- Canopy Lawn Care in Pocatello helps conserve water amid Idaho's drought.
- Owner Krista Butler emphasizes soil health to reduce water use by 40%.
- The business offers lawn care services throughout eastern Idaho, focusing on efficiency.
POCATELLO — Amid a water shortage and emergency drought in place across Idaho, a Pocatello business offers homeowners a way to water their lawn more efficiently and help conserve water.
Canopy Lawn Care, now in its second year of operation in Pocatello, focuses on soil health to help customers use water effectively. Owner Krista Butler tells EastIdahoNews.com they offer a spray "filled with sea kelp, amino acids, recycled coffee grounds, carbon," and other elements that target the soil microbiome so it can absorb water better.
Butler says their healthy lawn program can help reduce supplemental watering by up to 40% over time.
The business offers additional lawn care services, including fertilization and weed control, lawn aeration and seeding, and tree and shrub care.
"We do take care of weed control with herbicides, but it is on the lower threshold of chemicals. We really focus on the soil health. When you have thicker soil, it (eliminates) the weeds and there's not a lot of interference with other pests," Butler says. "There's so much rock in our soil (here in Pocatello), and it really helps soften it up, bring life back into it, and allow your grass to grow."
Although it's based in Pocatello, Butler and her team serve customers throughout eastern Idaho.
The inspiration for launching the venture stems back to 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Butler says she'd been working as a public school teacher for about 10 years at the time. Schools were shut down, and it forced Butler to teach her boys at home while managing a virtual classroom.
Butler says they quickly realized they wanted more quality time together as a family and greater flexibility in their schedules. That led them to explore options about opening a business together.
Canopy Lawn Care — which opened in 2016 as a landscaping business in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to an industry report — began franchising as a lawn care company that year. When the Butlers heard about it, it seemed like a good fit for them.
"It was a really special time to get in with them," Butler says. "It gave us a way to build something as a family, while helping other families."
After extensive research, they finally launched it in 2025. It's the first location in Idaho and the second one in the Intermountain West, according to its website.
Butler hopes to see it continue to grow and that her young boys will be involved in it as they get older.
Meanwhile, as homeowners across the region deal with a water shortage, Butler says frequent watering is a common mistake she sees people make and offers tips for best watering practices.
"A lot of people think watering more is better," says Butler. "Two to three times a week for 20-30 minutes is all you need. If you're watering consistently every day, (the lawn) gets used to that, and when it doesn't get that, it goes into shock (and dries up)."
Butler says the way people mow their lawns can also affect how the grass uses water. Really short grass is what causes it to turn brown, she says. The longer the blade of grass, the longer its roots, which enable it to absorb nutrients from the soil and stay greener.
Butler says she's grateful to customers for giving them a try. To those who haven't, she hopes to earn your business.
To get a quote or learn more, visit the website.
