Bark Mulch Lawn

cruizer101

I was thinking of replacing my back lawn with bark mulch and looking for advice on it.
The background to this is I have two dogs who have made a mess of the current lawn, they have dug holes which by themselves aren't a massive issue I can fill them is. The issue is more the dug up earth gets wet and compacted on top of grass and kills it, if I can get to it quick enough after I can sweep most of the earth back it and its not too bad. So I had been doing that and spreading grass seed but its got to the stage its not possible especially with the weather we have had recently.
So the lawn in now not really a lawn anymore as can be seen in pics attached and I need to do something as it is only going to get worse given the time of year, I had hoped to keep on top of it but its gone too far.

So I was thinking of spreading bark mulch over the whole thing. My reasoning being it is relatively quick and easy and cheapish. The dogs might get a bit dirty in it but a quick brush should fix that compared to the mucky mess they get in now. If they dig holes (probably when) it is pretty easy to fix, fill in hole kick bark back over it. It is temporary-ish, at least compared to paving or concreting the whole thing, it potentially would be my intention to get grass again down the line (hopefully they will outgrow the digging somewhat).

So I'm just looking for any advice on my idea of doing it, am I missing some reasons not to do it.
Is there a better alternative.
Thanks

Harry Palmr

yikes! :eek: Have you considered a dedicated area for the dogs to dig and kick up muck? I know that might sound odd but if this is an ongoing thing then you'll have a hard time re-establishing a lawn at any time of year. Either you keep the dogs out of the back garden or you find a way to isolate them to one area.

But in the here and now given how little grass is left I'd be tempted to lay down a thick sheet or agri plastic and lay over some pallets, rocks etc and leave things until the start of spring and basically start fresh having had the winter to think about it (leave one area for the dogs if you must and cover that bit with thick bark mulch.)

cruizer101

I have considered fencing off part of the garden specifcally for them but that doesn't really solve the issue of them getting messy and having to clean them off.
I know that won't be fully solved by the mulch but I feel it won't be anywhere near as bad.

I get what you are saying about the plastic but I do like the dogs having access to the whole garden, it is handy for burning off energy between playing fetch and them chasing each other.

The mulch I feel at least make the space usable, if I like it I might even keep it long term, though will probably revert to lawn at some point.

In terms of re-establishing a lawn I would envisage doing it maybe in a year or so when they aren't digging as much. I'd look at laying sod (seeding just wouldn't work unless I could keep them off it for a few weeks which isn't possible) and just trying to keep a good eye on it and if they dig a couple of holes if I can fix them quick its not too bad. I'd also potentially be looking at trying to improve drainage (some new topsoil and possibly some french drains) a bit as its not terrible but few spots aren't great and it is partially that combination of wet ground and them running up and down it that ruins the grass.

Edit to add the lawn area itself is about 80-90 sqm ish and so thinking about 6 tonne of bark which should give covering of about 6cm

standardg60

If its going to be a dog run forget about mulch or grass as its going to end up in the same sorry mess regardless. The mulch will quickly decompose especially as the dogs will soon churn it into the soil underneath.
Long term your best solution is to dig it all out, fill with binding grit and lay a basic synthetic grass.

jomalone14

^^^^ This. ^^^^

That was my "lawn" 2 years ago. It was a total mess/nightmare so I feel your pain. I have 3 dogs and I spent more time backfilling holes. I'd have one filled and they'd have dug another couple of holes behind my back :rolleyes: A mop was permanently at the back door.

The only permanent solution, apart from concrete/gravel etc, is synthetic grass. They can't dig it up, they're able to charge round like lunatics and no more mud baths.

For the area you have, it would be an expensive job to have done by professionals but if you were any way handy, you'd have it done for 1/3 of the price.

A lot of dogs love digging as pups but if they're the digging type, they'll continue to dig and not grow out of it.

cruizer101

standardg60 wrote: »

If its going to be a dog run forget about mulch or grass as its going to end up in the same sorry mess regardless. The mulch will quickly decompose especially as the dogs will soon churn it into the soil underneath.

