Can you grow grass indoors

CreedonsDogDayc

We are thinking of fencing in approx 10m2 of an industrial unit, make a wooden frame, put down plastic, then lots of compost and put down grass turfs.

Is it madness or would the grass grow and stay longterm?

Just an idea we had today but none of us are gardeners so we don't have a clue if it would work.

Sonnenblumen

Why would you want to try and grow natural grass indoors?

srsly78

You need lots of lights to get good yield. Also best to stagger your crops in case the ESB/guards notice the 12/12 cycle. :pac:

pegasus1

srsly78 wrote: »

Also best to stagger your crops in case the ESB/guards notice the 12/12 cycle. :pac:

lol ! why not just get some fake grass or green paint..

Rinker

Is it madness or would the grass grow and stay longterm?

Its madness. Without sufficient light (natural or artificial) the grass would die.

CreedonsDogDayc

it's as an indoor toilet area for the dogs.

There are a lot of perspex glass windows in the roof of the unit, and artificial lights will be on during the day.

It was just a thought, so asking the experts if it would work.

Would there be a minimum depth of soil needed? Would you need to put worms or anything in it?

It would be watered regularly, and fed, and new fresh seeds put down.

redser7

If you can provide enough light and do all that work then I don't see why not. Here are a few links, just google and have a read ...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=373

http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/how-to-grow-cat-grass-indoors/2415f077-02fb-ebd7-5803-d55c81e6faea

http://www.ehow.com/how_2150694_grow-own-cat-grass.html

So what kind of dog is this that it gets such tretment?

redser7

btw - cat and dog urine will kill grass.

CreedonsDogDayc

its for our doggie daycare so is for 20ish dogs per day!!

redser7

Wow. I would imagine also that the urine would build up and cause a smell after a while. What about an area with saw dust or bark (no pun intended). Something that you could muck out and refresh periodically.

Link here to indoor grass but it needs replacing every couple of weeks so I would say it is a no no for your requirements.

http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/indoor-grass--sod-for-potty-training-puppies/354d5f28-9e9c-e30a-4f97-13fa138498e4

Rinker

Its a nice idea but its really highly unlikely that you'd get it to work. However its not impossible.:) There's a football stadium in Japan that slides the pitch outdoors to get natural light and then bring it back into the stadium again. Maybe you could build your lawn on wheels (like a trailer) and move it outside when the dogs are not there. You can buy lightweight soil mixes which may be the useful for this. I'd chat to the people at www.enrich.ie in Kilcock if you still want to give it a go. Tell them what you want to achieve and maybe they'll tell you how to achieve it.

Best of luck. Post some pics if you get it to work.

Nonmonotonic

Its a major problem in stadiums around the world. Here are the problems in the Millennium stadium where like many others they use large UV lamps to encourage growth. The grass latrine works outside because the elements break down the waste matter, using it indoors intensively will not work. Maybe you could use perforated artificial grass matting over a slatted arrangement that could be hosed down daily with the runoff piped into a sewer.