Would you like to put a stop to dog urine damage to your lawn? Yes, It’s possible and it’s actually quite easy.
Dog urine spots are the result of a high concentration of urea nitrogen applied in a small, concentrated area of the lawn. You will see the same type of dead spot if you were to spill a handful of nitrogen fertilizer.
Would you like to put a stop to dog urine damage to your lawn? Yes, It’s possible and it’s quite easy.
Dog urine spots are the result of a high concentration of urea nitrogen applied in a small, concentrated area of the lawn. You will see the same type of dead spot if you were to spill a handful of nitrogen fertilizer.
Why does the excess nitrogen in dog urine kill the grass?
Although nitrogen is essential to having a healthy lawn, dog urine is a case of too much of a good thing.
Urea & Ammonium Nitrogen, when applied in a concentrated amount are absorbed and stored by the plant and can interfere with your lawn’s ability to absorb moisture. This results in a brown, dead spot - basically the lawn is dehydrated in those areas with a high concentration of dog urine.
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient found in all lawn fertilizers so why is dog urine such a problem?
While Nitrogen is a highly essential nutrient for plant growth, it needs to be processed by the soil to be easier for the grass to consume. Nitrogen exists in a few different variations or forms and is changed by the bacteria in the soil in a process called the Nitrogen Cycle. The Nitrogen Cycle is your soil's ability to metabolize and convert nitrogen from one form to another.
The different forms of nitrogen that affect your lawn’s ability to flourish are:
The actual differences between these types of nitrogen can get complicated and a little bit confusing--even for experienced landscapers and gardeners.
The main thing that you need to remember is this: an excess of urea and ammonium nitrogen will cause cell damage and stress to the lawn, but Nitrate nitrogen is more easily digested by the lawn--and will not cause the damage to your lawn like high concentrations of urea and ammonia.
A healthy lawn is the result of a balance between the soil’s ability to metabolize nitrogen against the amount of nitrogen being added from dog urine. Much like balancing a person's intake of food against their amount of physical activity.
There are a few management practices that may help minimize the severity of the urine spots in your lawn.
Managing the concentration and quantity of urea is only half the equation.
The other half is enhancing your soil’s ability to metabolize the increased amounts of urea nitrogen contained in dog urine. This process is called the Nitrogen Cycle.
Simply put: the Nitrogen Cycle is the natural process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms within your soil.
The Nitrogen Cycle is a living ecosystem and that will grow or decline, based on the types and amount of nitrogen available as well as the conditions in the soil.
Fish Aquarium Filters a good example of the Nitrogen Cycle and how you can Prevent Urine from Damaging Your Lawn.
If you Google "Nitrogen Cycle" you will find a lot of articles about cycling or starting a new fish aquarium. I find these articles to be very informative and a great primer to gaining a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle.
The filters for aquariums use ceramic and plastic rings or spheres that grow bacteria. The water is filtered past this media and the bacteria growing there will change the ammonium nitrogen into a healthier, more fish-friendly, nitrate nitrogen, that is then removed through water changes or plants that live in the aquarium.
The nitrogen cycle that occurs in your soil is very similar to the process created by those aquarium filters--but in your soil’s case, the bacteria grow on the soil particles.
Without a healthy population of beneficial nitrifying bacteria, the urea and ammonium can reach toxic levels for the lawn--fast. In the case of dog urine, this results in the dead spots in your lawn.
Healthy nitrifying bacteria are present in nearly all soil-especially healthy soil. Given the right soil conditions, this bacteria population will grow or decline based on the amount and types of nitrogen present in the soil.
Several soil conditions can interfere with these healthy biological processes. Some of these conditions could be an excess of soil salts, herbicides or pesticides, insufficient organic, or simply over-fertilizing.
This is where LawnMutt from SoundSoil can help.
LawnMutt is a liquid soil amendment that repairs the negative conditions in the soil while enhancing the Nitrogen Cycle. By repairing the unhealthy conditions and adding beneficial nitrifying bacteria, LawnMutt rebuilds the effectiveness of your soil’s nitrogen cycle enhancing its ability to process the increased levels of urea from dog urine.
How long does it take for LawnMutt to reset the healthy soil conditions?
How long does it take? and Will it work for my lawn? Are the two questions that almost every new customer asks.
A general answer is 2-3 months with a few disclaimers.
New urine damage to the lawn will stop when the soil’s ability to metabolize the urea from the dog urine is in balance with the amount of urea applied.
The time required will vary for just about every lawn and type of soil. Clay soils can be a little slower than other types of soil because they tend to hold nutrients. Other factors involved are the amount of urea nitrogen stored in the soil from past dog urine as well as the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied over the last few months.
Think of it this way. If someone is 200 lbs overweight it will take them longer to reach an ideal weight than someone that is only 10-20 lbs overweight. First, they’ll have to start by metabolizing the excess, and then they can begin to find the balance between their ability to metabolize foods and their ongoing calorie intake.
As your soil becomes healthier those new urine spots will decrease in size and severity. Most customers see the improvement process start 6-8 weeks after first applying and improving over time with repeated applications of LawnMutt.
Eventually, their lawn builds up a strong ability to metabolize the urea, preventing new dog urine spots from forming.
Additional factors that can affect the severity of the urine damage caused to your lawn:
LawnMutt Highlights:
Preventing dog urine damage is just one benefit that you will receive by applying LawnMutt to your lawn’s soil. Biologically healthy soil is essential to having a healthy lawn and garden. LawnMutt is an ideal soil amendment for everyone, even lawn owners without a dog.
LawnMutt is as easy to apply as watering.
LawnMutt is available in pre-packaged applications based on the size of your lawn. It can be purchased with an applicator or you can use your own.
Additional information is available on our LawnMutt collection page. Click on the link below to learn more.
