Will Dog Pee Kill Shrubs?

Spending hours gardening only to discover your lawn has brown spots and your shrubs are dying can be frustrating. If your dog is regularly using the bathroom on your plants, then he may be to blame for the demise of your plants. The good news is that you can take preventative measures to protect your plants from your dog's urine.

  1. Dog Urine

    • Dog urine can kill shrubs, along with grass and most other plants. Dog urine has a high concentration of both acid and nitrogen. Acid and nitrogen can be beneficial to your plants in small doses, but large and repeated applications of any high nitrogen fluid, such as dog urine, effectively will burn the plant. Your shrubs die when your dog urinates on them because they cannot handle the high levels of nitrogen and acid that are being introduced to both the plant and the soil it grows in.

    Wash it Off

    • If your dog recently has urinated on your shrubs, you can help minimize the amount of damage that has been done by washing the area off thoroughly with clean water. Rinse both the leaves of your plant as well as the area it is planted in to wash away as much of the urine as possible.

    Hardy Shrubs

    • Planting tough, hardy shrubs can help prevent your plants from succumbing to dog urine. Some plants, such as the burkwood osmanthus, Japanese spindle tree and sword fern have leaves that are resistant to nitrogen burns caused by dog urine. Choosing your shrubs wisely can help you avoid having a yard full of unsightly leaf damage or dead shrubs as a result of dog urine.

    Prevention

    • Fencing off your shrubs with a small picket fence or other obstacle can make it more difficult for your dog to use them as his marking spot. If dog urine is damaging your gardening efforts significantly, you may want to designate a special area of your yard for your dog and make sure he only uses the bathroom within that area.