Will Baking Soda Neutralize Dog Urine On Grass? The Answer Might Surprise You

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You have put a lot of hard work into keeping your grass green and lively. It’s a shame that man’s best friend can have damaging effects on that green patch of grass you are so proud of. Have no fear; there are ways to prevent and fix this problem so you and the pup can continue to enjoy sunny days lounging in the grass.

You can’t use baking soda to neutralize dog urine on grass because it can harm your lawn. This myth started because of baking soda’s capability to neutralize odors. However, it will do more harm than good. There are many ways to prevent brown spots due to your pups potty habits.

Throughout this article, you’re also going to learn the following information about using baking soda on your lawn:

  • The damage caused to your lawn by dog urine
  • Alternative solutions to repair grass patches
  • Why baking soda isn’t a good choice for lawns

Why Does Dog Urine Damage Grass?

Having a green lawn that your neighbors envy is hard work to achieve, battling lawn disease, and keeping it well fertilized is a number one priority.

However, your pup can cause some severe damage to your grass. Let’s review a few important things to keep in mind:

  • Dog urine is high in nitrogen and other salts due to their high protein diets. This can cause the grass to turn brown and die off. It can be considered similar to the nitrogen in some fertilizers. However, in high concentrations, it will kill your grass a lot like fertilizer burn.
  • Contrary to popular belief, there is no difference between male and female urine. According to the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, all dog urine can kill the grass. The browning of grass is due to the concentration of nitrogen, which can be easily controlled. In short, all dog urine can be damaging to your lawn.
  • Another reason that urine damage grass is that it doesn’t allow the roots to soak up enough clean water. This will cause your grass to take on more nitrogen than it can handle. They’ll be deprived of oxygen, which slowly eats away the grass, hence the reason why the blades of grass dry out and die.
  • Brown spots may regrow. Depending on the type and health of your grass and the concentration of the urine, grass has the possibility to regrow on its own.

As you can see, dog urine can have varying effects on your grass. However, there are many ways to prevent and stop them from happening. Read on to understand why baking soda is not one of them.

Why You Shouldn’t Put Baking Soda on Your Grass

Using baking soda to get rid of brown spots on your lawn is an urban legend. While it’s unsure where or why this legend started, baking soda will do more harm than good to your lawn.

Baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, is a salt similar to what’s in dog urine.

Baking soda doesn’t neutralize nitrogen or other salts found in dog urine. Therefore, it will have no positive effect on your browning grass. According to Sarah Moore of SF Gate, baking soda is a salt.

Because it’s a salt, it can damage the grass that it’s applied on. Baking soda’s alkaline nature can make it dangerous to your lawn, even when it’s applied in very low concentrations.

However, it can be used to kill weeds. Be careful when using near grass or other plants you would like to keep around as it may have side effects on the surrounding plants.

If you do use baking soda to kill unwanted plants, it is highly recommended to flush the areas around with water to reduce the chance of killing the plants you would like to keep.

As you can see, baking soda is not the best choice in eliminating the effects of dog urine on the grass. There are many ways other ways to prevent brown spots on your grass that are covered in the next section.

How to Fix Grass Damage from Dog Urine

Despite the fact that baking soda is not a cure for brown spots on your lawn, there is some hope. Scotts EZ Seed Patch and Repair is an excellent product to regrow patches of grass. It comes in a massive bag that has more than enough seeds to get your lawn back to normal.

If you want to go the DIY route, try this step-by-step process:

  1. First, make sure it is due to dog urine and not lawn disease. Gently pull back on affected areas, the roots should be intact and should not pull up. If they do, the browning grass may be due to lawn disease and not your pup.
  2. Spray down affected areas with water to flush out urine. This is to ensure that nitrogen concentration is low enough not to affect your grass in negative ways.
  3. Nitrogen can be beneficial to the lawn in small amounts. While this will only work directly after your pup has finished its business, this is the best action you can take to ensure your grass stays green.
  4. Encourage your dog to drink more water. This will lower the concentration of nitrogen in your dog’s urine. Ultimately, this will keep it in manageable levels. This will allow your grass to stay green and possibly use the nitrogen in beneficial ways.
  5. Reseed affected areas with more robust types of grass, such as ryegrass and fescue. Kentucky bluegrass and Bermuda are more susceptible to changes in nitrogen levels and will die off quicker.
  6. Train your pup to relieve themselves in designated areas. If you can, training your dog to go to designated areas can prevent spots from happening on your lawn. Building a small rock or gravel area for them to use will keep you, your pup, and your lawn happy and healthy in the end.
  7. If the problem persists, talk to your vet and see about dietary supplements that bind to the nitrogen in urine. They can help prevent your grass from turning brown due to dog urine, as it uses natural ingredients to lower nitrogen levels in your dog’s urine.

Note: Add seaweed to your lawn to enrich the soil and add essential components for the grass to thrive.

Final Thoughts

All in all, those brown spots your precious pup is producing on your green grass is not the end of the world. Being proactive and treating those spots with water or keeping your pup healthy and hydrated can prevent them from occurring.

However, if it does happen, baking soda is not the answer. While it does have its uses in the gardening world to kill off those pesky weeds, be careful because it can harm the plants and grass you would like to keep.

In the end, you could always replant with more robust grass in the affected areas.

Here’s a quick recap of the article:

  • Be sure your lawn is browning due to dog urine and not disease.
  • Baking soda can harm your lawn.
  • Flush affected areas with water as soon as possible.
  • You have created a designated area for your dog to relieve themselves.
  • Encourage your dog to drink more water.
  • Reseed affected lawn areas with more robust types of grass.

Jonah

Jonah loves researching new ways to grow and maintain healthy plants. If he's not writing on one of his many blogs, he's likely playing acoustic guitar, watching survival shows, or mapping routes for future road trips.

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