]]>Yes. It’s possible. By understanding what really causes those ugly spots--and by taking the right steps--your grass can be free from those unsightly brown spots caused by Dog urine damage. Dog urine spots are the result of a high concentration of urea nitrogen. Urea is a byproduct of digesting proteins and is an important part of a dog’s healthy kidney functions.
Urea is a common ingredient found in nitrogen fertilizers. Although nitrogen is essential to having a healthy lawn, dog urine is definitely a case of too much of a good thing.
A healthy lawn is a result of maintaining the right balance between the soil’s ability to metabolize nitrogen within the soil against the amount of nitrogen being sprayed on your lawn by dog urine. Much like balancing a person's intake of food against their amount of physical activity and ability to metabolize that food.
This can easily be explained with a basic understanding of the simple science behind what is going on. Basically, Urea & Ammonium Nitrogen, when applied in a concentrated amount is absorbed and stored by the plant--kind of like fats and sugars in animals. Like excessive sugars and fats, this type of nitrogen can be harmful to the cell walls of plants and interfere with your lawn’s ability to absorb moisture, resulting in a brown, dead spot--basically, the lawn gets super dehydrated in those areas that are sprayed with dog pee.
Dog urine can also add salt. and in some cases, medications or chemicals are added by the dog urine to the soil that can interfere with your soil’s natural biological processes.
It seems to be a common theme on the internet that dog urine is acidic or has a low pH level and burns the grass. The “burn” spots are the result of the lawn not being able to absorb moisture because of the concentration of urea--your dog’s urine didn’t burn the grass, it starved it of the water/moisture that it needs to flourish. The pH of the urine is not normally a significant factor.
There are a few management practices that may help minimize the severity of the urine spots in your lawn, and there are others that don’t amount to more than frustration.
Watering the area immediately after your dog urinates will help to dilute the urine so it’s not so concentrated in one area--spread that wealth. Watering in the morning right after your dog does his/her business can help even more... This early morning watering is especially helpful after your dog’s morning urination because the urea will naturally be more concentrated at that time.
Construct an area of mulch or gravel for your dog to urinate and remove from the lawn--in short, train your dog to do its business somewhere else (no, not the neighbor’s yard).
Try different dog foods and treats. Different dog foods will have different types and quality of proteins which can alter your dog’s urea levels in their urine.
Bag and remove your dog’s stools. This will keep it from biodegrading and adding additional nitrogen to the soil--and it’s just good sense--nose sense that is.
Lessen the amount of nitrogen fertilizer that you allow to be applied to areas available your dog. While nitrogen can appear to have a positive effect--even at first in your dog’s part of the yard--too much nitrogen (especially when mixed with urea) can be a severe disruption to your healthy lawns moisture absorption.
Because the dog urine spots are the direct result of too much urea nitrogen, applying nitrogen-based fertilizers to your lawn to stimulate growth will simply make your brown spot problems worse--much, much worse.
Avoid any treatments that try to buffer acidity in your lawn. Dog urine damage is caused by too much nitrogen that can look like a burn spot but is not normally caused by acidity--remember it’s lack of moisture absorption that causes those brown spots in your lawn.
When you are trying to manage your dog and its urine spraying on your lawn, and what your trying is not enough, then you may want to consider enhancing your soil’s ability to metabolize those increased amounts of urea nitrogen contained in dog urine--into a more lawn friendly nitrate nitrogen. This process is called the nitrogen cycle, and it’s possible to manage and help it along.
SoundSoil has formulated a soil amendment called LawnMutt that repairs and enhances the nitrogen cycle in your lawn’s home soil, helping to prevent dog urine damage and those unsightly brown spots from menacing your otherwise beautiful lawn.
While Nitrogen is a highly essential nutrient for plant growth, not all nitrogen is created equally. Nitrogen exists in a few different variations or forms. The “Nitrogen Cycle” is your soil's ability to metabolize and convert nitrogen from one form to another. The different forms of nitrogen that affect your lawn’s ability to flourish are:
The actual differences between these types of nitrogen can get complicated and a little bit confusing--even for experienced landscapers and gardeners. The main thing that you need to remember is this: an excess of urea and ammonium nitrogen will cause cell damage and stress to the lawn, but Nitrate nitrogen is more easily digested by the lawn--and so it will not cause that nasty damage to your lawn that is brought on by concentrations of urea and ammonia.
Simply put: the “Nitrogen Cycle” is the natural process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms within your soil.
The nitrogen cycle is a real living ecosystem and will grow or decline, based on the types and amount of nitrogen available and the other conditions in the soil.
Without a healthy population of beneficial nitrifying bacteria, the urea and ammonium can reach toxic levels for the lawn--fast. In the case of dog urine, this results in the easy-to-spot dead spots in your lawn.
Do this: google the Nitrogen Cycle, and you will find a lot of articles about cycling or starting a new fish aquarium. I find these articles to be very informative and a great primer to gaining a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle.
The filters for aquariums use ceramic or plastic rings or spheres that grow bacteria. The water is filtered past this media and the bacteria growing there will change the ammonium nitrogen into a healthier, nitrate nitrogen, that is then removed through water changes or plants that live in the aquarium.
The nitrogen cycle that occurs in your soil is very similar to the process created by those aquarium filters--but in your soil’s case, the bacteria grows on the soil particles.
Healthy nitrifying bacteria are present in nearly all soil--especially healthy soil. Given the right soil conditions, these bacteria will grow or decline based on the amount and types of nitrogen present in the soil.
There are a number of common soil conditions that will interfere with these healthy biological processes. Some of these conditions could be an excess of soil salts, Herbicides or pesticides or insufficient organic matter to name a few--or simply over-fertilizing.
