Services

Proper maintenance is crucial to keeping your yard healthy and beautiful.

At Intermountain Lawns we are dedicated to quality in our workmanship. Proper maintenance is crucial to keeping your yard healthy and beautiful. Our Weekly or Every 2 Week mowing and trimming service will keep your lawn looking great while you enjoy more time with your family.  We cut at a recommended 3″ – 3.5” height and keep records of the length that your lawn does best & is most desirable to you. We recommend dropping or mulching the clippings back into the lawn when possible, to recycle them, especially if you’re on a weekly schedule and cutting a recommended 1/3 off the blade of grass at a time.  The clippings release nitrogen back into your lawn which acts as natural fertilizer. Some prefer the clippings to be bagged or if the lawn grows too tall in between cuts our service does includes bagging clippings and hauling them away.

Our Mowing Service includes trimming around sidewalks, fences, walls, and any reasonable part of a lawn that can’t be reached by the lawn mower at no additional cost, preferring to stay within the border of the lawn. Anything outside the border of the lawn, such as rock or mulch areas, we don’t like to trim to avoid any debris being picked up by the trimmer and causing damage (i.e., rocks breaking windows). Excessive uncontrolled grass or weeds that border outside the lawn can be trimmed but would be at an additional cost.

Sometimes we are asked if our mowing service includes “Edging”. The term “Edging” and “Trimming” are sometimes used universally, however, Trimming sidewalk edges with a string trimmer/weed eater vs. Edging with a heavy-duty metal blade that cuts a clean line away from sidewalk edges are 2 separate services. Trimming is included with our mowing service while Edging is considered a separate service & charge.  Depending on overgrowth onto sidewalk edges we could cut anywhere from 1″ – 8″ of overgrowth. The process can sometimes take longer than simply mowing the lawn. Edging sidewalks is not something that needs to be done on a regular basis, yet more something that only needs done once or twice a season depending on individual preference.

Finally, time to clean up and blow off sidewalks & driveways like we weren’t even there! Simple, easy, inexpensive, and convenient for you.  Count on us to keep your lawn looking well-manicured, “fresh from the Barber”, with our professional equipment and work ethic.

Just add water… and leave the rest to us!

Lawn Aeration is a key service in maintaining a healthy lawn.

At Intermountain Lawns we specialize in maintaining beautiful lawns in Colorado. Lawn aeration is a key service in maintaining a healthy lawn. Why is aeration so important? Our Colorado soil has a lot of sand & clay. These materials compact very easily, especially as you mow your lawn, children and dogs play, and just good old-fashioned gravity. Deep Core Aeration or Lawn Aeration is the process of poking holes in your lawn and removing small soil and thatch plugs using an aeration machine that has several rows of hollow spikes/tines.  Just like any plant, grass roots cannot thrive in tight compacted soil; grass needs air, water, nutrients, and room to grow. By pulling out these small soil plugs from the lawn you’re enhancing thatch breakdown and de-compacting soil allowing air, water, and nutrients to easily reach the roots. Aeration holes in your lawn allow room for grass roots to fill in and become thicker, deeper, stronger, and more stress resistant, improving tolerance for cold, heat, and drought. Best of all aeration helps save money on your water bill by being able to water more efficiently with all those holes and loose soil!

At Intermountain Lawns we want to treat your lawn like our own. We are not a large company that offers expensive chemical fertilizing programs that are unhealthy for children & pets. Fertilizing during key times throughout the season with a good granular product builds deep roots to keep grass resilient for Colorado temperature changes. We offer a base fertilizing schedule of 4 times per season. 1 Spring & 1 Fall application that pairs nicely with Aeration for building those deep healthy roots. 1 Early Summer & 1 Late Summer that keeps your lawn fed well all summer. Our brand of fertilizer is called Super Crop, blended in locally in Henderson Colorado.  It is all-natural nutrients and does not have any chemical weed controlling agents. 20-20-10:  20 parts Nitrogen, 20 parts Phosphate, 10 parts Potassium. Nitrogen is natural lawn food however the Phosphate and Potassium is what really helps with root growth. Super Crop carries higher amounts than big box store fertilizer. Store bought fertilizer is usually almost all nitrogen that feeds the blades of grass only to give the appearance of well-fed grass but doesn’t do much for the roots.  Building nice roots in Colorado helps choke out weeds naturally and really helps keep grass resilient for Colorado’s extreme temperature changes throughout the year. Of course, like every Fertilizer it needs watered in as soon as possible after application!

Now for Optional Over-Seeding. We can’t let those fresh holes go to waste!! We fill those holes with a perfect seed blend of Sports Turf Grass Seed by Vitality. Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Ryegrass combined & designed for the durability of a sports field, resilient to harsh Colorado temperature changes and rough play, yet looks beautiful and livens up your lawn with a deep, rich color. Fertilizing and Over-Seeding together can be tricky if you’re not using the correct fertilizer. High Nitrogen store bought fertilizer will inhibit new grass from sprouting, but with our lower Nitrogen and higher Potassium Super Crop, it reacts amazingly with the Fescue and Rye germinating quickly to shade the incoming Diva of Grasses, the usually sensitive and high maintenance, Kentucky Blue Grass. Sports Turf is designed to look amazing while requiring less water. Overseeding every Spring & Fall will keep your lawn “filled in” and lush, combined with Super Crop Fertilizer you’ll have the deepest, greenest, most beautiful lawn on the block!!

