Dog Friendly Garden: Worm Composting
Worm Composting is an important element of a dog friendly garden. It’s easy, eco-friendly and very rewarding! Given the right environment and a little routine attention, a handful of worms will rapidly multiply and digest your kitchen scraps faster than any other composting method available.
You can compost your food scraps with worms and reduce the volume of your household garbage by as much as 25%. Your plants will be eternally grateful for this organic treat. It’s especially a neat, environmentally friendly thing to do as a family. Best of all, young boys think it’s REALLY COOL!
Things I’ve Learned About Worm Composters -
1. Any gardener knows that worms are a sign of nutrient-rich soil. Worms are important members of the gardening team, breaking down organic matter into compost. It only makes sense that a worm composter (or worm composting kit) is a great way to speed up the composting process.
2. Like regular compost bins, worm composters are receptacles for kitchen scraps that will eventually decompose. Worm composting bins are specially designed self-contained systems where worms can eat and live while converting your kitchen scraps (and even recyclable paper) into the best, nutrient rich compost for your flowers, plants and vegetables.
3. Best of all, worm composting is virtually odorless! You don’t even need to banish your worm compost bin to the yard; you can keep it in your basement, your laundry room, even your kitchen!
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Dog Friendly Landscaping: Using Hardscapes
Hardscaping is an important element in dog friendly yards. First let’s define it, “hardscaping,” or “hardscape” refers to the non-living elements of a landscape. Hardscapes include patios, sidewalks, stone paths, mulched areas, retaining walls, arbors, trellises, fences and lattice dividers. Living plants, by contrast, constitute the “softscaping” or “softscape” of the yard.
Hardscaping is a practical choice for yards shared with our canine friends because it is low maintenance, practical and very useful.
The benefits that hardscapes add to the landscape are numerous. Here are a few good reasons to utilize them in your dog friendly yard:
• Paver, concrete or stone pathways and walkways create transition by providing clear, recognizable transit areas through which traffic moves from one point of interest to another. This means fewer worn grassy areas in high traffic zones.
• Stepping stone, gravel or flagstone paths can also create zones of interest and make a yard look bigger by altering the perspective and depth of the scene. They add interest and charm to your landscape.
• Retaining walls can be used to change the grade of the landscape. They are aesthetically pleasing while helping with erosion issues.
• Courtyard walls create enclosed spaces for privacy and conversation. Fences can make areas off limits such as vegetable gardens or rose gardens to keep your dog safe.
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• Garden pergolas, with their lattice walls, can screen the view of eyesores.
• Patios and decks establish entertainment, lounging, and dining areas for the family, pets, and guests.
• Stairways and steps leading to and from the house create drama and a sense of grand entrance.
• Arbors and gazebos provide shelter so you can use your yard more. They can protect you and your pooch from a light drizzle or create shade and comfort on hot, sunny days.
• Less lawn area equals less work for you. Also equals less muddy paws tracking into the house!
Dog Friendly Lawn: Dealing With Brown Spots
Lawn burn or brown spots are caused by the nitrogen in dog urine. Because dog urine is very high in nitrogen, when the dog urinates, it is similar to pouring liquid fertilizer on the lawn. A little fertilizer is good for the grass, but an excess causes nitrogen burn. The prevention of lawn burn deals with trying to reduce the amount of nitrogen coming into contact with the grass.
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Contributing factors:
There are several contributing factors that increase the likelihood of developing lawn burn.
* Female dogs are more likely to cause lawn burn than males because they void their entire bladder in one location instead of lifting their leg and marking, like males.
* Large dogs deposit more urine so they increase the quantity of nitrogen in one location, making lawn burn more likely.
* Dogs fed a high protein diet (usually young active dogs) are more likely to produce a urine that causes lawn burn.
* Heavily fertilized yards are already receiving near maximum levels of nitrogen. The small amount of nitrogen in dog urine may be all that is needed to put these lawns over the edge and cause lawn burn.
* Lawns that are stressed are more susceptible to damage. Lawns that are suffering from drought, disease, or are newly sodded or seeded are more susceptible to lawn burn.
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Ways To Solve The Problem:
* Saturate the urinated spots with water. When you see a female dog urinating on the grass, grab the garden hose. Turn it on and bring it over to the area where your dog has just relieved herself. Douse the area with water, thereby flushing it and diluting the harmful elements in the dog urine.
* Feed a high quality dog food that does not exceed the pet’s protein requirement. High quality foods have more digestible protein sources that are more completely utilized by the pet and create less nitrogenous waste in the urine.
* Encouraging your dog to drink more water, will help dilute the urine and decrease the risk of lawn burn. Small amounts of non-salted broth in the drinking water may help increase your dog’s water intake.
* Train your dog to restrict their “toilet space” to a designated, less visible area. Most pups are creatures of habit and like a routine. Our dog likes to “go” by the side of the house. It works out well since it’s away from the patio in an out-of-the-way spot not readily seen by guests.
* Replant your yard with more urine-resistant grasses. The most resistant grasses tend to be perennial ryegrasses and fescues.
* If you continue to see brown spots on your lawn – try “ReGreen”. Simply spray it on the problem area and it
works quickly with great results. The brown spot will begin to recover and generate new growth within a few days with just one application. Click on the bottle below for more info:
Note: Before you start implementing changes to correct lawn burn, you need to make sure that your dog is actually the culprit. Several lawn diseases will look like lawn burn, with the small, characteristic brown patches.
First, make sure that the brown spots are in areas where your dog urinates. Most dogs will have an area in the yard that they choose to use as the ‘bathroom.’ Secondly, make sure that the grass in the brown spots is still firmly attached. Grab a handful and give it a steady pull. If the grass is firmly rooted, then it points to lawn burn. If the whole bunch of grass pulls up, roots and all, then you may be dealing with a grub problem.
