Grass Types for North Alabama Lawns
From the lawn and property care guide.
Lawn and property care guide · North Alabama
Lawns with children and dogs on them
Re-entry after a treatment, urine spots, the grasses that take hard use, and the things worth telling a crew before they arrive.
The important one
Re-entry after a treatment is set by the label
How long to keep children and pets off a lawn after anything has been applied to it is written on the label of the product that was used. That interval is the legal instruction, it varies between products, and it is the only answer anybody should give you.
This page will not give you a number of hours, and neither will the assistant on this website, because neither of us knows which product was used on your lawn. A general figure quoted by a web page is worth nothing against the label in front of the person who applied it.
So ask on the day. The crew will tell you what was used and how long to stay off it. If the visit has already happened and you did not ask, call (256) 506-9006 and somebody will look it up.
If you cannot get an answer for any reason, the conservative course is to wait until the lawn is completely dry and then longer, and to keep the dog on a lead somewhere else in the meantime. Nobody has ever regretted an extra few hours.
Before the visit
What to tell a crew, and when
A short conversation before work starts prevents nearly every problem on this list, and none of it is unusual to ask for.
None of that is a special request. It is the sort of thing a crew that visits the same property every week is glad to know, and it is a great deal easier to accommodate before a visit than to correct after one.
- Say if there are children or pets using the lawn, and roughly when. It changes what gets done where
- Point out anything in the beds you would be upset to lose. Drift onto ornamentals is managed by knowing what is planted, not by hoping
- Say if anyone in the household has a specific sensitivity. It is a reasonable thing to raise and it will be taken seriously
- Mention where the dog goes. A run along a fence is worth planning around rather than repairing repeatedly
- Ask for a note or a call before treatment visits if you would rather bring toys and bowls in first
Dogs
Urine spots, worn tracks, and which grass copes
Two distinct problems get lumped together as dog damage, and they have different answers. One is chemistry, one is traffic.
Urine spots are typically small and roughly round, often with a ring of darker, faster growing grass around the outside. That ring is the giveaway that separates them from disease - it is the diluted edge feeding the lawn while the concentrated center burns it. Rinsing the area with water soon after helps, and badly affected spots may need reseeding or a plug.
Worn tracks are a traffic problem, and the answer is a grass that repairs. Bermuda is the best of the five grown here at closing a worn line, which is why it is the usual recommendation for a yard with a dog in it. Zoysia takes traffic well but a bare track takes a season to fill rather than weeks.
The only thing that genuinely solves a fence-line run is giving the dog somewhere else to do it, or accepting the line and surfacing it. Repairing the same strip every spring is a subscription, not a repair.
Children
A lawn that gets played on is a different lawn
Heavy use compacts soil and wears turf, and both of those are worth planning for rather than discovering.
Bermuda again, for the repair speed rather than the feel. Zoysia makes a nicer cushion underfoot and is genuinely pleasant to sit on, but a worn patch takes far longer to close up, and a lawn with a trampoline and a goal on it produces worn patches.
Compaction is the less obvious half. Ground that is played on hard, particularly clay, gets squeezed to the point where water runs off it and roots cannot get down, and that shows up as thinning rather than as anything dramatic. Core aeration is the answer and it is covered in the soil and site guide.
Mowing height helps more than people expect. A lawn cut a notch higher tolerates traffic better, because there is more leaf to lose before the crown is exposed.
Other things worth knowing
Mushrooms, mulch and equipment
A short list of things that come up in households with small children and dogs, none of which is dramatic but all of which are easier to handle deliberately.
- Mushrooms are the fruiting body of fungi breaking down organic matter, usually an old root or buried debris. They are not a sign of a sick lawn, but knock them over and remove them where small children or pets are about rather than leaving them to be sampled.
- Cocoa-based mulches are best avoided in a household with dogs. Standard hardwood mulch and pine straw are the usual choices here in any case - see mulch and pine straw.
- Decorative rock is durable and low maintenance, and it holds heat. Somewhere a dog lies in August, that is worth thinking about.
- Keep everyone well clear while mowing and trimming is happening. A trimmer throws debris a surprising distance, and a crew would rather wait two minutes than have anybody nearby.
- Pick toys, bowls and hoses up before a scheduled visit. It is the single thing that most speeds up a crew and most reduces the chance of something being run over.
Answers
Questions about pets and children guide
How soon after a weed treatment can children or pets use the lawn?
Follow the re-entry interval on the label of whatever was applied. It varies between products, so ask the crew on the day or call the office. If you cannot get an answer, wait until it is completely dry and then longer.
Which grass is best for dogs?
Bermuda, for the repair speed - it closes a worn track faster than anything else grown here. Zoysia works if the dog is not running the same line every day.
What are the small dead spots my dog leaves?
Urine spots. They are usually small and round, often with a ring of darker, faster growing grass around the outside, which is what separates them from disease. Rinsing the area soon after helps.
Are the mushrooms in my lawn dangerous?
They are a sign of organic matter breaking down rather than of a sick lawn, but knock them over and remove them where small children or pets are about rather than leaving them to be sampled.
Can I ask for notice before a treatment visit?
Yes, and it is a perfectly ordinary request. Tell the office and it will be noted for the property.
Which grass holds up best to children playing?
Bermuda, for repair speed. A lawn cut a notch higher also tolerates traffic better, because there is more leaf to lose before the crown is exposed.
Read next
Related reading
Weed Control and Fertilization
A service HRH Lawn Care handles.
Lawn Weeds and Pre-Emergent Timing in North Alabama
From the lawn and property care guide.
Contact Us
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