possible cat pee in my outdoor potted plants :(

[Carole Davis]

Is there a vinegar solution that can bring back potting soil to a Ph balance? (ratio/how many parts water to vinegar)

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Wow, that is a tough maneuver for them to do. Are your pots large enough for them to get up on top of them and dig and pee. Or you talking them spraying on the side.

 

[Carole Davis]

They are all different sizes.., I just 'need' to be able to use some of the old soil in old plants to stretch my new store bought soil. Lol "if that's possible" or ill need to go shovel some more dirt from a creek bed. (I really need a lot of potting soil). :-/

. Sorry I'm brand new at this as of a few minutes ago when I signed up.., I hate being on a low fixed disabled income. I'm not use to my new budget, as I owned and operated my own Beauty Salon 26 of the 28 yrs. I was in the biz.
. Thank you Esther for your reply in advance, and I will have to check back in here prol this p.m. We are having Apartment inspections today and I'm not quite ready for company. Lol. Carole

 

[Plantdoctor]

There seem to be a few issues here....

What has cats got to do with it?

You cannot make soil acid by adding a vinegar solution,it is more likely to damage the plants than anything else, and think about it,every time you water it would just leach out anyway or get weaker.

You need a ph soil testing kit,then you can take some action to get the soil to suit the plants needs but....

The best move is to only grow plants to suit soil conditions, not the other way round.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

I just love cats, they are the most elegant in whole animal kingdom, still their pee will kill any plant, even the stubborn potted plant (Peepal tree/Ficus religiosa) will die.

Re-pot the plant after washing the root under running water, change the soil altogether.

 

[Tech]

I don't think you need to worry. Cat Urine has a ph of 6.0-6.5 which is slightly acidic but wont effect your plants ph wise. Rain water has a pH value between 5.0 and 5.5, which is more acidic. A conctrated dose of nitrogen in a localized area is another thing.

Just flush the pot with straight water and problem solved. It would only be an issue if your cat was peeing on a plant and making hot spots in the soil, and the grower didn't realize. Once you flush the soil with water any potential issue would be virtually non exisistant to a growing plant providing you catch it in time. Outdoor plants will fair far better then indoor plants as indoor plants would be using less nitrogen.

 

[Tetters]

Just flush the pot with straight water and problem solved. It would only be an issue if your cat was peeing on a plant and making hot spots in the soil,

Ditto......just what I would have written Tech

 

[Beth_B]

One more idea... to deter a previous dog who liked to dig in the outdoor containers. Works really well for cats as well.

Cheap too. Get a box or two of wooden toothpicks, and stick them into the soil so you have a little forest of tiny ouchy pointy sticks. Will not harm any animal, but I guarantee it will stop them from being interested in messing with your container plants.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Cats have a strange habit of marking, sometime they may pee at the same spot (very particular) attracted by the smell.

So, its best to change the soil altogether.