LawnMutt repairs and resets those unhealthy conditions in the soil back to a natural life-giving healthy soil state, while enhancing the nitrogen cycle within your soil. By repairing the unhealthy conditions and adding beneficial nitrifying bacteria, LawnMutt rebuilds the effectiveness of your soil’s nitrogen cycle and prevents that unsightly urea nitrogen-based damage.
How long does it take? and Will it work for my lawn? Are the two questions that almost every new customer asks. We hear these questions all the time, by all types of folks.
Urine damage to a lawn will stop when the soil’s ability to metabolize the urea from the dog urine is in balance with the amount of urea applied. So those 2 questions become: What will it take to balance the amount of urea being applied to your lawn so that it can begin to metabolize the urea fast enough?
You’re already thinking that the time required will vary for just about every lawn. And you are absolutely correct. The factors involved in this type of soil repair are the amount of urea and ammonium nitrogen stored in the soil from dog urine as well as the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied over the last few months.
Think of it this way. If someone is 200 lbs overweight it will take them longer to reach an ideal weight than someone that is only 10-20 lbs overweight. First, they’ll have to start by metabolizing the excess within, and then they can begin to find the balance between their ability to metabolize foods and their ongoing calorie intake.
As your soil becomes healthier those new urine spots will decrease in size and severity. Most customers see the improvement process start 6-8 weeks after first applying and improving over time with repeated applications of LawnMutt. Eventually, their lawn builds up a strong ability to metabolize the urea, preventing new dog urine spots from forming.
Preventing dog urine damage is just one benefit that you will receive by applying LawnMutt to your lawn’s soil. Biologically healthy soil is essential to having a healthy lawn and garden. LawnMutt is an ideal soil amendment for everyone, even lawn owners without a dog (yes, even if your neighbors don’t have a dog that sneaks over in the wee hours of the night to do its thing).
Amount of Fertilizer being applied. The biggest factor is the type and amount of fertilizer applied in the last 12 months. Dog urine spots will get worse after fertilizing.
Amount of urine stored in the soil. The more you have, the more you have to mediate. Think of being 200 lbs overweight vs 20 lbs overweight -- which situation will take more work?
Size of the lawn. Small lawns are exposed to a higher concentration of urea than a bigger lawn.
Age of your lawn. New sod is basically a rug layered over the soil for the first few months and needs time to establish a deep healthy root system that is protected from dog urine. That’s right, the root system of sod is initially limited to the depth of the sod--before it was layed down.
The heat of summer. Dog urine spots will get worse in Summer and seem to improve in the cooler months of Spring and Fall. And that makes perfect sense when you understand that dog urine spots are caused by poor moisture absorption--and the Summer heat requires more consistent moisture in your soil and plants. If your lawn cannot rehydrate during the Summer months, it will simply dry out quicker. Basically, your lawn is super thirsty in the Summer, but it can’t swallow the water that you’re giving to it.
It's not uncommon for someone to have one dog that does not significantly damage the lawn but then gets another dog that does damage the lawn. They are different dogs, with different urea levels.
Urea is a byproduct of the dog's body digesting proteins. Every dog's metabolism and activity is different. Genetics, the animals’ diets, and many other factors make this a reality that needs to be considered.
If your dog drinks a lot of water, then the urea will be more diluted and less concentrated.
The health of the dog plays a huge role in its ability to digest proteins. And, If your dog's kidneys aren’t working correctly, it can adversely affect the concentration of urea in your dog’s urine. Bad kidneys, bad lawn spots.
Male dogs seem to do less damage than female dogs based on how they urinate. Male dogs are more likely to urinate on trees, stumps, poles, corners, and walls--whereas females tend to squat down and urinate in a single, flat, concentrated area.
Some medications may also affect the damage caused to your lawn by Fido’s urine habits.
Our company specializes in healthy soil products so supplements that you give to your dog either through their food or water are a little out of our wheelhouse. We focus on your soil.
All of our experience with supplements is based on our customers’ comments. I have heard that it may be a good idea to talk to your veterinarian before giving your dog any kind of supplements, as they will affect the natural processes in your pups kidneys.
Generally speaking, it seems like some can help--others not so much. We’ve heard from our customers that some work quite well for some people and their dogs, but don't help at all for others. Many of our customers are concerned about their dog's diet and health and prefer to not give them something that can affect those things. Other people like the convenience of supplements, and are confident that they can be a healthy solution for their dogs and lawns.
Many of our customers have had amazing results by using their favorite supplements when combined with just a few easy applications of LawnMutt.
It’s about you having healthy soil to grow plants in. The benefits of applying LawnMutt to your lawn are more than just preventing dog urine damage. By using LawnMutt you can cross two things off your to-do list. With a few easy applications, within a few short months, you can build up your lawn’s resistance to dog urine damage--as well as significantly improve your lawn’s overall health and growth. Let your lawn flourish. Apply LawnMutt to your soil today.
LawnMutt is as easy to apply as watering.
LawnMutt is available in pre-packaged applications based on the size of your lawn. It can be purchased with an applicator or you can use your own.
Additional information is available on our LawnMutt collection page. Click on the link below to learn more.
]]>There are quite a few well-written articles around the web that cover gardening in clay soil.
If you have ever read any of those articles, then you already know that adding compost to heavy clay soil is the primary process to improving that wet & sticky stuff’s ability to grow a healthy lawn and garden. But, why is this? What changes? How does it all work?
Compost breaks down into humus that coats and buffers the clay soil particles and lessens the cohesion between them. It also feeds the bacteria and microorganisms that soften and restructure the clay as well as adding nutrients for new plant growth.
Clay soil problem solved, right? Mix in a little compost and we are good to go. Not always.
To transform a heavy clay soil into a productive growing soil can require A LOT of humus. Because clay is very good at storing all soil elements, both good and bad, it can sometimes not provide the best humus creating environment. One area that your soil can be severely lacking in, is having healthy amounts of the bacteria and soil microorganisms that turn the compost into humus.
