Urea is in urine. Urea is a source of nitrogen which greens grass
very quickly. Dilute urine is a good fertilizer, but full-strength it
can kill plants.

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 12:06:30 +0100, "mickeblue"
wrote:

Hi everyone, first time I've posted here.
Can anyone explain why areas of lawn that a dog has urinated on grow back
richer and greener, after the initial yellowing and apparent die back? Or is
this some oddity unique to my own pooch?

He's still only a puppy and I haven't yet got him to avoid going on the
lawn. So I keep a hose to hand, and try to get water on the area quickly -
as I have found that if it is diluted soon after the event the die back is
minimal.

What amazes me though is that when the grass regrows, it is greener and more
lush than the surrounding lawn ( a problem in itself! ). I thought if I
could find out for sure what is causing the boost in growth, the chemical
involved, I could get hold of some and treat the whole lawn. But what is it?
Is it urea, or nitrogen? I have no idea.

Are there any gardeners with a bit of knowledge of chemistry that can answer
this one?

Thanks.

( There's a pic of what I'm talking about here -
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mickeblue/spots.html


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"mickeblue" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone, first time I've posted here.
Can anyone explain why areas of lawn that a dog has urinated on grow back
richer and greener, after the initial yellowing and apparent die back? Or
is
this some oddity unique to my own pooch?

He's still only a puppy and I haven't yet got him to avoid going on the
lawn. So I keep a hose to hand, and try to get water on the area quickly -
as I have found that if it is diluted soon after the event the die back is
minimal.

What amazes me though is that when the grass regrows, it is greener and
more
lush than the surrounding lawn ( a problem in itself! ). I thought if I
could find out for sure what is causing the boost in growth, the chemical
involved, I could get hold of some and treat the whole lawn. But what is
it?
Is it urea, or nitrogen? I have no idea.

Are there any gardeners with a bit of knowledge of chemistry that can
answer
this one?

Dogs and "lawns" are basically incompatible anyway. Sure you can have some
green growing stuff which the dog pees and poops on and which he digs holes
in and makes bare by his foot traffic, but a "lawn" won't be it. That's why
most dog owners give over the fenced back yard to their dogs and confine
their efforts to create an unnatural green monoculture to the front yard.
BTW, if your are trying to train him to "avoid going on the lawn", where
exactly is he permitted to go?