Mulch / Wood Chips Question

chiwolvesfan

chiwolvesfan

New member
I have three dogs, and a fairly small, but fenced yard. We have tried 3 times to sod the backyard, and each time, the dogs' pee kills nearly every inch of our grass. I tried the "grass saver" type pills, I tried pouring a gallon of water over their pee every single time, I tried diet change, etc. Nothing worked.
We are giving up and are planning to put down wood chips/mulch before we get too far into the muddy season of fall. Any suggestions of what kind to get? Or can I just go get the stuff my local municipality chips and leaves for us for free?

Thanks,
Cathy
Owned by Snyder (Newf-x), Benni (great dane/husky) and Exelby (Newf)
 
G

Garden_girl

Guest
I wouldn't get any wood chips from your local recycling center, there are too many variables that could harm your pet. A home owner that uses herbicides on a regular basis, or pesticides, even poisonous plants could be part of the mix that make up reycled mulch. Don't use cocoa hulls (poisonous), look for a pet safe mulch, if you are going to go that route.

We have as many as 6 dogs here at any given time and we have a nice healthy lawn. The problem with sod is it takes a loooong time to get established. It has to be self-supporting until the roots can integrate with the soil beneath it. It can't be self-supporting because urine burns the roots and your sod will die. Rather than sod, have you tried perennial rye grass with an annual seed mix? The annual grass comes up nice and green while the perennial rye takes longer to come up. The annual grass dies over the winter, but you are left with a nice healthy permanent grass.
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
As an alternative to mulch (which needs to be replenished/freshened every year.....) have you considered something like pea gravel or, there's a fairly new mulch product out that is made from recycled rubber. It comes in colors and last a LONG time. It's often used at playgrounds, etc.
 
Murphy

Murphy

New member
I too have a small yard and almost lost my mind trying to keep the grass alive. We re sodded, seeded , tried the pills etc etc.
In the end it was too much so I went with round gravel. I have found it easy to maintain and it is much more clean and sanitary. Here are some pics to give you an idea.

Before



After



A different angle

 
chiwolvesfan

chiwolvesfan

New member
WOW, Jennifer, your gravel yard is beautiful!!!

Unfortunately, we live in a subdivision that is pretty picky about what kind of yard we have, and I'm pretty sure that gravel wouldn't go over well, but I guess I could always bring it before the Homeowner board and see what they say!
 
Murphy

Murphy

New member
Yes he goes on the gravel. I put a plastic bag over my hand to pick up waste and transfer it to another bag. I then wash the area down with the hose. Periodically I put salt over the stones to further clean and sanitize. It has worked well. And no more muddy paws.
 
anya

anya

New member
In a house I used to own, we fenced in a small area where the dogs went and filled that area with the pea gravel. Worked great. And, like Jennifer said, no muddy paws!
 
Angela

Angela

Super Moderator
I just had 3 yds of pea gravel delivered here as I live in a forest with a bit of grass that actually survives as it's the septic field!
The pea gravel is used to make paths and patio areas and now NO more muddy feet (and believe me, 20 muddy feet can make a big mess :rolleyes: )
 
G

Garden_girl

Guest
How big is your yard? One of the drawbacks of using mulch (actually NOT a drawback, if you garden) is that mulch retains moisture. I should think over time, that the mulch will reek of urine. Being a traditional gardener, I'm not a fan of hardscaping, but check your subdivision's covenants and see if pea gravel is restricted. If it is, maybe you could use inexpensive patio stone or bricks and a sturdy groundcover-depending on the size of your yard?
 
charlieinnj

charlieinnj

New member
One thing you want to be sure to do is to put down a good weed-block fabric underneath. In addition to weed control, it also prevents the gravel from sinking into the ground underneath, over time.

There's also another option of synthetic grass that has really gained popularity. This is just one of MANY products out there, and it's specifically created for dogs.

http://www.k9grass.com/

Here it is installed in a Dog Park in San Jose, Calif.

http://www.k9grass.com/featured.html

[ 10-02-2007, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: charlieinnj ]
 
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