I just bought a new house. In due time (AKA when I have the money), I will put in a patio and some landscaping. For now I need something to cover the dirt so the dogs stop tracking in mud when it rains. My husband suggested gravel, but I’m concerned that it will provide unstable footing when I need to use my cane, or when my elderly parents visit.
Is there anything else that anyone can suggest to use to cover the dirt? Bark maybe?
I don’t think covering it with bark would create a stable surface. Pea gravel is probably your best choice, but others will likely disagree. You could set down pavers, but that’s a big job, and it won’t be cheap.
Gravel will be nearly impossible to collect and dispose of when you decide to put something else down. Bark and mulch will work in a pinch but also difficult to collect and will still result in tracking a bunch of mess in the house. If you want something easy to put down and collect later I’d put down landscaping cloth, although depending on your municipal ordnances or HOA regulations you may not be able to leave it down for an extended duration.
Stranger
I hadn’t considered landscaping cloth. It’s an interesting thought.
How big an area are you talking about? How much of the yard has this problem?
Depending on how large an area you need to cover and for how long you need the coverage, I’ve had good success in garden areas with flaked straw bales. You just lay them down in individual squares end to end. They will take a couple years to break down and you can till them in when you’re ready.
If your dogs dig, this may not be a great solution.
If you’re not in an insane hurry, there’s probably some types of plant that would be suitable for your area.
I’d skip the idea, though, if it’s a shaded area.
You can get erosion control blankets at most building supply stores or Amazon. They’re biodegradable and break down into mulch over the course of time. You can even seed directly on them depending on what ground cover you want.
It’s extremely sunny and extremely hot 8 months of the year. The amount of rain is variable. Either none or a lot, depending on El Niño.
If you’re thinking about the plant option, what hardiness zone?
I couldn’t remember what it was called, but we put that down once and it worked fine. It also helped the grass to get a better footing and after a couple years it returned to the earth from whence it came.
How about the matting they use at outdoor events?
Huh. That looks like a good idea - the erosion control blankets.
If you do rock. Do crushed rock. Say 3/4 - 1". It’s very angular and tends to lock together once settled.
I was gonna suggest Laying Down a Heavy Beat and a Sick Rhyme, but that’s probably not really going to help with keeping the doggie feet clean.
(Hey, all the serious options have been covered. I’m not gonna propose Sod, for sodding sake!)
A long term solution might involve regrading the yard so that it slopes away from the house giving the water somewhere to go. At that point, many types of planted groundcovers should prevent mud from forming. You may wish to have a landscaper inspect your yard and offer advice.
Make a path through your yard with wooden pallets. But dogs go wherever they want to go so how can you stop them from straying off the dry path, you can’t. Put galoshes on them, train them to wipe their dirty paws.
Fake turf?
We ultimately went the artificial turf route three years ago and couldn’t be more pleased with the result. There is even a specially designed turf for dogs that facilitates absorption of urine and keeps the turds elevated enough for easy cleanup.
It’s a relatively expensive option so we only did half the yard, the part where the dogs run, chase balls, etc. The rest of the yard is mulch where the dogs can dig if they want.
I have wondered about the artificial turf. Someday, maybe.
It’s sloped. The issue is the dirt that’s here is just the right composition to turn into mud the second water hits. Then the dogs get it on their giant feets, and track it inside.
I’ll have to check that out. It sounds like it might work.
Right now, I’m thinking gravel that’s smaller than pea sized but bigger than sand. I need to visit a rock yard and see what a large quantity looks like. I’m also wondering if the giant feet dog will track it in.
Well, here is an actual idea… it’s High Level White Trash, however. If it’s your backyard, maybe nobody will see…
When we had an above-ground pool, I sourced several rolls of used carpet that was heading for the dump. Layed that down and put the pool on top. Made it nice on the feet (or so I’m told. Never once used that damn pool. Oh, I spent an awful lot of time cleaning and maintaining it… Grrrr!).
If you just need a temporary fix, can’t beat the price of free carpet. When you are done with it, cut it up and throw it away over the course of a few weeks on garbage day. Or leave it. My backyard still has that huge square of nasty carpet, years after the demise of that stoopid swimming pool. The dogs love it! Kept the weeds from growing for a long time. Just don’t let anybody see it.
This has possibilities. Can’t beat free!