11 Spring Lawn Care Tips for Boise

Spring in Boise is beautiful, but the warmer temperatures also mean a lot of work to get your lawn set up for success.

Our Spring Lawn Care Checklist includes 7 things to do starting in March — like getting your lawn mower ready, checking your sprinklers, testing your soil.

OK, let’s get started…

1. Prepare your lawn mower

Early March is the time to get your lawn tools in working order so you won’t have to worry about stocking up on supplies, fixing equipment, or calling a repair pro during the busy season.

Here’s a tool maintenance checklist to get you started:

Sharpen your lawn mower blades.

For gas-powered equipment:

— Change the engine oil.
— Replace the spark plugs.
— Clean or replace the air filter.
— Refuel your mower and dispose of the old gasoline properly.

For electric/battery-powered tools, charge or replace the batteries.

— Inspect and tighten any bolts and screws.
— If needed, put new string in your weed eater.

Read more: Best Lawn Mower Maintenance Practices

2. Rake winter debris

Once the ground thaws in April, rake the soil surface of your lawn to give your grass a fresh slate for growth.

A vigorous raking will:

• Remove twigs, leaves, dead grass, and other organic material that could hide fungi and lawn pests
• Give sunlight a pathway to your grass
• Loosen matted grass so oxygen and nutrients can reach grass roots
• Reveal bare patches

3. Prevent weeds with pre-emergent herbicide

Before weeds even begin to germinate, apply a pre-emergent herbicide to block them from germinating. Wait until the soil temperature has been at least 55 degrees for three days (typically in April or May).

Common weeds in Boise include: 

• Dandelion
• Black medic
• Crabgrass
• Quackgrass
• Cheatgrass (downy brome)
• Green foxtail
• Common mallow
• Broadleaf and buckhorn plantain
• Spurge
• Knotweed

If weeds still emerge, don’t panic: Apply post-emergent herbicides or hand-pull them. In the case of dandelions, make sure you get all of the root or you the dandelion will grow back. 

4. Treat lawn diseases

Early spring is the perfect time to treat lawn diseases and prevent them from spreading all over your lawn.

Boise doesn’t get bucketloads of snow, but we get enough for our grasses (especially tall fescue) to be impacted by snow mold along with other diseases. 

Here are common spring diseases to look out for on your Boise lawn: 

• Dollar spot: Dead patches that are 2-6 inches wide.
• Gray snow mold: Fuzzy white or gray growths that cause dead patches.
• Pink snow mold: Dying grass patches and fuzzy mold with a pinkish hue.
• Powdery mildew: White, powder-like mildew on the grass blades.
• Leaf spot and melting-out: Grass blades develop dark spots and eventually rot.
• Rust: Reddish spots on the grass blades.
• Fairy ring: Rings of mushrooms or discolored grass.
• Red thread: Discolored grass with pinkish threads on the grass blades.

Treat diseases as soon as you spot them. Some diseases require fungicide, while others will disappear with proper watering and fertilization. Check out our article on“How to Identify and Treat Grass Fungus” to learn how to combat these diseases. 

5. Control lawn pests

Spring is the peak season for many lawn pests, whether they’re hatching or awakening from their winter slumber. Here are some to look out for in Boise:

• Grubs: The most common grubs in Idaho are billbug larvae. Both the larvae and adults eat grass. To get rid of billbugs, you can apply insecticides or use non-chemical methods. The best time to prevent grubs is in late May to early June. 
• Chinch bugs: These oval insects suck grass blades dry. You can get rid of chinch bugs with both chemical and natural treatments. 
• Moles, voles, and gophers: The best way to get rid of these pests is trapping. You can also install a mesh underground fence to prevent their entry.

A healthy lawn is uninviting to pests, so a proper fertilizing, watering, and mowing schedule will keep most pests at bay. If you need to use pesticide, go with a specific, selective one rather than a non-selective variety. You don’t want to accidentally kill beneficial insects like ladybugs and bees.

Read more: Guide to Using Pesticides on Your Lawn

6. Test your soil

Haven’t been testing your soil? Spring is the perfect time to start. A soil test will tell you exactly what fertilizers and soil amendments your lawn needs for healthy grass growth.

A soil test will tell you:

• Your soil’s pH level and imbalances (acidic, alkaline, or basic)
• Your soil’s nutrient levels and deficiencies
• Salt levels (salinity)
• Soil factors that might be suppressing plant growth
• Amendments to balance your soil and increase nutrient levels

Boise’s soil type ranges from loam to clay and tends to have a high pH. Depending on the results of your test, you may need to adjust the soil pH with sulfur. 

