Carrot news from the farmette.

[Pawty]

Hi,

It's an incredibly small world but I know Mary and her daughter (mr Pawty lived with her during uni days!) They would love this thread and I'm sure I can pass on any questions and they'd happily help.

Pawty

[Westi]

Hi Pawty

You can start with advise on what to give my dog to save my lawn. I did look on their site, but nothing specific on this. I have googled it but as usual there was different advise and debate about whether anything really works and confusion as dogs & bitches were muddled in together on some sites.

[Ricard with an H]

That's amazing, the world is even smaller I suppose if you live in small towns. More-so villages.

Westi, I'm going to stick my neck out on this and just hope I won't offend you, your lawn patches like ours are the result of a strong nitrogen mixture being directed into a small area and onto grasses that don't have enough moisture to cope. If you rushed out with a ready watering can and poured water in the same spot the worst you would get is bright green grass.

Your dog is eliminating this to get rid of it as part of its health body function, why would you want to stop it.

I made an effort to always go out with my dog and always have a watering can full and ready, the problem was solved other than on those dark mornings when I'm still half asleep and just wanting a strong coffee.

This time of year when the grass is wet it isn't a problem for me though I suppose if you have a big dog who drinks and eats three times as much you get more urine.

A male dog sprays its urine over an area, his urine is just as strong but it's spread out. Bitch urine is supposedly stronger, I think that is just Chinese whispers and part of other none sense I have read on places like mumsnet.

I have read that the flea treatment SpotOn we have used becomes poisonous after the use by date, the manufacturer says they have yet to establish an efficacy end date and that it never becomes a poison. I suppose if they have yet to establish an end date for the drugsvefficacy they won't know if it becomes a poison though because the drug is NOT systemic this is unlikely. Just one example of stuff people write on the internet that is dreamt up. I would rather not use that method and take a risk on Mary's garlic treatment of adding raw garlic into the food.

A wet dog stinking of garlic, lovely. (Smile)

[Westi]

Hi Richard!

Did smile, wet garlic dog! I do use the watering can method when it is dry & hot & actually might be blaming the dog unnecessarily during the wet weather, it might just be the drainage (but do go to town with the fork), & I am not a anorak for a nice lawn. The problem is where she pees & believe me she pees big time, can make a patch over a foot wide, the grass dies & this green algae thing takes over & it is deadly - so slippery.

I treated the algae thing last year (after endless research), & it did reduce, but with all the rain it is back full force. My journey to the greenhouse is lethal & will have to consider spikes on my shoes soon as the lawn stepping patches are reducing dramatically. I am attracting the attention of the neighbours with the 'funny walk' as well!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Westi, when my Cass was alive, i ended up lifting the small lawn, laying weed control fabric, then putting down chunky bark chip. Although i loved my lawn, it was the best job i ever did at the time.....

[Ricard with an H]

I'm now wondering if the algae you refer to is a coastal algae though presumably you would have to live within a mile or two of the shore. We have algae I have never seen before, some is red, it grows on just about anything that doesn't move and it's killing three Himalayan birch we planted ten years ago. Nothing on grass though.

Have tried an algaecide ? It may kill your grass but the patch of grass is affected so badly by the algae that it won't survive anyway. I used an algaecide not designed for horticultural purpose on my birch, it did kill the algae and the branches were unaffected.

Have you raked lots of grit sand into the fork holes, grass will grow on the most meager soil if you choose the right grasses. A course amenity grass for example could cope.

I'm betting that if you keep sharing this problem someone will come up with an answer, you can't be the only one with a dog that releases a pint of pee on the lawn every time it goes for a squat.

Moving slightly to one side, as Beti has been growing from a puppy to a teenager we have encouraged her to pee and poo in places we prefer, like on the pebbles. This has worked but only 50/50. Dogs seem to run around looking for a predesignated spot to pee and the same spot isn't suitable for pooing. Us humans have an easy life considering how much effort a dog puts into finding just the right spot.

[Westi]

Hi OH!
I'm seriously thinking of digging it all up. This will be our last big dog, will probably go back to a spaniel of some type if we ever do get another. I have looked at artificial turf which is getting more lifelike, but maybe chippings of some sort might be an idea in the short term. We were going to put down more turf but this algae stuff is even trying to get into the flower beds, it is just like pond algae, come spring time you can almost roll it off in large bundles and in summer if is even easier to lift as you can lift it off in big dry sheets - but it comes back. I have tried all the good lawn tricks with brushing sand in the holes etc. but I think under our lawn is lots of builder's rubble which is working it's way up & affecting the drainage. There were certainly lots when we put the base down for the greenhouse.

Hi Richard!
Know your angst - Ambush Amber likes to mark her turf, so even if there is a gallon of pee she manages to squeeze out little bit more on every other patch. She is walked 3 times a day & do what she has to, but will immediately run through the back gate & pee again on the lawn. Not to worry, I will seriously consider OH's plan, it will as we know unfortunately, will only short term.

[Ricard with an H]

Dogs Eh. I was so lost after Molly died, the morning walk up the top fields to watch the sun coming up over the Preselli Hills was never the same. For the first few months I had to avoid reminders because it would mess up my whole day.

I was horrible to Beti for a whole day last week because she had a stubborn session, horrible like ignoring her, not making eye contact, no ball throwing, being gruff and so-on. Six in the morning next day she's all over me.

Presumably your neighbours have this algae ?