Urea is the fertilising ingredient in urine
Its the Amonia bit that does the damage

Years back Landlords of Pubs etc used to send the men to water the veg plot
apparently the celery was wonderful !!!!!!!!!


"mickeblue" wrote in message
...
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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Actually you will find that whatever the dog cocks his leg on might curl up
and die


"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:56:55 +0100, "mickeblue"
wrote:

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?

Please sir! me! I know this one!

It is nitrogen being applied in the form of urea. Urea breaks down in
the soil very quickly and provides TOO MUCH nitrogen which causes
'scorching' of the grass. When too much becomes diluted to just LOTS
(excuse the scientific jargon) the grass grows back like a
freshly-fertilised lawn (which it is).

I notice you say 'he'. Once he reaches puberty and starts cocking his
leg your problem will disappear. My two bitches will continue to
create havoc for the rest of their lives!

hth
Derek
Chemistry graduate, dog-owner and very bad gardener.
--
Derek Turner

Outlook Express is worth precisely what you paid for it.

Derek Turner wrote:

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:56:55 +0100, "mickeblue"
wrote:

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?

Please sir! me! I know this one!

It is nitrogen being applied in the form of urea. Urea breaks down in
the soil very quickly and provides TOO MUCH nitrogen which causes
'scorching' of the grass. When too much becomes diluted to just LOTS
(excuse the scientific jargon) the grass grows back like a
freshly-fertilised lawn (which it is).

I notice you say 'he'. Once he reaches puberty and starts cocking his
leg your problem will disappear. My two bitches will continue to
create havoc for the rest of their lives!

We reduced/eliminated this problem by training the dog to pee/defecate
on command (as RNIB dogs are trained) and keeping a gallon or two of
water in the watering can. As soon as the bitch urinates, water the area
well with at least a gallon of water; this dilutes the urine and your
problem is solved unless/until she develops a fondness for one
particular patch. In that case we used upturned plastic plant pots to
deter her, which worked until she discovered they were great toys...

regards
sarah

--
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view,
is silence about truth." Aldous Huxley

"swroot" wrote in message
...
Derek Turner wrote:

On Sun, 6 Apr 2003 11:56:55 +0100, "mickeblue"
wrote:

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?

Please sir! me! I know this one!

It is nitrogen being applied in the form of urea. Urea breaks down in
the soil very quickly and provides TOO MUCH nitrogen which causes
'scorching' of the grass. When too much becomes diluted to just LOTS
(excuse the scientific jargon) the grass grows back like a
freshly-fertilised lawn (which it is).

I notice you say 'he'. Once he reaches puberty and starts cocking his
leg your problem will disappear. My two bitches will continue to
create havoc for the rest of their lives!


a while ago Pippa greenwood on GQT recommneded feednt dogs tomato juice to
stop the scortching. Seemed strange to me but I just did a google search
for "dogs tomato juice lawns " and found a number of references; eg

http://www.keepoff.com.au/lawns_and_dogs.html

pk