You want a thick, green lawn, but your good intentions might actually be killing your grass.
In Idaho Falls, common habits like mowing too short or watering every day can do more damage than a heatwave. If you’re putting in the work but your yard still looks stressed, you might be the one sabotaging it.
Our high-alkalinity soil and dry climate make Idaho grass sensitive. One mistake with fertilizer or a dull mower blade can open the door for disease and pests.
To get the "golf course" look you’re after, you have to stop treating your lawn like it’s in the Midwest and start managing it for Eastern Idaho’s unique conditions.
Here are 6 ways you’re accidentally damaging your Idaho Falls lawn, and how to fix them before the damage becomes permanent.
You have good intentions here. Mow it short, and you can stretch out the time between mowings.
But cutting your lawn too short stresses the grass and makes it more susceptible to insect and disease damage. Never cut off more than a third of the grass blade at any one time to avoid ruining your lawn.
That way, the grass will develop a deeper root system to support the longer blades. That leads to a fuller, greener lawn.
You know how you get when you skip breakfast, then a meeting runs long, so you don’t have time for lunch? Then dinner’s late?
That’s how your lawn feels when it doesn’t get all the nutrients it needs. It gets weak.
How often does your lawn need to eat? Here’s a handy feeding schedule for Idaho lawn care:
Also, get your soil pH tested. Important nutrients for grass are available in soil when the pH is balanced. If your pH is off, your grass won’t get the nutrients it needs, no matter how much you fertilize.
That’s right, there’s such a thing as too much fertilizer. It’s actually a common Idaho lawn care mistake — and an easy way to accidentally kill your grass.
Overfertilizing, especially with high levels of nitrogen, will cause lots of pretty green blades of grass, but not enough root growth. Too much fertilizer will actually burn the lawn.
Applying too much fertilizer isn’t just bad for your lawn and wasteful — it can harm the environment, running off and entering the groundwater.
This is another common way to accidentally damage your lawn, especially in summer, when it’s sunny and hot, and you’re tempted to give the poor thing extra drinks.
Be strong — and strategic about watering, so your grass gets the water it needs, but not too much. When you water too often, it encourages shallow, needy roots — actually weakening your lawn.
Water less often but deeply, and roots will grow deeper and healthier.
You wouldn’t intentionally suffocate your lawn, but you might be accidentally damaging your lawn with a buildup of thatch.
This can happen when you wait too long to mow the lawn (we’re not judging) and you don’t bag the clippings.
The long clippings settle into the lawn and turn brown, and that thatch blocks sunlight from reaching the lower portion of the grass blades, causing them to die and ruining your lawn.
The solution? Lawn aeration, which helps break down thatch by using a machine to pull out soil plugs, creates spaces that allow air and water to penetrate, leading to healthier roots.
You can accidentally damage your lawn by using a dull mower blade. A dull blade shreds the grass instead of cutting it cleanly. This causes the tips of the grass to die and turn brown. The jagged edges also invite pests and disease.
A sharp blade makes a nice, clean cut, which helps the grass to heal faster.
You have the best intentions for your grassy green friend, but mistakes happen. Idaho lawn care involves a lot, right?
Why not leave it to us?
Choose an Idaho Falls professional lawn care service that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss, six-visit plan that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green, including weed control and grub control that’s perfectly timed throughout the year.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
Image Source: Sprinkler Head