There are new liquid soil amendments that can heal and accelerate the humus building processes in clay soil. These amendments add humus directly as well as repair any unproductive conditions in the soil, like high levels of salt, herbicides or a nutrient imbalance.
Adding biological amendments and liquid humates can dramatically accelerate the clay soil improvement processes.
What is clay soil? All soils are composed of eroded rock. The difference between soils is the size of soil particles. There are three primary sizes of particles:
If you’re not sure what type of soil is in your yard, here are a few helpful indicators that you can use to identify your soil type.
A heavy clay soil is composed mostly of tiny clay particles. These particles tend to compact together. This compaction can cause quite a few problems for growing a healthy lawn or garden. Here are a few of the most common problems:
Believe it or not, clay has some redeeming qualities. To name a few:
With the proper care clay soils can be very productive.
When people think of good growing soil, they think of dark Loam topsoil. The dark color is the result of a surplus decomposed plant matter called humus. This humus in turn feeds and stimulates the soil’s biology that keeps the soil texture loose and provides nutrients for new plant growth.
So, what is an Ideal soil makeup? Ideal soil will typically contain:
One word of caution to people that have dense clay soils. If you mix sand into dense clay you are likely to get something more like concrete than loam.The vital element lacking in poor clay soils is humus.
If we look at the ideal soil composition again, we'll remember that good soil is:
Heavy, dense clay has small soil particles that compact together and decrease the amount of air, water and organic matter in the soil. To improve your clay soil, we must change the soil makeup. Changing the size of the soil particles is not really a practical option but you can stimulate a process called Flocculation.
“Flocculation is a technical term that basically means getting the small clay particles to group into larger aggregates that make room for air, water, worms and roots.”
You can improve this flocculation or soil structure both chemically and biologically by adding compost and amendments.
When you add compost to the soil the microbes and bacteria in the soil break the compost down into its basic building blocks, called humus.
Humus coats the soil particles lessening the cohesion and electrical charges that hold them together. Humus also feeds the bacteria and microorganisms; and it stimulates an increased population and activity of those good, helpful bacteria and microorganisms.
For healthy soil, we need to keep the soil at least 5% humus.
The actual restructuring of the soil is the result of a healthy population of bacteria and microorganisms. Healthy bacteria in the soil feed on the humus, and they are the active component that loosens the soil and creates air pockets for water and roots to move throughout.
Harsh conditions in the soil like herbicides and excess salts can hinder healthy biology, which slows down the composting of organic matter into humus.
Adding compost alone to break up your clay soil will help but it can take years to truly see a benefit, and it can be labor-intensive to till into the soil. Add to that any preexisting soil conditions that may interfere with the biological health of the soil like salinity or herbicides and it can be a multi-year process.
There are new soil amendments developed for the agricultural industry that can significantly accelerate this process.
RestoreClay is our biological concentrate that can help fix those conditions in your soil that can hinder the effective humus creation in the soil. It works on two fronts: first, RestoreClay will start to correct those unhealthy conditions in the soil; and second, it provides a boosting concentration of healthy bacteria and microorganisms that actively break down organic matter into humates—accelerating the composting process.
Liquid Humate is our natural soil amendment that is mined from areas that have ancient deposits of plant-based bio-matter that has been composted in the earth for thousands of years. Adding liquid humates will quickly add beneficial humus directly to your soil. Think of it as compost in a bottle. Because it is concentrated compost, it has a higher percentage of humus per volume than your traditional solid composts.
This article is mainly about improving your clay soil. However, healthy soil is just a tool to grow a beautiful, healthy lawn and garden—or orchard, if you love fresh fruit that is.
In addition to being very beneficial to restoring your heavy clay soil to a life-giving healthy soil, RestoreClay and Liquid Humate will bring you impressive plant health benefits.
Get ready to enjoy the benefits of healthy soil, like these:
While the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary for just about every lawn and garden, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Your main time-determining factor will be the amount of humus that is already in your soil. An extreme, but common example, is someone that has just had a new house built, and the contractor has taken the clay soil from digging the foundation and leveled it over the yard (yes, they really do that). That soil will have less organic matter than regular top layer clay and will take longer to improve.
Think of improving heavy clay soil as an ongoing process. I find myself thinking about it like having a healthy lifestyle with a good diet and physical activity. If you stay active and eat a healthy diet you will make steady progress toward a healthy body. If you keep building the humus in the soil it will continue to improve into a productive growing soil.
Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's try and set some realistic expectations for you…
Amending with compost, Liquid Humate or RestoreClay will all start the improvement process. The main difference is how quickly you can expect to see results.
Applying compost will add lots of potential humus to the soil. The downside is the time it takes for the microorganisms to convert it into humus. Most gardeners say to plan on a multi-year management program.
Liquid Humate is more readily available to the soil and contains more humus per volume than compost. It will start to work faster than compost but needs to be applied more often. Most soils will show improvement within the first year if 3-4 applications are applied.
RestoreClay is the catalyst to really jump-start the humus building process. It dramatically accelerates the composting process and helps correct any unhealthy conditions in the soil. When you add 2-3 applications of RestoreClay you will see significant improvements within a growing season.
Compost supplies a long-term supply of humus, Liquid Humates will provide short-term availability and an instant boost to the humus making processes. RestoreClay keeps the humus building process stimulated and active.
If adding compost is not a viable option like on a lawn you can still build the quantity of humus in the soil by using Liquid Humates and RestoreClay. Both are applied with a hose end sprayer.
Keeping your clay healthy and productive will need to be an ongoing process. Humus is actively consumed in new plant growth and needs to be replaced on a continual basis. Having a supply of organic matter available even on the surface and a few applications of RestoreClay will ensure this process operates effectively.
