Contrary to popular belief, watering your landscape in the winter is still crucial to the overall life and health of your property. Keeping up with a regular watering schedule during our harsh Colorado winter will help ensure the lasting life of your landscape through freezes, winds, and all of the other unexpected weather that November-April throws our way.
Why water your landscape in the winter?
Although the majority of your outdoor landscape will go dormant during the winter, dormancy doesn’t mean dead- they still have some basic, metabolic functions going on that do require water collection from their soil.
We hear all the time about the worries of freezing plants and damaging the roots. However, when watered correctly, the water can act as an insulation to the plants and actually protect them from the elements. It’s just all about when you water them, which we talk about more in just a second…
What you should be watering.
The first priority for winter watering should be anything that was planted during the previous growing season. If your plant hasn’t been through a Colorado winter yet, make sure that’s a priority for watering. This could be anything from your lawn, trees, shrubs, ornamental grasses, or ground-covering plants.
Trees and larger landscape perennials should be watered between the trunk and drip-line. For smaller plants, water near their crowns. For all plants, make sure that the soil doesn’t stay soggy as this can create suffocation for plants should it freeze over.
What you shouldn’t be watering.
If you have any outdoor cacti, succulents, or alternative lawns like blue grama grasses or buffalo grass, these guys won’t need your attention (or water) this winter. They’re primarily dormant plants and are used to drying out for the winter. They’ll know when to come back to life come springtime.
When you should water.
The winter watering schedule is pretty much between when your sprinkler system has been winterized- by All Terrain, of course and when it’s turned back on- again, by All Terrain. As early as September through as late as mid- April, early May, create a winter watering cycle that repeats every 1-2 weeks. It’s best to water mid-day any day where outside temperatures will reach above 40 degrees, so the soil has time to absorb the water before night-time temperatures drop.
A hydrated landscape is a healthy landscape. A healthy landscape is a happy landscape. For more on winter watering, or to schedule to have All Terrain take care of your maintenance this winter, give us a call at 970-304-1183.
