Hedge Needed for Dog Area

Q. I need a hedge to block the dog area from view. Are there any drought tolerant, full sun bushes that can handle extra nitrogen in the soil from the dog urine, or something I can add to the soil to balance that kind of nitrogen? I saw additives that claim to increase the beneficial microbes or bacteria or something like that to help the nitrogen cycle.

A. All plants are damaged if the urine from a dog (male or female) is in contact with any part of the plant. Water to dilute the urine or urea is what is normally recommended. You just have to catch it in time which means following the dog with a hose. 

Roots are the most tender parts of plants

Generally, plant roots are more tender than the stems. Usually leaves of plants are about as tender as the roots. The plant grows back from damaged stems if dog urine is sprayed directly on the leaves or roots. Having soil around the roots makes them less susceptible when in direct contact with dog urine. How much less susceptible depends on the plants. But nearly all leaves are damaged. Stems will grow new leaves when damaged. Roots will grow new roots when damaged.

Differences in Varieties of Texas Rangers

Any of the Texas Rangers will work (aka, Texas Sage). ‘Green Cloud’ or ‘Grey Cloud’ varieties of Texas Rangers get about 10 feet tall and should be planted no closer than 8 feet apart or 8 feet from a solid wall. There are shorter varieties of Texas Rangers, like ‘Compacta’ (5’x5’ and 4 to 5 feet from a solid wall) and ‘Cimmaron’ (3’x3’ and 2 to 3 feet from a solid wall) that use less water because of their size and have a height more appropriate for some sites. They are still Texas Rangers so how often they are irrigated is the same just give them less water each time they are irrigated.

All plants use water. Big plants use more water than little plants. The more plants you have, the more water is needed.

But there are two caveats. Remember ALL plants use water and the more plants of a larger size you have in your landscape, means it can cost more (in water or pumping costs) to irrigate them. The second caveat is that “people schedule when to water plants, plants don’t.” It begs the question, “Are plants responsible for water use or are people?” You can give low water use plants more water than they need, and they won’t care.

Marketing?

Be careful of marketing claims of products. Sometimes they are correct and sometimes they stretch the truth. In your case, I think you are talking about rejuvenating or renewing the soil rather than the plant. Soil renewal is a totally different issue than plant renewal. Protecting the soil won’t protect the plant from urine damage.