You can test your soil using DIY kits or soil testing labs. The University of Idaho’s Analytical Sciences Laboratory offers comprehensive soil testing for a reasonable price, and you’ll receive a certified soil report in around 10 business days.

Read more:
How to Soil Test Your Lawn
How to Read a Soil Test Report

7. Apply iron to green up your grass

Boise and most southern Idaho lawns have highly alkaline (basic) soils, which means grass is especially susceptible to iron deficiencies (aka iron chlorosis). A soil test is the best way to diagnose this issue, but you also can spot it due to yellowing leaves. Overwatering can make iron chlorosis worse. 

You can treat iron chlorosis by lowering the soil pH or applying iron. Follow the package instructions and your soil test results to apply the right amount. The best time to apply iron is in spring when the temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees. Apply every two to three weeks as needed.

Pro Tip: Apply soil amendments at least four weeks before spreading fertilizer to ensure the amendments and fertilizer don’t interfere with or counteract each other.

8. Fertilize, if needed

In general, fall is the most important time to fertilize your Boise lawn, and overfertilization in spring can harm your grass before summer begins. However, if your grass is looking drab, fertilizer may help it green up.

If you need to apply fertilizer in spring, give your grass 0.5 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet in mid-April to early May. Wait for your grass to start growing before applying fertilizer: Fertilizing too early in the year forces your grass to divert its energy from its roots to its leaves, which can cause nutrient deficiencies and discoloration in summer. 

If your grass stays yellow even after fertilization, don’t spread more fertilizer. Your grass may have an iron deficiency that can be fixed by a few applications of chelated iron.

Is the math and timing of it all giving you a headache? Hire one of Lawn Love’s Boise lawn care pros to fertilize your lawn for you. 

Note: When high-nitrogen fertilizer flows off your lawn during rainstorms, it wreaks havoc on our local aquatic ecosystems like the Snake River and Arrowrock Reservoir. Plus, overfertilization is linked to polluted drinking water. To protect the environment and our water supply, consider an eco-friendly organic fertilizer instead.

9. Check sprinklers and start watering

If you winterized your sprinkler system, now is the time to get your irrigation system going again. Wait until the chances of freezing weather has passed (typically in mid- to late April), then test your sprinkler system to make sure it wasn’t damaged in winter. 

Once your sprinkler is in working order and your grass starts to turn green and grow, begin watering your Boise lawn. Avoid watering too early in the year, as this encourages shallow root growth that makes grass less prepared for drought.

Keep an eye out for signs your lawn needs watering, such as wilting and color changes. 

How much water to give your grass: Established Boise lawns typically require 1 to 2 inches of water per week. You can water once a week or break waterings into two sessions. Boise doesn’t get enough rain for you to skip watering altogether, but you can take a week off if there’s a big enough rain shower. 

10. Know when to mow

Hold off on mowing until your grass starts growing. Start mowing in early May after Boise’s last frost. You’ll know it’s time to mow when your grass has grown over 3 inches tall.

Once you’ve completed your first mowing, cut your grass on a regular schedule (about once a week, depending on the grass type in your Boise yard). 

Follow these Boise grass height guidelines: 

Grass type	Height when grass should be mowed	Ideal height
Kentucky bluegrass	3.25 – 4.5 inches	2.5 – 3.5 inches
Fine fescue	3.25 – 4 inches	2.5 – 3 inches
Perennial ryegrass	2.75 – 3.25 inches	2 – 2.5 inches
Tall fescue	4 – 5.25 inches	3 – 4 inches
Buffalograss	2.75 – 4 inches	2 – 3 inches

11. Hold off on dethatching, aeration, and overseeding

Spring is a time of grass growth, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best time to do everything lawn care-related. Wait for fall to do the heavy-duty treatments like dethatching and aeration. You don’t want to invite eager weeds or stress your lawn before the summer heat.

It’s also best to wait until late summer or early fall to overseed your Idaho lawn. The young grass may not survive Boise’s hot, dry summers. Plus, it will be much more effective after your fall aeration treatment.

Read more: Fall Lawn Care Checklist for Boise

Spring lawn care too much work? Hire a Lawn Love lawn care pro

Once you know your way around mowers, pesticides, and sprinkler systems, spring lawn care in Boise is fairly straightforward to DIY.

However, if you’d rather spend your free time hiking or curled up with a good show, we get it. Call one of Lawn Love’s Boise lawn care pros to rake, fertilize, and mow your lawn. 

Main Image: Lawn mowed by a Lawn Love pro in Boise, ID. Illustration by Amy Stenglein / Lawn Love