So in September we got a fluffy little golden retriever puppy, and because I had been doing a lot of building work my back garden lawn was very bare and damaged.
So, I re-levelled with topsoil and then put down new turf, which got instantly destroyed by the puppy, and with the wet weather it's now a mud pit.
It doesn't help that I only have a few inches of topsoil, and under that is dense clay and chalk, so when it's wet it gets very boggy, and when it's sunny it dries out very quickly.
My wife is pushing me to pave the entire back garden, but I really want a nice grass lawn for the dog (and myself).
I'm looking at putting down a plastic grid (the sort they use to reinforce ground for parking), and in-filling with soil and a hardwearing grass seed so that the grass grows up through it and hides it. I'm also considering digging a drainage trench (french drain?) for wet weather, and burying irrigation hose under it for a watering system for when it's dry.
Has anyone taken a similar approach? I'd like to some advice before I spend money on it.
Location is Cambridge in the south of england. Garden is small (25 metres square) and north facing.
by RampantJellyfish
19 Comments
I would focus on the drainage problem first.
You’ll need to grow some TTTF back there. Once it’s established it’ll hold up. You’ll need to walk the dog in the front for 2 months while the roots take hold.
Where are you? If down south I’d throw down some winter rye stat. That will combat the mudpit. It’ll germinate basically with ground contact and water. Keep him off 2-4 weeks. Then figure out some sod situation in the spring.
Edit, just read your entire post. Find an annual winter grass, rye if suitable for England. Overhaul with good ground prep and sod for a small patch like that. Turf/sportsfield grass is your friends for dogs. My 100lb dog doesn’t tear up my Bermuda.
Smaller dog?
If you have a bitch nothing will help I’m afraid. I’ve tried everything.
I don’t have a dog but I do have a garden like this so would be interested in any feedback on this too 😀
I added some drainage to part of it that helped some of the worst of it and added some topsoil that helped a bit too. The drainage I added was just burying some gravel along a wall that leads to a soak away so not anything to help op. The soil that’s shaded just doesn’t dry out in the winter months.
Garden was previously all concrete so the soil that was under it is a clay disaster now and also full of building rubble still. Going to try growing clover in it in the spring.
You might as well work on getting better drainage now. If it’s clay under top soil maybe some lime or gypsum. Gypsum won’t change your ph. A soil sample will also help you figure out what’s best. After that plant grass that is good for your area. But with a small yard and a big dog it will be hard to keep it nice.
I am not sure if it will work in your zone but we did a clover lawn mix that is more stain resistant (and got some lawn saver doggy treats that supposedly make urine less acidic. I can’t tell if they worked.)
Honestly, with a smaller yard, I would look into turf only problem with turf is you’ll have to clean it periodically because of the dog, but at least it won’t be a muddy mess
Whatever you end up doing, I would highly recommend training your dog to go in a specific location. Maybe even create an area with pea gravel for that location.
Not sure what is available in Europe but I would look for a blend that includes POA supina.
And give the grass a year to establish and then you should be good with maintenance.
Till in sand & compost to break up the clay if you can.
Supina does well with excess water, shade, traffic, and compacted soils. Its spreads and self repairs too.
Does not do well with heat and can very difficult to eradicate if you want to stop using it.
Doggo prefers it to stay just like it is, especially after a bath 😁
Add a hardscape patio in front of the doors and planting beds around the walls. Then a sod area in between.
I have a greyhound…if the ground is wet, there is nothing you can do if she wants to run. Need to let the grass take hold and keep them off of it during mud season. Or like us…give up and repair every spring.
Yeah, without correcting/ improving drainage this will be an even steeper uphill battle. The are some grass blends that are used in dog parks etc that would be your best bet as far as I know. I’m not sure what you can get locally though.
Turf
Synthetic turf.
If you can afford it, I’d put down turf. It’s great for the dog, but no more mud. We love that our golden can go outside even if it’s rainy and come back in with no mud on the paws.
Dig it up, replace it with 4-6″ of bark chips. Top dress every year, and every 3-5 years strip-mine for the compost and replace.
It’s far too small an area to stand a chance of bearing up to wear and tear. On a plot that small a lawn is vanity rather than practicality.