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Fall and Winter Watering
Fall 2009
Contact: Joanne Littlefield
Assistant Director-Community Relations
Phone: (970) 491-4640
Joanne.Littlefield@colostate.edu
As the temperatures drop and the autumn leaves start to pile up on the lawn, you may be thinking it’s time to stop watering. Before you put the sprinkler in the garage, there are some fall seasonal facts to know. The fluctuating temperatures in Colorado can produce prolonged dry periods that can weaken your plants and damage root systems.
If there is little or no precipitation, fall watering is important to provide your established lawn, shrubs, trees, and perennials with enough soil moisture to survive the winter and ensure healthy growth in the spring. Colorado State University Extension provides some watering tips to help you winterize your lawn.
Before fall watering, test for your lawn for soil moisture. Insert a screwdriver or garden trowel into the soil. If it reaches a depth of 4 inches, your lawn is receiving enough precipitation. For dry lawns, water only when air temperatures are above 40 degrees F. Apply water at mid-day so it will have time to soak in before possible freezing at night.
If you took advantage of the warm weather in August and early September to plant shrubs and trees, new plants require more water for winter than established ones. Be sure to apply 5 gallons two times per month to your shrubs.
Fall is also time to winterize your home sprinkler system. Preparing now can help prevent freezing in the irrigation system. To winterize your sprinkler system, expel all the water from the irrigation system and equipment. This will eliminate costly and labor intensive repairs to fittings, piping, valves, and sprinklers in the spring.
For more information on fall watering, go to www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07211.html. To find instructions for winterizing your sprinkler, access the fact sheet at www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/04719.html.
Updated Tuesday, September 13, 2011