There is a new trend in agriculture and gardening called “no-till”. It’s a re-discovered ancient trend that’s finding new popularity in the gardening world. It is how Mother Nature has always taken care of her gardens. No-till is basically growing crops or plants year to year without disturbing the soil through tilling.
There are pros, and cons, to both tilling, and not tilling your soil.
Tilling or working the soil will enable you to get a large quantity of organic matter deeper into the soil. If you are using an amendment like RestoreClay or Liquid Humate the worked earth will allow deeper penetration of the liquid amendments allowing them to work on deeper depths of the soil.
A healthy soil structure can be delicate and repeated turning of the soil can disrupt these processes. Managing your garden by “no till” will protect the improved soil structure. If you have an area that is planted like a lawn tilling the soil is not an option. One of the major benefits of using liquid amendments is that they can also be applied to areas that cannot be tilled.
If you have heavy clay soil a combination of both practices will likely give you the best results. The first season till in a few inches of compost to get a large quantity of organic matter into the soil. After you have the first applications of compost you should be able to continue the humus building processes by covering the soil with organic matter.
In addition to building the quantity of organic matter and humus in the soil, here are a few addition “best practices” for managing your clay soil
Avoid working the soil when wet. This one is easy because wet clay can be a literal pain in the back trying to keep mud off your shoes and tools.
Avoid compaction. Because of the tendency of the clay soil particles to compact together too much foot or vehicle traffic can undo all your hard work.
Keep the soil covered with either mulch or plants. Covered soil will retain moisture better than bare soil. Moisture keeps the biological processes active. Organic matter on the surface will still provide food for the soil bacteria and keep the humus building processes active.
Minimize salt-based fertilizers and herbicides. Excess salts can cause the soil flocculation to collapse through dispersion. Excess herbicides can disrupt healthy biological processes. Clay soil that has access to a ready supply of humus should have an abundance of soil nutrients and need less fertilizer than a sandy soil.
Gypsum is a common amendment for clay soil. Gypsum is the common name for calcium sulfate. Gypsum is sometimes used in clay soils high in salinity. The calcium can help to leach the salt from the soil and lessen the dispersion. Most clay soils have adequate calcium already present and the positive effects from gypsum can be short-lived. Improving the quantity of humus in the soil will give you better results long term.
As water continues to get more expensive, many people are looking for less expensive water sources. Here in Utah, some neighborhoods have access to inexpensive canal water that can be used for lawns and gardens.
This may be a regional problem but because our canal water comes from a lake it has a higher level of salinity than water from an underground aquifer. This happens because the water in the reservoir or lake evaporates and leaves the salts behind. Over time these salinity levels can become a stressor for plants. Some plants can handle salinity better than others. If you start to see plant leaves start to brown around the edges it could be a sign of high levels of salinity.
Having salt in your soil will also cause dispersion, a process that can quickly cause the amended clay to turn back into a hard, dense soil.
Both RestoreClay and Liquid Humate, can tie up those salts, and help leach them from the soil, but if more salt is being added with every watering, then you will need to keep up with your soil maintenance practices.
Remember, if you're not sure what type of soil is in your yard you can always reference the helpful indicators previously outlined in this article. If your soil is hard when it's dry, and it doesn't crumble easily when you squeeze the soil in your hand, then that can indicate a certain amount of clay particles in your soil.
Clay soil tends to amplify your other negative soil conditions because clay soil is quite good at storing soil elements, even the bad elements. So, bear in mind that if your soil tends to be acidic, then having clay as part of your soil will amplify the problems you are facing when trying to grow that amazing lawn and garden.
If we look at the ideal soil composition again, then we remind ourselves that we want to keep our healthy soil at about 45% rock particles, 25% water, 25% air, and 5% organic matter—aka humus. Heavy, dense clay has small soil particles that compact together and decrease the amount of air, water and organic matter in the soil—ruining our chances at having the lawn and garden that we truly want: lush, full, green, vibrant, and full of beauty.
When adding compost to your soil it helps break to up and improve clay soil because the microbes and bacteria in the soil break the compost down into its basic building blocks, called humus. However, adding compost alone isn’t going to give your clay soil everything that it needs to become healthy life-giving soil.
Amending your soil isn’t going to happen overnight, or even with a single application of any amendment product. It’s going to take time, and the time that it takes to improve clay soil will vary among all lawns and gardens—but, there is a specific soil treatment path that works very well when followed. Ask us about it. We would love to show how it’s done.
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Do you know if your soil is acidic or alkaline?
Depending on what part of the Country you are from, your soil can be either acidic or alkaline. There are a number of factors that contribute to the pH levels in the soil, they include the type of rock that has eroded down to make the soil as well as the quality of the water and quantity and type of compost in the soil.
As a refresher, the soil pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Most soils normally range between 3 and 10, with 7 being neutral. Acidic soils have a pH below 7 and alkaline soils have a pH above 7.
How does the soil’s pH affect plant growth?
Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of plant nutrients. Which nutrients are affected is the result of the soil’s pH and can get complicated. Whether your soil is acidic or alkaline certain key nutrients can be tied up and unavailable to your lawn or garden.
Soil’s that are alkaline can also have an additional problem of dispersion which leads to a dense, compact soil. Heavy clay is notorious for dispersion and leads to poor aeration, water drainage, and root growth.
Here in Utah, a bigger problem than the alkalinity is the amount of salinity and soil salts that have been collected and stored in the clay soil. Salts disperse the clay and hinder good biological health as well as drying out the plants causing stress.
A neutral soil will provide the best growing environment for nearly all plants.
It is a common practice to add amendments to try and buffer or change the pH of the soil.
Limestone is a common amendment for acidic soils to help raise the pH. How effective lime is can depend on a few factors some of those include the amount of clay soil particles and the quantity of organic matter in the soil.
The pH of an alkaline soil can be reduced by adding an acidifying amendment or acidic organic matter. Sulfur is common because it oxidizes into sulfuric acid.
