r/lawncare•
FaeLLe

How can I improve this lawn?

The area near me in the picture has been overspeed heavily with some golf course grade grass mix but the farther areas are what was there two years ago. Dog keeps urinating all around but it dies not seem to affect the new grass.

What can I do and if I overseed it how do I prevent the dog from eating all the seed up while it germinate. Any tips on what grass I can overseed with to get a nice soft green lawn.

Picture of lawn here please: http://imgur.com/gallery/Krb6SZR

This is what I previously overseeded with: https://www.thelawnstore.co.uk/product/masterline-pro-master-50-hard-wearing-lawn/

Posted May 3, 2021, 10:32 AM UTC

12
BuckNasty8380•

Well... I am assuming that since that's a UK link to seed, you are in the UK. I think there is a couple of things going on

  1. You have a mix of different types of grass and what's showing are different rates of green-up and growth, nutrient needs etc. - the mix in your link is a ryegrass/fescue mix which is a perfectly decent cool-season grass. One thing to note about this mix though- it's not really a repair-style grass like Kentucky Bluegrass. So you will need more frequent oversees (once per year, 2 years max) to establish better coverage.
  2. You will want to overseed the entire lawn area with one consistent grass mix for better results. I think the mix you have is great for your area, but as always check with some local companies to see what mixes they recommend.
  3. Dog urination is going to be an issue (as it is for most of us). What I do in the summertime is to set a sprinkler in a small section the dogs go in for spot watering 3x a day. It dilutes the urine and helps with die-off - but that's probably on the extreme end. I have seen some people make a PH mix (can google a recipe) in a water bottle and immediately soak the area the dog went in to dilute the ammonia. The end fix will be up to you, but it will be a battle so find something that works for your situation. As far as dogs eating the seed.... well... I've never heard of that and I think your dog might be mental. Put a thin layer of peat moss over the seed once you rake it in. I do this to keep birds from getting at my seed and maybe it will work for your dog? Or use a light layer of straw?
  4. Fertilize, on a schedule. Your yard is small enough you can probably do some liquid applications with a hose once a month. It's a great consistent approach with lower levels of N, P, and K and can spray it right on. A lot of folks like Simple Lawn Solutions but not sure about shipping to your country. Can find it on Amazon.

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Ultimately, consistency is key. Overseed, be crazy disciplined with a watering schedule and fertilize. Keep those rascal dogs away from the seed and you should start seeing some results. Good luck!

2
-Anonymously-6a•

From a quick glance, and no further research, I would overseed the entire yard again with a good quality ryegrass mix to blend the colors of the thick area and the thin area. (I would avoid the creeping red fescue since it doesn't appear shade is an issue in this yard.) I would also consider a lite topdressing of quality compost to the seed in the thin looking areas to add some nutrients, water retention (looks dry) and seed protection. That's my two cents based on the one photo.

1