The Best Grass for Pets

Many of us share our homes and lawns with beloved four legged family members. Pets are a wonderful part of family life, but keeping a home and yard with pets in the mix requires extra care. It’s important to understand what kind of damage pets might cause to your lawn, which grasses are best suited for pets and how to treat damage when it does occur so that your yard can stay healthy.

How Pets Cause Damage

A pet that spends all or even some of its time outdoors is sure to take a toll on the lawn. Wear and tear including paw traffic and digging are just the tip of the iceberg. When dogs relieve themselves on your lawn, homeowners run into the problem of unsightly brown spots that if left untreated, just won’t go away. The  heavy nitrogen makeup of pet urine is bad news for sod; it is important to try and keep pets from peeing on the grass. Pet pee “burns” grass and can cause spots in your lawn to die. The fact is that accidents do happen, though—it’s just part of owning a pet. There are things you can do to keep your lawn looking nice despite pet use. Learn more about this in Repairing Dog Pee Spots on Your Lawn.

Which Grass Handles Pets Best?

Compared to other varieties, bermuda grass is the best grass for pets as it is tough against wear and tear and provides a great playing field for furry friends. Bermuda grass is anchored deep into the ground with strong, sturdy roots that are perfect rough play. Additionally, bermuda grass has a quick growth rate so that the spots that are compromised due to pet pee or play will come back relatively quickly. It’s important to choose a bermuda grass that is well-matched to the climate and specifications of your home and maintenance desires. We recommend Celebration®, Latitude 36®, and NorthBridge® as strong dog friendly grass options for a yard that also serves as a home and play area for pets.

Pictured above: a dog on Latitude 36 Bermudagrass.

Celebration Bermudagrass

Celebration is the best grass for dogs for wear and tear tolerance as it is  actually used on golf courses and sports fields throughout the world. This affordable grass variety can thrive on famous golf courses, in stadiums, parks and home lawns due to its exceptional root system that allows for rapid recovery time. This excellent wear tolerance is what makes it a great choice for pets to play on all day long. Celebration also has more of a blue-green color in comparison to other bermuda grasses and is a little more shade tolerant. It is a finer bladed bermuda grass. Click here to learn more about Celebration.

NorthBridge Bermudagrass

NorthBridge is a tough bermuda grass cultivar known for its cold tolerance and for its early spring green-up. Its tensile strength and aggressive rooting make it one of the most durable choices for pets. Like Celebration, its aggressive rooting allows for it to be used for golf and sports applications. NorthBridge is a finer-bladed bermuda grass like Latitude and has Latitude’s color. For more information, click here.

Latitude 36 Bermudagrass

Latitude is one of the prettiest of these three bermuda grass options. Its visual appeal often surpasses that of other bermuda grasses on the market. Latitude is also known for its cold tolerance and playability, and has a very fine texture. This grass can be found throughout stadiums and golf courses around the world. Click here to learn more about Latitude 36 and its characteristics.

Pictured above from left to right: Celebration, NorthBridge and Latitude 36 Bermudagrass.

How to Use Lawnifi Recover to Repair Damage

Lawnifi® Recover is a blend of micronutrients and nitrogen-carbon combination that works well to help grass that has received heavy pet wear bounce back. Recover’s ability to fight seasonal and environmental stress is a great product to keep on hand and apply monthly throughout the year. The easy to apply liquid application covers up to 5,000 sq. ft. and can be paired with our other fertilizers, Maintain or Grow, throughout the year for an easily kept, healthy lawn. Find Recover in the Lawnifi Summer Fertilizer Box and Fall Fertilizer Box.