Sod is a great way to get a nice looking lawn fast. In just a few hours you can have a beautiful lawn covering what previously was bare soil. Sod is a great way to improve the look and usability of a yard as well as keeping mud and dust out of the house. Sod will add to a yard without going through the process of growing the lawn from seed.
Dog Urine and New Sod
For dog owners new sod can bring with it some unforeseen complications.
A customer decides to invest in new sod either because the area is new and has never had grass or the old grass is struggling or has died. This can be due to a build-up of excess pet urine. They lay the new sod, let the dog out onto their beautiful new play area and within a few days there are urine spots starting to form. In most cases these urine spots will continue to get much worse. The roots of new sod are short, near the surface and highly susceptible to urine damage. Until the roots become well established into the depth of the soil with enough pro-biotic activity surrounding them, the new sod is going to continue to have urine damage. This can take a few months to achieve.
How dog urine affects sod laid on new soil.
Not all soils are the same. If you install new sod and the entire lawn struggles it may be a soil issue. Dog urine damage is likely to be worse and take longer to fix in these soils. Sod that you lay on new soil that is in good condition is almost certain to be damaged by dog urine. As indicated above, the roots of new sod are short, near the surface and highly susceptible to urine damage. Until the roots become well established into the depth of the soil with enough pro-biotic activity surrounding them, the new sod is going to continue to incur urine damage. Again it can take a few months to achieve.
How dog urine affects sod laid on soil that previously had lawn.
Another problem that can arise with new sod has to do with the history of the underlying soil. If a yard has supported a dog in the past nitrogen and other toxin can build up in the soil. In a lot of instances you will need new sod because the existing lawn has died. For situations like this the new sod may look healthy for a month or two but slowly begin to deteriorate. The downturn in the health of the lawn is a result of the roots beginning to grow into the unhealthy soil. You have to improve the overall health of the lawn and soil before we can address the urine spots.
Divide and Conquer
In both of these instances the best course of action is to restrict the dog from getting on the newly laid sod. Apply PetiGreen for a few months to help establish the roots and improve the health of the soil. We recommend that you divide your lawn into two sections. Lay sod in one section and block it off so your dog stays off of it. Keep the dog off that section until you thoroughly establish the sod. This will probably be a couple of months or so. Then lay sod on the other section and keep the dog off as you establish it. Though it is still going to take several months the divide and conquer method can help establish each section a little quicker.
PetiGreen is a formula that works to improve the biological health of the soil that will help establish root development. For yards that may have a buildup of urine in the soil applying PetiGreen before the sod is laid will help to start the detoxification process and give the new sod a better chance to grow.
