Will Baking Soda Neutralize Dog Urine On Grass

Pets in homes, especially dogs or even the neighbor’s dogs, have a penchant for peeing on the grass. The acidity of the urine can cause more harm to your lawn over time with frequent urination; thus, you’ll see the grass turning yellow and leaving unsightly brown dead spots.

Luckily, you can get a dog urine neutralizer for grass, and you apply this to neutralize dog urine. Grass can recover, yet if you don’t have any on hand, then you may need to remove the area and replant grass seeds to heal the damage done by the dog’s potty habits.

In our guide, you can learn more about how to neutralize dog urine on grass. By the end, you’ll see all you can do to stop browning grass, and also, to be quick, you’ll find out does baking soda neutralizes dog pee.

Does Dog Pee Kill Grass?

Nitrogen and related salts are high in dog urine. As a result, when puppies pee on the lawn, a lot is left behind to sit, collect, and be absorbed by the grass, leading to brown spots.

Dogs are obligate carnivores, and because of their carnivore diet, their urine has a high nitrogen concentration. The result is that the grass “burns” and behaves like a concentrated dose of nitrogen fertilizer.

Turf is injured or even killed by these high nitrogen levels, which is why it turns brown in the affected areas, leading to some lawn repair treatment to fix dead spots or lawn damage.

Methods To Stop Dog’s Urine Killing Grass

Repair Dead Grass With Limestone

1. Try to get rid of the dead grass using a trowel, hoe, or small shovel.
2. Scrape away the dead blades and stems of grass and get as close to the roots as you can.
3. Put the dead grass in the garbage or burn it to dispose of it.
4. After scraping, sprinkle extra-fine ground limestone over the area.
5. You can complete this task using a small shovel or trowel. When working with the limestone powder, use a dust mask to prevent breathing in the fine.
6. Wash the area with some water. Then, use a hose or sprinkler to water the surrounding grass and the limestone area.
7. Limestone will lessen and neutralize the acid the soil has received from the animal’s urine when the limestone and soil are wet.
8. Give the limestone a week to set.
9. Avoid watering in a way that causes runoff. The impact of the limestone will be lessened if the water overflows and it runs to a different area of the lawn.
10. Topsoil and grass seed should be applied. After a week has passed, you can generously top-dress the area with new soil.
11. Then scatter a couple of handfuls of grass seed over the area. You can use as many seeds as you like without worrying about over-seeding. For the grass seeds to sprout, pat them into the soil with your hand.
12. Use your hose or sprinkler to soak the soil after patting the grass seeds into the water.
13. Add peat moss on top.
14. The area can be covered with peat moss if you have liberally seeded the area previously harmed by pet pee. The grass seeds will be encouraged to develop without drying out since this thin moss will help retain moisture.
15. Before applying the layer of peat moss, you might need to add new grass seeds if most of the initial seeds have not germinated and there is no grass growth.

It is worthy to note: Tall Fescue, fine fescue species, perennial ryegrass, and Kentucky bluegrass cool-season lawns are thought to be more resistant to pet damage from pet urine and thus need less lawn care at these times. However, Fescue and bluegrass spread more slowly. (Read 5 Best Winter Vegetables to Grow in Your Garden)

Method 2: Home Remedies To Prevent Pet Urine Damage

1. After a dog urinates on some grass, water it. You can lessen the damage if your dog—or a neighbor’s dog—urinates on a section of your lawn by watering the damaged area.
2. Pour copious amounts of water over the spot where the dog urinated using a hose or a sizable watering can.
3. You don’t need to be concerned about over-watering the patch of grass if your lawn is established.
4. This will aid in removing the urine from the grass and diluting the concentrated acid in the pee.
5. Baking soda can neutralize the acid.
6. Use a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of baking soda to carry out this procedure.
7. Over the spot where the pet has urinated, pour the baking soda mixture. The soil won’t start turning brown since the baking soda will neutralize the ammonia and nitrogen present in dog urine.
8. Baking soda has the extra benefit of being safe for pets. So, your dog won’t hurt them if they walk through the baking soda-soaked grass.

