Q: What is Dog Grass?
A: Any grass your dog uses for toileting
Q: How does it work?
A: Lets get into the nitty gritty
"Dog Grass" is simply a term, essentially an invented term to establish an application of an existing product and its relationship between three separate things: Dogs, grass and toileting. The term defines a product that can be placed in an appropriate tray for the purpose of toileting for dogs.
Another term seen is "park grass", implying 'dog park', which in Australia, are council built fenced areas of grass in a designated area for dogs, off leash to roam, wee, sniff, play and be happy and free in a contained and somewhat controlled environment.
Neither "dog grass" nor "park grass" definitively describes what the product is, or how it works effectively.
The dog component is fairly self explanatory, the tray is irrelevant for the purpose of this article, so let's dive into the grass.
Grass in this context is in actual fact, turf. That's it. 'Turf' is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as: "grass and the surface layer of earth held together by its roots" and it is this definition that applies in this context of "grass".
There are many types of grass and some examples can be found >here< if you'd like to explore that aspect.
There are usually two types of surface layer of earth utilised by local QLD turf farms: Soil based layer or loam based layer.
So let's look at the physical interaction between "surface layer of earth" and "held together by roots" as this is a critical component that keeps your grass change outs as easy and mess free as possible.
We prefer soil based turf over loam. Reason: soil is superior in its ability to hold together and absorb moisture verses loam (sandy based).
Soil (not the grass) provides the absorption. The soil does 100% of the work absorbing and containing moisture so your next grass change out is as mess free as possible.
In theory, you could place soil alone in a tray, and your dog will use that just fine. The change out would be messy as eventually you would need to scoop out kilos of loose urine sodden soil. Prior to change out your dog would be tracking mud all over the joint. In theory one could eliminate the grass but not the soil and still retain absorption (this would create a hell of a mess).
Ergo, if one were to eliminate the soil, all that would remain is grass and roots with little absorption capability (this would also create a hell of a mess)
Grass and roots provide the supporting roll, keeping the soil together and ensuring a barrier between the absorbing medium (soil) and dogs paws.
N.B. Adding extra soil underneath the turf does nothing and creates an additional messy maintenance task. The grass roots will not effectively grow into the additional soil. See our article "When is a Dog Toilet a Lawn?"
We prefer Couch grass as its finer root system holds soil together incredibly well. A thick veiny root system such as Buffalo grass (whilst hardier) is not able to hold onto the soil as well as Couch for the purpose of being "dog grass".
There is of course trade offs in grass types. A good example is Couch (fine roots) v Buffalo (course roots)
PROS & CONS
- Couch
- Pros
- Fine root system holds soil together well and distributes moisture evenly
- Cons
- Prone to heat stress and browning in Summer heat
- Buffalo
- Pros
- Hardy, will retain green which is pleasing to the human eye
- Cons
- The root system does not hold soil together as well as Couch for the purpose intended. Absorption is inferior as root system is not fine enough to allow ingress of moisture along the roots to as much of the the soil area as possible, resulting in inconsistent moisture distribution (dried clumps of soil that break away from the roots)
Browning
Even if your Couch Turf goes brown quickly soon after delivery (particularly evident in summer heat), the fine root system will hold the surface of earth layer (soil) together extremely effectively to maximise absorption and just as importantly, allow for ease of grass change out.
Colour of grass is largely aesthetic and lowest on the scale of importance. Even if browning occurs quickly after delivery, soil based Couch turf is the best performing grass type for this application.
In conclusion, whilst "dog grass" is an industry invented term, there exists a working understanding amongst credible suppliers as to the nature of a product that is marketed and intended to work the most effectively, and be fit for that purpose.
What is required is a soil based turf with a fine root system that provides maximum absorption within the soil, and also strongly holds the soil together. As long as the dog grass (turf) is changed out regularly (hygiene) you are providing the best option for your dog
Essentially, an effective "dog grass" is a turf, a big soil sponge, held together by a fine root system for maximum adhesion and absorption, with a layer of grass on top to supress odour and provide a barrier between the soil layer and doggy paws, effectively managing doggy toileting, cleanliness, hygiene and ease of maintenance.
Don't stress about the colour of the grass if it goes brown quickly during summer months. Dogs aren't too concerned about that bit.