root systems.
- Seed & Topsoil. Occasionally topsoil has become too contaminated by the urine and fecal matter to be treated. We would remove these areas of dead turf and replace them with topsoil and reseed these spots.
- Sod. Sod is a shortcut way to establish turf without having to wait for grass seed to germinate. Sod is essentially a blanket of pre-established grasses in a bed of topsoil. The rolls of sod are laid on the exposed subsoil in your yard and heavily watered to get it established in the lawn.
- Fertilization. Depending on the situation, fertilizer can help with addressing stressed lawns. Pet urine and feces are high in nitrogen. Therefore, it’s essential to use a low nitrogen content fertilizer that will help balance these concentrated areas. Fertilization is also a helpful practice when trying to accelerate the growth of new turf.
In addition to these treatment options, there are several preventative measures you can take to reduce the impact of your pets on your lawn, including establishing markers (pee spots), diluting their urine, behavioral training, and conducting quick clean ups after their potty breaks. Of course, all easier said than done!
At the end of the day, we intend for all of our customers to be proud of how their lawn looks and feels.
We’d be happy to have one of our experts assess your lawn and provide some options to correct issues you’re struggling with.
Our experienced team at Chesapeake Landscapes offers lawn seeding, aeration, fertilization, and treatment of pet-damage. We service Baltimore, Harford and Cecil Counties in Maryland. Schedule an appointment with a designer here!
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