Just add water… and leave the rest to us!

Over-Seeding keeps a healthy lawn lush or helps a struggling lawn thicken up but is not meant for Lawn Repair.

At Intermountain Lawns we want to keep existing lawns healthy & beautiful. Over-Seeding with our Aeration & Fertilizer Services is not meant for Lawn Repair. OVER-SEEDING, just as it sounds, is when grass seed is applied over the top of the lawn after aeration & fertilizer with a lawn spreader. When the ground is opened by aeration any seed that falls or gets washed into the aeration holes (which are several inches apart) when watering will be the only seed that grows. Gardening 101 – Seed needs to be inside the ground to grow. Over-seeding is the easiest, cheapest, and fastest way to help “thicken” an existing struggling lawn but requires patience and several applications/seasons to really get a fuller lush lawn because it’s a slower process, one Aeration at a time. Let’s face it, growing grass in Colorado is no easy task, sometimes it feels like we put 12 months’ worth of work into a 6-month lawn season to keep lawns nice. We take every Aeration opportunity to fill in those Aeration holes with premium Sports Turf Grass Seed by Vitality. Tall Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass combined & designed for the durability of a sports field, resilient to harsh Colorado temperature changes and rough play, yet looks beautiful and livens up your lawn with a deep, rich color. The Fescue and Rye grasses mimic the look of Kentucky Bluegrass, so the seed doesn’t look like a blended grass seed.

We DO NOT perform ANY Re-Seeding / Lawn Repair Services. We’re a small family business that usually carries less than 6 employees and most of our limited time is spent behind mowers for lawn maintenance. We’re not a landscaping company and lawn repair can take quite a bit of time and materials that we unfortunately don’t have. The success of lawn repair depends on proper irrigation and a customer’s attention to that irrigation. We can’t guarantee successful lawn repair when there are too many other variables involved. When a lawn fails, the questions that should be asked before any lawn repair begins are, “Why did the lawn fail in the first place”? “Why is the area struggling or no longer has grass”? “If Repaired, will new grass even grow there”? “Is the sprinkler system broken or not working properly”? “Are there dogs”?” Is there too much shade or too much sun”? “Is the area diseased”? “Are there limited or no nutrients in the soil”? “Is the area under Pine Trees or other grass killing trees”? Issues need to be found and corrected before any lawn repair begins by anyone.

RE-SEEDING, just as it sounds, Repair, Replenish, Reestablish, a more in-depth process of starting from nothing and turning into something. Re-Seeding is for an extremely thinned / struggling lawn area with little to no grass at all. Aeration alone is not recommended when trying to repair. When repairing a lawn, you need to put in the work of mending & kneading the soil. If you try and cut corners by hiring someone to simply Aerate & Over-Seed thinking that will suffice for Lawn Repair, trust us, it will not work. Aeration holes are spread several inches apart so simply Aerating a bare area and Over-Seeding will only grow small amounts of grass, several inches apart. Remember, Gardening 101 – Seed needs to be inside the ground to grow. Unfortunately, more than half the seed applied with simple Over-Seed will stay on top of the ground and will not germinate. We call that, Bird Food. 

To get the most grass seed to grow as possible, it’s time to put in the work and get it into the ground. Here’s some helpful steps you could follow to repair your lawn. 

1. For a larger area, till up the soil with a tiller or heavily rake to get rid of dead grass / debris and loosen dirt. For a smaller area rakes and shovels loosen dirt just fine. Sometimes Aeration can help open the ground further by de-compacting soil if not tilling but remember Aeration alone won’t work.
2. Apply grass seed more heavily than Over-Seeding at a rate of about 5lbs. per 1,000 sq.ft. Apply a layer of nutrient rich soil at least 1”-2” thick is recommended and then re-rake everything evenly, kneading the seed into the soil.
3. Apply a low Nitrogen, high potassium fertilizer to help w/ germination of new seed. Do not apply a higher nitrogen fertilizer or weed control fertilizer. High Nitrogen or weed killing chemicals will inhibit new seed germination. If there are many weeds in the lawn you can only pick one or the other, kill weeds or grow grass. Usually pick grow grass as Weeds will help shade new growth while keeping new grass wet. Grass will eventually thicken and start naturally choking out weeds. Once grass is established you can kill any remaining weeds later.
4. Water!! Keep repair areas wet but not drenched as often as possible. Set sprinklers to water about 10-15 minutes every 3-4 hours. Avoid long watering cycles that will wash new seed and soil away. Avoid too long of periods in between watering cycles that will dry out the area to keep from growing. You can take grass clippings from other mowed areas of the lawn and spread them into your repair area to help keep moisture in and even release a little Nitrogen to help that seed along. Be patient as you won’t see new growth for about 2-3 weeks, and it won’t look like a regular lawn for about 8-12 weeks. Sometimes depending on weather, too, hot, dry, or too rainy the process may have to be repeated and a new lawn may not establish the way you want until the following season. Because hotter weather can inhibit new grass growth Spring & Fall are the best times for Lawn Repair.

