A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 0 grass and alot of questions

So this question is more from my mom than me....although I'm sure I'll be involved with the cure. My parent's entire back yard (which is really only like 200 sq. ft.) has no grass what so ever. Their last dog had very acidic urine and just fried the grass for the 5 or 6 years. They want to know how to test the Ph level of the dirt now..where to buy the test and what exactly they need (cost would probably be a good thing for them to know also). What is the best way to go about digging the dirt up, what is a good type of dirt to put down (meaning what kind of soil or mixture of whatever), and maybe what kind of grass to plant. They have pretty much made it clear that they don't want to put sod down (although I think it would be a good thing to do). They don't have the dog anymore, so acidic urine is not really a problem now. So there's the question...and help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Hi Jenn, There are probably members that are more "IN" to their lawns than I am, but the approach I would use is: You can get the lil BAG from your county extension to have your soil tested, small charge, you can get a relitively inexpensive test kit at most garden supply stores, Or you can assume that there IS a problem, depends on what you want to do.Lawns are not as picky as one would lead you to believe when it comes to PH. Personally I would go out and cultivate to about 4" deep, remove any growth that there is, add a 1-2" layer of sifted compost, peat moss, and composted manure, work it in well with a rake or tiller, rake smooth, use a roller to evenly compact the soil and plant your seed. The kind of seed you use depends on the area to be planted, sow your seed evenly (a hand spreader?) or if you are a "SOWER" go at it by hand. Compact the seed again for good soil/seed contact, and keep it constantly moist(not drenched) for 2 weeks. Wait to mow at least 3 weeks after seeding, removing the top third of the new growth. My dog gets LOCK-UP during the growing season, due to his desire to play MOLE, the area he soils is always in need of repair, The ammendments above should negate any risidual urine.

I always send my soil samples to A&L labs, out of pompano beach FL. They will give you directions on how to test. I don't trust home kits to much unless you are using a pH meter. Remember with that you have to use Deionized water and let soil slurry sit for about 24 hours before taking reading.

Jennifer, give your local local county home extension service a call and ask them to send you a soil kit.. Buying the kits at your local garden suppy store will NOT give you accurate readings nor delve in depth as to what is missing in your soil.. They will also tell you not just what the ph is but also what the minerals, etc are and what to do to improve the yard...

oops.. I meant to leave you this link!

http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/ohortex/contact_list.html

thank you soo much barbi. i will pass that info on to my parents. the dog they have now goes to the bathroom on the patio. they don't let him in the lawn because he is a digger and makes a horrible mess. the other dog killed two lawns with her acidity...it was really bad! Anyways....thanks to everyone who helped out.