Really? I would of thought the mulch would last a fair while if deep enough.
Any ideas how long it would last, I can get 7.5 tonne for 240 euro which would give me ~8cm depth across it all. I would have thought that would take a good while to break down. If was planning on it being long term solution would expect it would need top up every now and then.

At the moment am just kind of thinking of it as getting through the winter anyway, its a bit of a temporary stopgap to deal with the current mess.

On the synthetic I had seen it and considered it alright, would have to do a bit more research on it. Would consider myself handy enough and father in law was builder so he would be.
Jomalone interested to hear how you find it having dogs on it. My worries with it would be they would try chew it (they do like to eat normal grass a bit anyway) and dealing with dog dirt, a quick search indicates you can just scoop and hose down, does that work? Can I ask how much it cost you for what area?

Either way synthetic or re-sod is longer term solution which wouldn't be happening til next year at least. If I thought the mulch/woodchip would do the job til then I'd go with it.

Thanks for the input.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I've seen this done and it was a disaster. Turned to a mess quickly, was dirty and difficult to clean up dog dirt from it too. Urine gets absorbed in to it and it can harbour parasites. It also lends itself to the dogs doing a lot of digging.

Concrete or a synthetic are the best options.

jomalone14

cruizer101 wrote: »

Jomalone interested to hear how you find it having dogs on it. My worries with it would be they would try chew it (they do like to eat normal grass a bit anyway) and dealing with dog dirt, a quick search indicates you can just scoop and hose down, does that work? Can I ask how much it cost you for what area?

Either way synthetic or re-sod is longer term solution which wouldn't be happening til next year at least. If I thought the mulch/woodchip would do the job til then I'd go with it.

Thanks for the input.

Cruizer, absolutely no problem having dogs on the grass. They've never tried to chew it. Even when they wipe their paws after doing their business, it hasn't damaged it. They gallop around it and it's perfect.
Dealing with dog poo/wee is no issue, just pick up like you normally would. I don't bother with a hose, the rain keeps the grass clean.
Sent you a PM.

Marcusm

cruizer101 wrote: »

Really? I would of thought the mulch would last a fair while if deep enough.
Any ideas how long it would last, I can get 7.5 tonne for 240 euro which would give me ~8cm depth across it all. I would have thought that would take a good while to break down. If was planning on it being long term solution would expect it would need top up every now and then.

At the moment am just kind of thinking of it as getting through the winter anyway, its a bit of a temporary stopgap to deal with the current mess.

On the synthetic I had seen it and considered it alright, would have to do a bit more research on it. Would consider myself handy enough and father in law was builder so he would be.
Jomalone interested to hear how you find it having dogs on it. My worries with it would be they would try chew it (they do like to eat normal grass a bit anyway) and dealing with dog dirt, a quick search indicates you can just scoop and hose down, does that work? Can I ask how much it cost you for what area?

Either way synthetic or re-sod is longer term solution which wouldn't be happening til next year at least. If I thought the mulch/woodchip would do the job til then I'd go with it.

Thanks for the input.

Synthetic grass, as long as you are willing to instal and maintain it properly, has proved perfect for our dog. When we bought the house there was synthetic grass in the back garden to support Montessori use. But it had just been thrown down on the soil, leaves etc led to mushrooms growing. We had it properly replaced, removing the soil and putting down gravel then compacted grit before the artificial turf was pinned into it. A massive improvement, no dirty dog, no mushrooms etc (poisonous, vomit inducing for inquisitive dogs). Ella now has 24/7 access to the garden and house and we fon’t Gave to worry about muck and dirt, just water!

However, you need to collect the Pooh and clear down any residue from soft ones (hose, watering can whatever) to ensure that there’s nothing festering or growing on it. Has been a life enhancer for her.