As the lawn and landscape season winds down there is one very important never-ending task: Monitoring the weather to make sure your lawn and landscape is receiving enough moisture.
After last week’s 2.5” of rainfall followed by our first freeze this week, the temptation is to turn the irrigation off and roll up the hoses. But, if your lawn and landscape could talk, they would be encouraging you to not cut off the water just yet and be prepared to give them a drink from time to time through the winter.
Most winter plant injury occurs when we receive a harsh cold spell while plant root systems are dry.
Sure, your lawn, trees, shrubs, and flowers don’t need as much water through the winter, but they do need some. Your landscape needs at least ½” of moisture every two weeks through the winter.
Current Watering Recommendation:
Give your lawn and landscape a good deep soaking every 4-7 days.
Pansies need moisture through the winter to survive and make a strong spring show.
Make it a part of your routine from now until spring to check soil moisture and rainfall amounts at least once a week. A great source is the Oklahoma Mesonet. The Oklahoma Mesonet is a world-class network of environmental monitoring stations that consists of 120 stations throughout Oklahoma.
Use this link to check current soil moisture: https://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/map/2-inch_fractional_water_index/soil_moisture
Use this link to see the amount of rainfall in the last week: https://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/map/7_day_rainfall_accumulation/rainfall
Throughout the off season take advantage of nice, warm, light wind days
and give your lawn and landscape a good soaking.
Evergreens and fescue require more water attention during the winter.
Japanese maples have shallow roots that are susceptible to drying out during the winter.
Fescue and rye lawns will retain more color over the winter if the soil is moist went temperatures below 30 degrees.
Newly sodded lawns, due to a shallow root system, can experience freeze damage if the roots are dry during a winter cold spell.
Finally, all newer landscapes, those installed in the last two years require a little more watering attention over the winter.
Watering Through the Off Season - Monitor the weather. Pay attention to the amount of rainfall we are receiving. Anytime we go a week without a good rain or snow cover, pick a warm day and run your system through a cycle. If you don’t have an irrigation system, pick an enjoyable day, stretch out the hoses and make sure all plant material receives a good soaking.
Pansies are a great winter annual as long as they aren’t bone dry when a cold front arrives.
A dry, windy and cold winter is hard on needle evergreens. Through a dry winter a good deep soaking every other week will help them survive.
Winter watering is particularly critical for evergreen shrubs and trees. Windy days zap the moisture stored in their leaves making them sensitive to winter injury when we receive a harsh cold snap when they are dry.
Shallow rooted plants, such as: azalea and Japanese maple are also prone to winter injury when they do not receive regular moisture during dormancy.
Plants with shallow root systems, such as Japanese Maples and Azaleas, respond best if they receive at least 1/2” of moisture every 7-10 days throughout the winter.
If you have perennials or winter annuals such as pansies or kale, winter moisture is critical to their performance going into the spring.
Fescue lawns will retain more color in the winter and rebound quicker in the spring if they are not allowed to become bone dry during the winter.
Evergreens need moisture during to winter to keep their foliage healthy.
Set your azaleas up for a successful spring by making sure they have enough moisture this winter.
Snow cover has two benefits: 1. It provides insulation from very cold temperatures by trapping warm soil temperatures. 2. As the snow melts it acts as a good deep soaking for your lawn and landscape.
Consider Upgrading Your System – If your system doesn’t have a rain/freeze sensor, add one. A rain/freeze sensor allows you the ability to set the controller to run once per week and leave it. If the temperature is below freezing, or if there has been a recent rain, the sensor will interrupt the scheduled cycle. The benefit is you won’t have to remember to turn your system off when it is too cold, or it has rained.
Another Upgrade to Consider – Install a Rainbird WiFi Link controller and let us control your system for you. We will monitor the weather and adjust the system through the winter based on the amount of moisture the area has received.
Remember – Most winter plant injuries occur when we receive a harsh cold spell while plant root systems are dry.
Give us a call, or respond to this email, if we can help you with irrigation solutions.
Lorne Hall
Hall | Stewart Lawn + Landscape
(405)367-3873