A Better Lawn Starts With the Right Fertilizer Program: IFA 4Plus for Treasure Valley Lawns
A beautiful, healthy lawn doesn't happen by accident. It takes the right fertilizer, proper timing, adequate water and, perhaps most importantly, healthy soil.
Here in the Treasure Valley, we have some unique challenges when it comes to growing a great lawn. Our climate is dry, our summers can be hot, and many of our soils are heavy and alkaline. That's one reason we at Aloha Home & Garden recommend the IFA 4Plus Lawn Care Program.
IFA products are formulated and produced for the conditions found in the Intermountain West, making them a particularly good fit for lawns here in Idaho. Rather than treating your lawn the same way all year long, the four-step program provides different nutrients at the times your lawn needs them most.
And right now, as our Treasure Valley temperatures begin to cool, it's an especially good time to think about Step 4 — Fall & Winter Lawn Food.
Why a Four-Step Program?
Your lawn has different nutritional requirements as the seasons change.
The IFA 4Plus program is designed around those seasonal needs, with each application serving a different purpose. IFA's program includes four applications extending from early spring through fall, with fertilizers formulated for the conditions of each growing season.
Step 1 — Early Spring
The first application gets the lawn off to a good start as temperatures begin to warm. IFA's Step 1 includes crabgrass prevention along with lawn food, helping provide early-season nutrition while preventing crabgrass from getting established. The time to apply Step 1 is around the first/second week of February.
This is also a good time to begin improving the soil with IFA Bountiful Earth Humate.
Step 2 — Spring
Step 2 continues feeding the lawn as spring growth accelerates. IFA's Weed & Feed is designed to provide nutrients while helping control many common broadleaf weeds. Mid-March to the end of April is an excellent time to apply Step 2.
Step 3 — Spring & Summer
As temperatures rise, your lawn faces some of the greatest stress of the year. Step 3 provides slow-release nutrition designed for the hotter, drier months of the Intermountain West. Because Spring & Summer is a slow-release formula, it's generally safe to apply this product sometime between the middle of June to early July.
This is an important time to pay attention to watering, mowing height and soil conditions as well.
Step 4 — Fall & Winter
This is the step your lawn needs right now.
IFA recommends applying Step 4 from approximately the middle of September through November, with four to six weeks between the previous fertilizer application (Step 3) and Step 4.
Fall fertilizer is sometimes overlooked because the lawn isn't growing as rapidly as it did during the summer. But that's exactly why fall feeding is so important.
As the weather cools, your grass begins shifting its attention away from producing rapid top growth and toward its root system. IFA's Fall & Winter fertilizer provides a final seasonal feeding, including a higher proportion of potassium to help support stronger roots and winter hardiness.
The nutrients your lawn takes in during the fall can help it remain healthier through the winter and contribute to an earlier, stronger green-up when spring arrives.
If you haven't applied your fall fertilizer yet, now is a great time to get started.
Why IFA for the Intermountain West?
One of the things I appreciate about IFA is that these products aren't simply a national fertilizer formula being marketed everywhere.
IFA's lawn-care program is specifically formulated for the semiarid climate and soil conditions of the Intermountain West.
That's important to us here in the Treasure Valley.
I've spent many years working with plants, landscapes and soils in Idaho, and I'm an Idaho Certified Nurseryman. Over the past 50 years in this industry, I've learned that successful gardening isn't simply about feeding the plant — it's about understanding the soil the plant is growing in.
And that's where Bountiful Earth Humate comes into the picture.
Don't Just Feed Your Lawn — Improve the Soil
Many Treasure Valley yards have heavy clay soils. These soils can become compacted, drain slowly and make it difficult for water, air and nutrients to move through the root zone.
Bountiful Earth Humate is a soil conditioner that can complement a good fertilizer program. IFA describes humate as helping improve water filtration and water-holding capacity while helping nutrients move more effectively toward plant roots. IFA also specifically recommends Bountiful Earth with its Step 1 and Step 4 applications.
At Aloha Home & Garden, we recommend going a step further and applying Bountiful Earth three times during the growing season, particularly for lawns and landscapes growing in our heavy Treasure Valley soils.
The goal isn't simply to make the grass greener for a few weeks. We want to help improve the soil environment in which the grass roots are growing.
Better soil can mean better use of water and nutrients, stronger root development and a healthier lawn over time.
Don't Forget Crabgrass Prevention
Crabgrass can be one of the most frustrating lawn weeds in the Treasure Valley.
The best time to control crabgrass is before it becomes an established problem. That's why IFA's Step 1 includes a crabgrass preventer as part of its early-spring application.
We carry and recommend IFA's crabgrass control at Aloha Home & Garden as part of a complete lawn-care approach.
The key is timing. Once crabgrass has germinated and established itself, prevention is no longer the same as stopping it before it starts.
Think of Your Lawn as a Year-Round Program
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is waiting until the lawn looks bad before doing something about it.
A better approach is to think about lawn care as a year-round program:
Spring: Get the lawn started and prevent crabgrass.
Late spring: Feed the lawn and control broadleaf weeds.
Summer: Provide the nutrition and care needed to withstand heat and drought.
Fall: Feed the roots and prepare the lawn for winter.
Throughout the year: Work on improving the soil.
That's why we like the IFA 4Plus program at Aloha Home & Garden. It takes some of the guesswork out of lawn care and provides a seasonal approach designed for our region.
A Local Recommendation From Aloha Home & Garden
After decades in Idaho's nursery and landscape industry, I've learned that there isn't one product that solves every lawn problem.
Fertilizer is important. But fertilizer works best when it's combined with good soil, proper watering, appropriate mowing and good timing.
That's especially true here in the Treasure Valley, where our alkaline, heavy soils and dry summer climate can challenge even the most carefully maintained lawn.
Our recommendation is simple: feed your lawn according to the season, work on improving your soil, and don't wait until there's a problem before taking action.
Right now, that means taking advantage of the cooler fall temperatures and applying IFA Step 4 Fall & Winter Lawn Food — along with Bountiful Earth Humate to help improve the soil.
At Aloha Home & Garden, we're happy to help you determine which step your lawn needs and how to put together a lawn-care program that makes sense for your yard.
Stop by Aloha Home & Garden, located at 4291 S. Cloverdale Rd. in Boise and talk with us about your lawn. We'd be happy to help you grow a healthier, stronger lawn here in the Treasure Valley.
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