Either limestone or sulfur can benefit your soil depending on the pH levels and what you are trying to achieve, but these are not the only amendments that can help to neutralize your soil pH.
Whether your soil is acidic or alkaline it is out of balance and not providing the ideal nutrients to your lawn or garden. By focusing on the health of the soil we can start to correct this imbalance.
Biologically Healthy soil will naturally reach a Neutral pH.
At SoundSoil we focus on the biological health of the soil. Healthy soils grow healthy lawns and gardens.
Biological concentrates like RestoreClay or LawnMutt are formulated to correct unhealthy soil conditions. The pH of the soil is one of there conditions.
Healthy soil conditions will help to buffer and neutralize both acidic and alkaline soils.
RestoreClay is also uniquely formulated to help remove excess soil salts and salinity in alkaline soils.
Whether you are wanting to restore your heavy clay soil or prevent dog urine damage all our products will help to neutralize your soil's pH.
Results: Lawn's lacking in health biology will be less productive and need more time, effort, fertilizer and water to get the results you want.
Let's compare this to a lawn growing in clay soil treated with a biological concentrate like RestoreClay 2-3 times a year.
Lawn growing in Healthy Productive Clay Soil will:
Results: By using a biological concentrate like RestoreClay we are continually improving the biological health of the soil with each application. With healthy soil a healthy lawn is easy.
RestoreClay will repair all areas of unproductive gardening soils. It is common for our customers to have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood.
The first concern is determining what caused the previous lawn to die? If It was just neglected and there are not any underlying soil conditions laying new sod will be fine. But what about situations where the lawn died from an unhealthy soil from over applying fertilizer or from dog urine?
If a harmful soil situation is not addressed before laying the sod, it will become stressed and likely die off like the previous lawn. I have talked to a number of dog owners that have replaced the lawn in an area available to their dog 2-3 times.
Let's address the health of the soil before laying new sod. Health biology is the soil's immune system. Adding a biological concentrate like RestoreClay or LawnMutt will start to correct most unhealthy conditions in the soil. I encourage anyone that is thinking about laying sod to address the soil's health before investing time and money.
Use the existing lawn as a gauge for the health of the soil. When you see the existing lawn start to look green and healthy it should be safe to lay new sod. You may find that by improving the soil's health, the existing lawn will recover and not need to the replaced.
Just a quick side note: Nitrogen overdose results in an overall browning of the lawn. This happens more often than you may think. It may look like the lawn needs more Nitrogen, but adding more will likely cause the lawn to completely crash.
Please contact me if you have question or concerns about your soil. I can be reached by replying to this email.
The second concern is for dog owners. New sod is just a pretty green carpet on top of the soil for the first few months. The short roots are very susceptible to dog urine damage and need time to get established.
LawnMutt is very effective at improving the soil ability to metabolize and filter the harmful effects of dog urine from damaging your lawn. But these processes happen in the soil and until the sod is successfully rooted it will likely be damaged by dog urine. The best option for dog owners that want new sod is to keep your dog off the newly laid sod.
That disclaimer aside, LawnMutt is one of the best soil amendments available to help new sod deeply root itself in the soil where it will be protected from urine damage. Applying a few applications of LawnMutt and giving your sod a few months to get established will pay big dividends in the long term.
LawnMutt is a long-term management tool. It does not change the grass or the urine but instead changes the soil.
Tip for new sod: If your dog does urinate on the new sod the best option is to grab the hose and wash the urine off the sod roots and down into the soil.
If you think new sod is in your future and you have challenging soil conditions I am confident we can help.
If you have a new home in an area that has hard clay soil you may feel like you are trying to get grass to grow on concrete or peanut butter depending on moister of the soil.
When you build a home the contractor will dig a hole for the foundation and pile up the soil. When the home is finished they level out the piles of dirt for the yard. Any "topsoil" that mixes with the "bottom" soil from the foundation will likely leave you with questionable soil for your yard. The primary difference between healthy, fertile topsoil and soil from 6-10 feet down a hole is not the dirt but the amount of organic matter or humus in the soil.
Humus is compost broken down to its base components. Ideally, you want to have at least 5% humus in the soil. This humus feeds the living biological organisms in the soil that in-turn release nutrients and soften the structure of the clay soil. Humus is what gives the fertile soil the dark color.
For an area the size of a lawn, mixing in compost can be an overwhelming task. I have even talked with some homeowners that were seriously considering removing the top layer of clay soil and replacing it with good "topsoil".
The process of building up the quantity of humus in the soil by adding compost can take years in a garden where the soil is accessible. For the soil under sod, working compost into the soil is not really an option.
For an area like a lawn, a liquid concentrate of humus can make amending the clay soil much easier and faster.
If you have laid or are planning to lay sod this spring and you have clay soil, 2-3 applications of RestoreClay will make a big difference. Apply RestoreClay either directly to the bare clay soil, or to the sod after being laid. Plan on a second application in 6-8 weeks and a third 6-8 weeks after that. Once the sod is established 1-2 applications a year will help keep it green and healthy.
RestoreClay is a concentration of humus, soil biology, and organic acids. It is uniquely formulated to amend and transform hard clay soil into the productive growing soil you want. When applied to new sod it will start to soften the clay for better water penetration and deeper root growth. Soil biology will release the nutrients trapped in the clay and make them available to the sod.
A good way to measure the soils transformation is with a wire test. Take a straight piece of wire and insert into the soil until it stops. Measure the penetration then repeat every few weeks. The wire is a good indicator as to how deep the roots are able to penetrate.
At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and are making them available to homeowners.
The best and most effective thing you can do is to lessen the amount of Nitrogen fertilizer you apply to areas visited by your dog. Dog urine contains urea or ammonia nitrogen. The damage to the lawn is actually the result of a nitrogen overdose.
