Fall and Winter Watering:

As we head into cooler weather, and the leaves start dropping, you might think raking is the extent of your outdoor maintenance this time of year. Nighttime lows are dropping below freezing, and we are getting our irrigation systems turned off and winterized to protect them. Just because the lows are dictating that we winterize our systems though doesn’t mean your turf and plantings are ready to forgo water. This time if year proves to be particularly difficult for plantings, most especially new plantings not fully established. Daytime highs often hit the 50s,60s, and sometimes even 70s, and the weather tends to be breezy.

This weather pattern is extremely tough on plants, even if they appear dormant, the combination of wind and heat can prove to be devastatingly desiccating. If your plantings are looking good heading into fall, then the most likely cause of death between now and spring is lack of water.

Even once we get through the especially tough late fall period, we still need to be watering our plantings and sod. During the winter, you’ll need to give you plants a watering with a garden hose, and for sod, a garden hose and sprinkler is a great and easy option. Once every one to two weeks is typically enough, by depending on the weather. Any watering is recommended to be done on days when the temp is in the mid-40s or higher A good snow counts as a watering too. Don’t forget to disconnect and drain your hose once finished.

With irrigation systems typically being blow out at some point in October and not being activated until April, that is roughly a half year, and it cannot be expected that plant material can survive that amount of time without water.

Please water your landscape over the fall and winter for the best results in the spring. Please remember that plant loss due to drought is not covered by warranty. Winter watering not only allows your landscape to live, but it will provide you with the most attractive landscape possible in spring! If you have any questions, we can help, please feel free to contact us.

For More Information Visit:

Colorado Springs Utilities is an excellent source for materials on maintaining a healthy landscape.
https://www.csu.org/Pages/WinterWatering.aspx

The extension service at Colorado State University is another excellent resource. Click below for more information.https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/fall-and-winter-watering-7-211/

In addition to watering, Wilt Pruf is a material that locks in moisture and protects more sensitive evergreens.