Last Updated on March 8, 2025 by Brian Beck
Most people make having a lawn way too much work. This is the result of passivity, a lack of knowledge, bad timing and unnecessary work. It is not just an act but a sequence of events that causes lawn difficulty and lawn failure. Let me give you a glimpse into what I am talking about.
- Failure to keep the soil hydrated. The winters along the Front Range tend to be dry and warm at sometimes which causes a lot of stress. Rather than continuing to water the lawn in an appropriate manner most people simply abandon their landscape over the winter, sometimes for up to 7 months, playing the HOPE game and playing another game called CATCH UP in the Spring, wasting a lot of time, resources and energy. A good strategy is to water every two weeks after you turn off the irrigation system on days when it is above 40°. This will keep the roots and the microbiology from drying out.
- Use of synthetic fertilizers: If you use synthetic fertilizers YOU will need to get your lawn “started” for the year as the relationship between the root. The use of synthetics have made the plant dependent on inputs from you. When we enable the soil in a biological system this dependence is lessened and the full potential of the lawn can be realized.
- Improper watering methods: Most people water very frequently but in a shallow manner. This is the most destructive way to water a lawn as most of the water evaporates and it promotes a shallow roots system the is susceptible to heat stress and dehydration in the winter. When you water, water deep and infrequently. Currently we are advising our clients to water twice per week 45-60 minutes per zone. This will drive the water deep and to the roots h, where it belongs. If you get runoff after a few minutes of watering, it is because of soil compaction due to the use of synthetics and a lack of natural aeration achieved by a healthy microbial population.
- A lack of Carbon: Carbon does two things in the soil, it holds water (a lot of it!) and it serves as an energy source for the microbiology. Without a heavy Carbon presence in the soil you will have high water bills and low biological activity which means low performing lawns that take a lot of money to sustain.