If you deal with dog urine damage, make a mental note this year to evaluate how much worse the urine spots get a few weeks after applying nitrogen fertilizer.
To decrease the dog urine damage to your lawn this summer, lessen the amount of nitrogen fertilizer added to the areas used by your dog. This will help to manage the amount of nitrogen being force-fed to your lawn.
Long-term prevention of dog urine damage to your lawn is a two-part process. In addition to managing the amount of nitrogen, we need to increase the ability of the soil to metabolize and digest the nitrogen.
This is where our LawnMutt product can make a significant difference. It contains a concentration of "Healthy Bacteria" that will greatly improve the soils ability to digest and process the urea/ammonia nitrogen contained in dog urine.
Ammonia and nitrogen can be damaging to lawns and needs to be broken down into nitrate nitrogen, which is easier for the lawn to consume. This is a biological process and will grow over time under suitable soil conditions. LawnMutt is formulated to build and improve this biological process.
If you have ever kept a fish aquarium you may be familiar with the nitrogen cycle. The biological processes in the soil are acting like the filter on an aquarium and by increasing the number of beneficial bacteria in the soil it can "filter" dog urine without damaging the lawn.
If you manage the quantity of nitrogen fertilizer and apply LawnMutt you can have a happy, healthy dog and a beautiful, healthy lawn.
The answer is yes you can. Healthy bacteria is present in nearly all soils. Under the right conditions, and given enough time, the soil will find a healthy biological balance without adding an amendment.
The challenge becomes - the quickest and best way to create these conditions.
An ideal soil composition will look something like this:
Just like your favorite meal has to be digested to provide your body energy, fertilizer has to be "digested" by the soil to offer health and energy to your lawn and garden.
I'm asked on a regular basis, “What does your product do?”. I am always looking for an easy analogy to help people understand the role soil health plays in the growth of their lawn and garden.
I came up with this analogy, let me know what you think.
In comparison, you add fertilizer to to your lawn and garden to give them nutrients and energy. The soil's biology converts that potential energy into plant growth. By adding fertilizer to soil lacking in healthy biology you will get some growth, but it will take a lot more fertilizer.
At SoundSoil we find the best Biological Soil Amendments available in the agricultural world and are making them available to homeowners. We are keeping your soil lubricated for long life.
All soil is made up of eroded rock particles. The difference in the size of the rock particles defines the type of soil. Sand particles are the largest, silt are medium sized, and the smallest are clay particles. |
Clay Soil has a high ratio of small clay particles compared to the number of sand or silt particles. The small size of these particles can result in a very dense soil that inhibits root development and water drainage. If you have hard dirt clods that will not easily crumble in your hands you likely have a significant amount of clay in your soil.
These clods were treated with RestoreClay shortly after this picture was taken. Make sure you visit the bottom of this article to see the results. |
Clay soil when dried-out and ground-down will become a fine powder. |
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If you can take the soil from your yard and form it onto a ball, congratulations you have Clay Soil. Sandy and silty soils will not hold the shape.
RestoreClay by SoundSoil is formulated to help soften the bonds in hard clay soil.
These are the three clods from the picture above after 24 hours. |
Find out why plants and lawns have a difficult time growing in Clay Soil in our next article.
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Is your lawn or garden struggling? You might want to check for Clay Soil. If the soil in your yard is hard when dry, and sticky when wet, your soil is likely clay. All soils are composed of eroded rock. The difference between sandy soils and clay soils are the size of soil particles. Clay has small soil particles that have a tendency to compact. The more compacted the clay becomes the more it restricts water movement and root development.
To learn more about identifying clay soil check out our article "What is Clay Soil?".
When people think of good growing soil, they think of dark topsoil. The dark soil color is a result of surplus decomposed plant matter called humus. This humus in turn feeds and stimulates the soil’s biology. The humus and soil biology work together to provide nutrients for new plant growth and help to restructure the soil and reverse clay soil compaction.
RestoreClay by SoundSoil is formulated to add humus and build soil biology. These basic components are essential for healthy soil. RestoreClay, when used 3-4 times a year, will loosen the clay soil structure, which improves water movement and root growth. Improving the quantity of humus and soil biology will also dramatically improve the healthy growth of your lawn and garden.
RestoreClay is an easy to apply liquid concentrate that is applied with a hose end sprayer. When used a few times a year, you can continually improve your clay soil with each application.
For more tips and tricks to improving your clay soil via different products such as gypsum, Liquid Humate and more, visit our News page for additional articles and sign up for our Newsletter.
]]>First, the fertilizer you choose will make a tremendous difference. If you are working with a high-nitrogen ratio fertilizer, you will likely increase the number of dog urine spot, even while using LawnMutt. If after applying your fertilizer you notice the urine spots are getting worse that is an indication that too much nitrogen was applied, just plan on using less fertilizer on your next application.
Dog urine is a concentrated nitrogen fertilizer applied to the lawn a few times a day. LawnMutt is formulated to break down these fertilizers, giving lawns an easier way to recover and grow. So yes, LawnMutt can be used with fertilizers, but with the correct fertilizer.
Using correct fertilizer.
Choosing the right fertilizer will help make all the difference. Most lawn fertilizers contain large amounts of nitrogen. We recommend using a fertilizer with a balanced mix of nutrients (10-10-10 for example). Having a lower nitrogen rating will have less stress on the nitrogen cycle and allow your lawn to process all the excess urea from dog urine.]]>There are a few things you can do today to help minimize the amount of nitrogen that is being fed to your lawn:
These suggestions are a good start to minimizing the damage but are probably not enough for most dog owners.
To prevent dog urine from killing your lawn the soil needs to be healthy and active. Healthy soil is rich in beneficial bacteria that breaks down old plant matter, minerals, and fertilizer (including dog urine), so they can be used by the lawn for growth and energy. This biological process is called the Nitrogen Cycle. A number of environmental factors, like excess dog urine and fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, excess salts, or dry conditions can diminish this biological process.