Power Raking or “dethatching” a lawn is a grass area specific service we only perform in the Spring.

Power Raking can be performed in late Fall or early Spring. Unfortunately, with September / early October being the optimal time Aeration, Fertilizer, & Over-Seed in the Fall we typically don’t have time to Power Rake while still committed to our Mowing Services through October. Spring works just as well for Power Raking if not better as it promotes a nice Spring green-up by removing debris and letting air move into the root zone and warming the turf. Fall Power Raking can sometimes be counterproductive as grass could get lost or more debris could settle over the winter creating more work in the Spring to rake again.

A Power Rake Machine is a motorized rake in which the underside has vertical spinning teeth, keep in mind, it is still a machine and doesn’t differentiate between turf so it can sometimes “rip” or “tear” grass. Power Raking too deep can be damaging to the lawn making longer recovery time which is another reason why Spring can be the best time to perform. It can be adjusted in depth and motor speed to help avoid damage but is important to combine with Aeration, Fertilizer, & Over-Seed to replenish grass that can get lost during the process or grass that gets lost naturally over the winter (Winter Kill). Power Raking done properly will lift matted turf and remove unbroken down dead debris such as old dead grass, leaves, fallen twigs, pinecones, etc. from ABOVE your lawn’s Root Zone. A Power Rake can only lift dead debris from ABOVE the Root Zone.

Sometimes Power Raked debris can be called thatch (de-thatching) but below your lawn’s Root Zone is actually called the “Thatch Layer”. If a lawn is truly carrying excess Thatch below the Root Zone the Power Rake is actually not the correct tool to use, an Aerator would be the proper tool to penetrate through the Root Zone and into the Thatch Layer below to pull out excess thatch (root balls). Power Raking is not very crucial or as important as Lawn Aeration for most lawns, however, some lawns it could be absolutely essential. If water doesn’t want to penetrate the surface of the lawn through excess dead debris to get down to the roots it can “pool” on the surface causing a disease called Necrotic Ring Spot or Mold. If the lawn has been getting mowed too high or clippings have been mulched in consistently when the lawn was too long it can cause areas of good green grass to struggle to get through the dead debris, choke out, and die. Some lawns are just naturally too thick and just need a good thin out so nutrients can reach the roots more efficiently. Power Raking allows for deeper Lawn Aeration holes by removing a thick layer allowing the aeration machine less material to penetrate through to get to the soil.

When completed you will see all the buried debris that has been brought to the surface in which we then blow off, hand rake, and/or mow all the debris off the surface. The process usually takes between an hour or two, in which raking by hand with a metal thatch rake could take someone several weekends! When completed your lawn is clean and fresh like a vacuumed carpet, free of all that debris. Spring Debris i.e., dead grass from Power Raking, is usually bagged and left on your property for your own residential trash service. If requested, we can haul away with an additional cost. Spring Power Rake Debris is typically minimal but hard for us to take with us as we’re usually loaded with equipment in the Spring and have limited space.

Leaf Pick Up is a crucial component to the health of your lawn while keeping neighbors happy.

At Intermountain Lawns we want to save you time to concentrate on more important things. Spring & Fall Leaf Pick Up can be a very daunting & time-consuming task but a crucial component to the health of your lawn and your neighbors happiness. Un-picked up leaves can damage underlying grass during the winter by depriving it of essential water, oxygen & sunlight, even though grass is dormant and doesn’t require full amounts compared to the growing season, it still requires some. Excessive amounts of un-picked up leaves can create thatch in your lawn. Dead grass, leaves, and other material break down over time, but excessive amounts won’t break down quickly and will work their way past the surface layer of your lawn, through your grass layers, and down to the root zone where grass meets the soil surface. This harms your lawn by “choking” healthy grass.

If not for your lawn, Pick Up leaves to help keep your house clean from tracking in debris or neighbors happy from leaves blowing onto their property. We tailor Leaf Pick Up to your needs such as, Fall you may want to keep leaves in Garden & Shrub areas to help protect plants during the winter, versus Spring you may want leaves in these areas removed. Wherever it’s desired, full property, from “Corner to Corner”, we will get over and under the areas you prefer, Lawn, Shrubs, Garden, Entryways, Decks, & Street Curbing. For the grass areas in the Spring, it can also involve Power Raking if requested.

No matter the reasons, to keep your cost low with a Spring or Fall Leaf Pick Up we will get as many leaves as possible quickly & efficiently by blowing, raking, mowing all areas of the property. Fall Debris from Clean Ups (leaves / pine needles) are automatically hauled and dumping charges are already included in the hourly rate.