Why spring is the time to tackle the yard
Wellington winters are hard on backyards. Months of rain, short days and cold mornings mean most of us spend as little time outside as possible, and the dog's business tends to pile up in the far corners where nobody looks. Then the clocks change, the sun comes out and suddenly the yard is somewhere you actually want to be.
Spring is the perfect moment to reset. The ground is drying out, the grass is starting to grow again and you've got a few months before the long summer evenings. Clearing out winter's build-up now makes the rest of the year far easier.
Here's how to approach a spring clean-up when you've got dogs, and what to expect if the yard has been left for a while.
How do I clean up a backyard full of dog poo?
Start with a proper search before you do anything else. Walk the yard in straight lines from one fence to the other, then walk it again at right angles. This grid pattern is the same one professional scoopers use, because it stops you missing the piles hiding under shrubs, along fence lines and in long grass.
Use a long-handled scoop and a rake, or a spade for older waste that has broken down into the soil. Double bag everything as you go. Leave the lawn mowing until after the scoop, because running a mower over dog poo spreads it across the lawn and onto your shoes.
Once the yard is clear, go back to the spots your dogs use most. These are usually near the back fence, beside paths and around the edges of the lawn. Give those a rake to lift any remaining debris.
How long does it take to clear months of dog poo?
Longer than you'd think. A yard that is scooped regularly might take 15 minutes. The same yard after a whole winter can easily take an hour or more.
We see this often with first visits in spring. A large Wainuiomata section with around a year of build-up took close to an hour and filled three and a half bags, covering the front, back and driveway. A Stokes Valley flat with chickens and a cat as well as the dogs took over an hour and a half and four or five black bags. On both properties, the regular visits afterwards took a fraction of that time.
Long grass makes everything slower. If the lawn has grown out over winter, poo gets buried at the base of the grass where you can't see it from standing height. It's worth doing a first pass, mowing once the obvious piles are gone, then doing a second, quicker pass.
Is dog poo in the garden bad for spring planting?
Yes, it's worth keeping dog waste well away from vegetable gardens and new plantings. Dog poo is not a fertiliser in the way cow or sheep manure can be. It's high in nitrogen, which can burn grass and young plants, and it can carry parasites such as roundworm and hookworm, plus bacteria like E. coli and giardia.
Some of these parasite eggs can survive in soil for long periods, so a garden bed that dogs have been using over winter needs care. Remove what you can see, turn over the top layer of soil away from where you're going to grow food, and wear gloves. If you're planting vegetables, consider fencing off the bed so the dogs can't use it during the growing season.
How do I fix brown patches in the lawn after winter?
Brown or bare patches usually come from a mix of things: dog urine, poo that was left to sit, heavy foot traffic in wet conditions and dogs digging. Once the yard is clear of waste, you can start repairing.
- Rake out the dead grass to loosen the soil underneath
- Water the patch well to dilute any leftover nitrogen
- Sprinkle grass seed suited to Wellington conditions and keep it damp
- Keep the dogs off the area for a few weeks if you can
If your dogs are diggers, fill the holes with soil before reseeding. A yard with potholes from digging is also harder to scoop well, because waste collects in the dips.
How often should I scoop once the yard is clear?
Weekly is the sweet spot for most households with one or two dogs. It keeps the yard usable, stops the smell building as the weather warms up and means each clean-up is a quick job rather than an afternoon.
With three or more dogs, or a smaller yard where every square metre gets used, twice a week works better. Fortnightly can suit a single dog on a larger section, especially if someone picks up the worst spots in between.
The main thing is not to slip back into the winter habit of leaving it. Spring growth and warmer days mean waste breaks down into the grass faster, so the longer you leave it, the harder it is to get out cleanly.
A spring clean-up checklist
If you want a simple plan for the weekend, work through it in this order:
- Grid search the whole yard and double bag every pile
- Pay extra attention to fence lines, under plants and along paths
- Mow once the obvious waste is gone, then do a quick second pass
- Rake and reseed any bare patches
- Hose down paths, decks and patio areas where the dogs lie
- Use a pet-safe sanitising spray on high-traffic spots
- Set a regular scooping day so it doesn't build up again
Starting summer with a clean slate
A thorough spring clean-up is one of the best things you can do for your yard, your dogs and your weekends. Once the winter build-up is gone, keeping on top of it each week is easy, and you get a lawn the kids and pets can actually enjoy through the warmer months.
If you'd rather skip the heavy lifting, PooPals does one-off spring clean-ups and regular visits across Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua. We grid search the whole yard, sanitise and deodorise, and leave you with a backyard that's ready for summer.