This is where LawnMutt can help.
LawnMutt is a Proven, Safe and Easy To Use liquid concentrate that repairs and enhances your soil's nitrogen cycle. LawnMutt is effective on most types of grass and all types of soils.
In addition to being resistant to urine damage a LawnMutt lawn:
By using LawnMutt and being nitrogen smart, you and your dog can use and enjoy a healthy, green lawn without embarrassing dog urine spots dotting your landscape.
For more tips and tricks to preventing dog urine damage to your lawn visit our News page for additional articles and sign up for our Newsletter.
If you own a home and a dog, chances are you’ve struggled to keep up your curb appeal and wondered if you’ll ever have the lush, green lawn you dream of. And if you’ve struggled with those awful pee spots, you know there is enough conflicting information about them on the Internet to make anyone throw their hands up in defeat. How do you sort the fact from fiction so that you can treat the problem and go back to enjoying your dog and a beautiful lawn? We’ve compiled a list of common myths to unpack for you below. Have you heard any of these?
Nope, female urine is not any worse than male urine, so your female furry friend is off the hook. Well, for the most part. Those ugly, yellow spots in your lawn are caused by the nitrogen and salts in your dog’s urine, and the gender of the dog has no impact on the concentration of these elements. However, dogs who squat or frequently go in the same spot will deposit a higher concentration of nitrogen and salts – and females are often squatters – so you may notice the dead spots develop more quickly, but this is due to the amount of urine deposited, not the type of urine.
Food additives aren’t going to help either. We adore our pets, and the last thing we want to do is negatively impact their health, but some frustrated homeowners will fall prey to the myth that they need to reduce urine alkalinity through supplements. First, remember that urine spots are due to nitrogen and salts, not the acidity of the dog’s urine. Second, such supplements can hurt your dog. Heed this warning from the Colorado State University Extension Service: “Products advertised to ‘naturally’ reduce urine alkalinity (including the amino acid, dl methionine, also known as methioform) may cause urinary system problems and can affect calcium deposition in growing bones of younger dogs. The addition of baking soda, potassium citrate and other salts are likewise not recommended as curatives for dog spots.” You should, however, always make sure you are providing your dog a balanced diet with plenty of water.
It may seem counter intuitive, but adding more fertilizer to a lawn damaged by dog urine is often more harmful than it is helpful. Dog urine and nitrogen fertilizer don’t play well together. Remember, the biggest culprit here is the nitrogen in the urine. Your dog is, in essence, adding nitrogen fertilizer to your lawn multiple times a day. When you add commercial fertilizers, you are increasing the nitrogen and the pee spots just get worse. When treating urine spots, you should reduce or temporarily stop treating your lawn with fertilizer – at least in the areas you are treating.
If you’ve read this far, you might be feeling like there’s nothing you can do. But don’t be discouraged. Dog urine spots are treatable. The battle is won not by treating the dog, and not by treating the grass, but by treating the soil. To handle the increased nutrients added to the lawn through dog urine, you’ll need to improve the biological health of the soil so there is enough microbial activity to metabolize the nitrogen and excess salts in dog urine. Improving the health of the soil is the only sustainable long-term solution.
Heard any other myths not addressed here? Drop us an email or give us a call, and we’ll see if we can find the answer for you. Our phone number is (801) 971-0589 or email me at Jeff@soundsoil.com
Sod is a great way to establish a lawn. In just a few hours you can have a beautiful lawn covering what previously was bare soil. It is a great way to improve the look and usability of your yard and avoid months of waiting for grass seed to take root.
Of course, there are downsides as well. The luxury of having a beautiful lawn overnight comes at a steep cost. In 2016, the average homeowner spent more than $1,700 on new sod, according to HomeAdvisor.com. If you’re a dog owner, laying new sod can bring some unforeseen complications, and you’ll need to take extra steps to protect your investment.
Dog urine and new sod
Whether you are laying sod on an area that has never had grass before or you’re replacing grass that has struggled or died because of dog urine damage, you’ll have to take precautions. The roots of new sod are short, near the surface, and highly susceptible to urine damage—so even in the best of conditions, sod needs extra care for a few months. The condition of your soil is the number one indicator of whether or not your new sod will flourish. Urine damage on grass is caused by poor biological activity in the soil, making it unable to break down the nitrogen and salts that are present in dog urine.
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. Soils that lack sufficient probiotic activity cannot support plant growth well. Dog urine damage is likely to be worse and take longer to fix in these soils. Even sod that is laid on new soil that is in good condition is almost certain to be damaged by dog urine if it is exposed to it. 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 probiotic activity surrounding them, the new sod is highly susceptible to urine damage. This can take a few months to achieve.
How dog urine affects sod laid on soil that previously had a 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 toxins may be built up in the soil. In a lot of instances, new sod is needed because the existing lawn has died. For situations like this, the new sod may look healthy for a month or two and then 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 your lawn and soil before addressing the urine spots.
Divide and Conquer
In both of these situations, the best course of action is to restrict your dog’s access to the newly laid sod and apply LawnMutt, an all-natural soil amendment that increases the biological activity in your soil, for a few months to help establish the roots and improve the health of the soil. Your soil will be able to break down toxins such as your dog’s urine and support a beautiful, lush lawn. You can apply LawnMutt directly to your new sod right from the beginning. For yards that may have a buildup of urine in the soil, applying LawnMutt before the sod is laid will help to start the detoxification process and give the new sod a better chance to grow.
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 the sod gets established. This will probably be a couple of months or so. Then lay sod on the other section and keep the dog off of it while it gets established. Though it is still going to take several months, the divide and conquer method can help establish each section a little quicker.
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