Tips For Dogs Peeing On Grass

• Train your dog to pee in a set area if you don’t want brown dog urine spots across your lawn.
• Placing a “pee post” in the ground helps train your dog to pee there. Pee posts are pheromone-treated and made to catch your dog’s eye, so they urinate on the post.
• Alternatively, train your dog to pee there if you have an area covered in stones or mulch so the acid won’t damage the materials.
• Dogs who constantly urinate on the grass will harm the lawn, and both males and females do this. However, female dogs are more dangerous to lawn grass because they have more acidic urine.
• Speak with your neighbor and ask them to keep their dog off your lawn if the dog ventures onto your lawn; if this doesn’t work, then you may need to erect a fence to keep them off your land.

Myths About Dog Urine Spots

There are several urban legends regarding dog urine and how it can affect home lawns with yellow spots on residential lawns. It’s critical to distinguish fact from fantasy when you want to keep your lawn green.

Only Female Dogs Cause Spots in Lawns?

Female dogs tend to squat when urinating and leave smaller but dense concentrated areas of urine on grass.

Male dogs can still create spotting even though they typically roam and urinate along the way, marking trees and shrubs rather than urinating in the same lawn areas.

Like females, young and older males frequently squat rather than elevate their legs to urinate, leaving a high concentration of urine in the same areas.

Certain Breeds Leave More Dog Urine Spots

The breed has no bearing on the size or extent of the spot. This story originated when a dog owner saw that one breed had more spots than another.

Some canines have low concentrations of urine, while others have a higher pH value, or contain more nitrogen. This has less to do with a particular breed of dog and more with diet, water intake, and general health.

Brown Spots Are From Alkaline Dog Urine

Dog urine harms grass due to its high amounts of salts and nitrogen, not its pH level, even though urine pH levels can impact lawn health.

The surrounding lawn typically grows more slowly than the lush green grass surrounding the urine spots. This is because of the lesser nitrogen boost that the outer circle receives, which enables it to grow rather than burn.

Dog Urine Spots Can Be Prevented Using Food Supplements

Dog owners see product displays of dog food, nutritional and dietary supplements, and other items that promise to stop dog spotting through your dog’s diet.

Often, they increase your dog’s water intake or lower the alkalinity of your dog’s urine.

However, these products are worthless and harm your dog’s health because high levels of salt and nitrogen worsen dog spots. Before putting vitamins in your dog’s food, always check with your veterinarian.

Dog Pee Damage Is Cured Using Household Products

Gypsum, dishwashing soap, baking soda, and other unrelated household items won’t help and might worsen your yard’s yellow.

Salts are present in gypsum and baking soda, which could make the issue worse. In addition, as a surfactant, dishwashing detergent may facilitate water movement through the soil.

Water is the true magical component. If the area is deeply watered, the salts and nitrogen may be diluted and allowed to percolate into the nearby soil.

Why Will Dog Pee Kill Grass?

Dog urine has high concentrations of nitrogen. Some nitrogen is healthy for maintaining a green lawn, and many fertilizers contain low nitrogen concentrations. But too much nitrogen burns the grass.

Female dogs cause more damage because they typically squat in one spot, while male dogs pee to mark territory in multiple areas.

Tips To Prevent Dog Urine From Killing Grass

Dog pee-killing grass is a widespread problem, but there are several things you can try to prevent those unsightly brown and yellow spots from forming.

Use A Leash

Walking your dog provides you with control over the situation. For example, you can keep her from urinating in the same spot again in this manner.

Train To A Pee Spot

It can take some time to train your dog only to use a specific area, but it will also protect your lawn.

Think about making a gravel pile for the pee spot or choose a hidden spot on the lawn.

Another option is to install a pheromone-infused pee pole in your yard to draw your dog to it.

Dietary Supplements

You should give your dog a nutritional supplement that balances the pH and nitrogen in urine.

These supplements contain natural ingredients, including probiotics, apple cider vinegar, and cranberry, to keep your dog’s digestive system healthy and lower the nitrogen level in your dog’s urine.

Spray Water On The Affected Area

You can also spritz water on the area immediately after your dog pees; however, this is less practical. This can aid in diluting the grass’s increased nitrogen concentration.