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I’m on a mission to get our lawn in tip-top shape this summer and I am fully embracing my new existence as a #crazylawnlady. 😉
I am going to be trying different techniques and safe fertilizing products to see if I can get our lawn looking beautiful even with two big dogs that love to play and nap in the same areas day after day.
I am working hard to get our lawn free from bare spots, dead grass, weeds, yellow spots, and thinning spots. I will have a beautiful lawn – even with two big doggies.
Repairing Our Dog Damaged Lawn Progress Report
May 10, 2020:
We have patches of thin grass, yellowing areas, and bare spots all over our backyard.
The direct center of our backyard is completely bare from VÃk playing fetch. There is one path he takes every time he brings his ball back to us so the ground has been trampled and matted down so much.
There are other areas on our side yard that are just bare and then areas along our fenceline where the dogs always pee.
May 15, 2020:
We found some free fill on Craigslist. We took 3 trips with the Jeep and loaded it up with as much dirt as possible and then laid it in the low and/or bare areas of our yard.
June 1, 2020:
We have baby grass!!
June 9, 2020:
I mowed the lawn – even the areas of new growth!
June 16, 2020:
I pulled hundreds of weeds. Literally, hundreds. I am all about naturally killing weeds in our yard or making a homemade weed killer that is safe for the dogs, us, and the environment.
Check out my mega-awesome weed puller; Ames Stand-Up Weeder. We ordered ours from Home Depot, but they do have similar ones on Amazon.
June 18, 2020
I loosened up the dirt again in the bare areas. Although the grass has started to grow, the areas where VÃk plays and Kenzo lays are very compacted.
After loosening up the dirt and filling in with more soil I put down BarkYard seed, mulch, and fertilizer blend in the bare areas and then I laid Espoma Organic Summer Fertilizer all over the lawn to help keep the grass thick and healthy. FYI: the organic summer revitalizer smells like cow poop… and it might actually legit be dried poop. Crossing my fingers the smell is worth it. LOL
I am really excited to see if these products will be the solution to getting our lawn looking 100%! Both of these products are natural and safe for both dogs and kids.
June 20, 2020
The soil is so dry right now because we haven’t had much rain so I let the sprinkler run for about an hour. The dogs had a blast!
June 26, 2020
It has been drizzling on and off all day. We are expecting a severe thunderstorm this evening – otherwise, I would have watered the lawn today. I see more baby grass growing in the areas I put the BarkYard lawn treatment. I’m getting so excited to finally have grass growing in those bare areas.
In the areas I put the Espoma Organic Summer Fertilizer the grass is turning dark green and growing in thicker than in other areas. Our front yard is mostly weeds (dandelions, creeping Charlie, and some thistles) so I spread some of the Espoma Organic Summer Fertilizer in the front lawn in order to hopefully encourage more grass growth and choke out the weeds.
So we have three dogs, a shepherd and two Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Our yard is a giant mud pit. I have almost given up hope and am about ready to cedar wood chip half and sand box the rest. Your experience makes me think we might try one more time…..