The "perfect" ground cover
 

Hi!

I'm looking for suggestions. While I'm looking for a plant-like ground
cover, if any of you have had similar situations and were able to find
*any* solution, I'd love to hear about it.

This is probably an impossible request, but here goes anyway.

We have a fenced dog lot, aprox 30' x 20'. Obviously, there are large
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would love to be able to find some sort of ground cover to cut down
on the mud in his lot. It would have to stand up to high foot traffic
from the dog, as well as his excrement.

We live in zone 6 (Virginia) with moderately cold winters & warmish
summers. The soil is pretty high in clay, but there is a good bit of
top soil to plant in. There's no other vegetation around the lot
(trees / etc) and it gets full sun.

Looking through the group archive, it looks like Ajuga or some kind of
clover *might* work here?? Would either of those choices hold up?
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Cement.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi!

I'm looking for suggestions. While I'm looking for a plant-like ground
cover, if any of you have had similar situations and were able to find
*any* solution, I'd love to hear about it.

This is probably an impossible request, but here goes anyway.

We have a fenced dog lot, aprox 30' x 20'. Obviously, there are large
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would love to be able to find some sort of ground cover to cut down
on the mud in his lot. It would have to stand up to high foot traffic
from the dog, as well as his excrement.

We live in zone 6 (Virginia) with moderately cold winters & warmish
summers. The soil is pretty high in clay, but there is a good bit of
top soil to plant in. There's no other vegetation around the lot
(trees / etc) and it gets full sun.

Looking through the group archive, it looks like Ajuga or some kind of
clover *might* work here?? Would either of those choices hold up?
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

There are 'vegetative grids' which you may wish to explore as a possibility.
These waffle-like grids allow for heavy traffic while still maintaining
vegatation and water permeability. Two examples are

http://www.vegtech.se/dokument/Veget...hnology_GB.pdf (download
the pdf file and see the example)

http://www.ephenry.com/images/produc...e/turf1_lg.jpg


--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi!

I'm looking for suggestions. While I'm looking for a plant-like ground
cover, if any of you have had similar situations and were able to find
*any* solution, I'd love to hear about it.

This is probably an impossible request, but here goes anyway.

We have a fenced dog lot, aprox 30' x 20'. Obviously, there are large
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would love to be able to find some sort of ground cover to cut down
on the mud in his lot. It would have to stand up to high foot traffic
from the dog, as well as his excrement.

We live in zone 6 (Virginia) with moderately cold winters & warmish
summers. The soil is pretty high in clay, but there is a good bit of
top soil to plant in. There's no other vegetation around the lot
(trees / etc) and it gets full sun.

Looking through the group archive, it looks like Ajuga or some kind of
clover *might* work here?? Would either of those choices hold up?
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Does this dog provide any sort of benefit which outweighs all this effort?
:-) If so, I'd use astroturf or similar, and be done with it.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi!

I'm looking for suggestions. While I'm looking for a plant-like ground
cover, if any of you have had similar situations and were able to find
*any* solution, I'd love to hear about it.

This is probably an impossible request, but here goes anyway.

We have a fenced dog lot, aprox 30' x 20'. Obviously, there are large
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would love to be able to find some sort of ground cover to cut down
on the mud in his lot. It would have to stand up to high foot traffic
from the dog, as well as his excrement.

We live in zone 6 (Virginia) with moderately cold winters & warmish
summers. The soil is pretty high in clay, but there is a good bit of
top soil to plant in. There's no other vegetation around the lot
(trees / etc) and it gets full sun.

Looking through the group archive, it looks like Ajuga or some kind of
clover *might* work here?? Would either of those choices hold up?
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi!

I'm looking for suggestions. While I'm looking for a plant-like ground
cover, if any of you have had similar situations and were able to find
*any* solution, I'd love to hear about it.

This is probably an impossible request, but here goes anyway.

We have a fenced dog lot, aprox 30' x 20'. Obviously, there are large
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would love to be able to find some sort of ground cover to cut down
on the mud in his lot. It would have to stand up to high foot traffic
from the dog, as well as his excrement.

We live in zone 6 (Virginia) with moderately cold winters & warmish
summers. The soil is pretty high in clay, but there is a good bit of
top soil to plant in. There's no other vegetation around the lot
(trees / etc) and it gets full sun.

Looking through the group archive, it looks like Ajuga or some kind of
clover *might* work here?? Would either of those choices hold up?
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

This sounds like a losing effort to me. First you would have to make
arrangements for whatever you plant to take hold by removing the dog
temporarily. Secondly, the dog will pad around all the time and just wipe
out your work in a few days when re-introduced to the pen. Can't think of
anything except a vine that puts out runners and keeps going. Ivy?

areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would suggest getting a cage for the car so that you can put him into it and
not muddy the car near as much. Also, you could give him a cement dog run
outside. Then, he'll only get muddy at the park.

Mud and dogs' paws are natural friends. g I suggest a large sheet in the
back seat of the car, you don't want to use a cage. It works well in mine.

"Joe Stead" wrote in message
...
areas in the lot with no ground cover or grass at all due to the dog
running around. This leads to a lot of mud on the dog, and prevents us
from putting him in the car as often as we'd like to go to the park,
etc.

I would suggest getting a cage for the car so that you can put him into it
and
not muddy the car near as much. Also, you could give him a cement dog run
outside. Then, he'll only get muddy at the park.