Is there a product or a recommended solution for dog damage to my lawn?

This damage can usually be avoided by watering these areas thoroughly to dilute the concentration of nitrogen in the area. If the areas are already dead, they will have to be removed and re-seeded. No home remedy is available, nor will changing your dog's diet help. A solution that may work for you is to train your dog to eliminate in the same area, such as the back of the yard where it is less noticeable, or in an area with no grass such as a shady spot or a gravel driveway.

Will applying a fertilizer in the summer burn my lawn?

According to Ron Boylan, Manager of Scotts Training Institute, that question has been around for years. "In the old days, people used all water-soluble fertilizers, and spreaders that were poorly calibrated," said Boylan. "And water-soluble fertilizers are more likely to burn the lawn as the temperatures increase."

He said that many of the fertilizers on the market, and especially the cheaper fertilizers, are basically water-soluble. 

However, Boylan cautioned that not all slow-release fertilizers are created equal. Fertilizer manufacturers often accomplish slow-release of nitrogen by several means, but the most common method is to add coated urea to the fertilizer mix in some fashion. These coatings can vary greatly in accomplishing the slow release goal.

Urea is a source of nitrogen that is manufactured for use in agricultural fertilizers (about 90 percent of all manufactured urea is used by farms, and the other 10 percent for lawn fertilizer). It is also an element commonly found in mammalian urine (which explains why dog urine burns the lawn). To convert the nitrogen in the urea to a form the grass can use, it needs moisture. Thus, urea is essentially a water-soluble nitrogen fertilizer.

"Great for corn, but not for grass," Boylan said. "The nitrogen is released too quickly."

To make it safe for the grass, manufacturers attempt to slow down the release of nitrogen by coating it with non-water soluble materials, such as wax or sulfur, which is used to coat the urea. It's similar to the coating on M&M candies. The problem with that method, is that the nitrogen release is too unpredictable.

"Grass is no different that any other living thing, it can only take so much heat and stress," said Boylan. "Even walking on the lawn when it is that hot can be stressful to it. In fact you can tell when a lawn needs watered if your foot prints do not spring back as you walk."

A rule of thumb to remember about fertilizing in the summer: make sure your lawn is well watered the week before you apply fertilizer. A lawn should get about one inch of water every week -- water one inch, about every five days. Also, it is best to water in the morning when it is cool and won't evaporate too quickly.

Will watering in the hot weather burn the grass?

"Years ago, fertilizers had to be watered-in because these all water-soluble fertilizers could easily burn the lawn; if a burn occurred people assumed it was the water that did it, and that was not the case," said Boylan. "The tendency is to think, 'The last thing I did is what caused it, and I watered the lawn last.'"

A study conducted by Scotts revealed that consumers are reluctant to water their lawns when the temperatures reach high levels. Homeowners think that water magnifies the sun's intensity, and that watering the lawn in summer will damage it.

"The sun's rays are not magnified by the drops of water. In fact the evaporation of the water from the grass actually cools the grass," Boylan said.

Bottom line: use a slow-release fertilizer, read label directions carefully, water at least 1/2" per week, and try to keep foot traffic on the lawn to a minimum during excessively hot weather. Your grass will thank you for it in the long run.