How much water does your lawn need in the winter?
Did you know that most landscape irrigation systems should be turned off during the winter? This helps conserve water and can help protect the irrigation system from damaging winter conditions.
With shorter days and colder nights, many landscape plants like turfgrass have started to go dormant. Dormant plants require almost no supplemental irrigation since typical winter rainfall patterns are usually more than sufficient for any plant needs.
What does winterizing your irrigation system look like?
Winterizing is the process of preparing an irrigation system for winter weather and can help avoid costly repairs in the spring. For most of Texas you can follow these simple steps to winterize an irrigation system:
- Turn off the irrigation controller
- Turn off the irrigation system water supply near the water meter or backflow prevention assembly
- Insulate any PVC pipes that are exposed above ground
- Drain the water from irrigation components installed above ground such as backflow prevention assemblies.
Additional winterization resources, including how-to videos, are available at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s School of Irrigation website and the Texas Water Development Board.
Continue to monitor your weekly Water My Yard notifications to determine when you will need to begin irrigating again next year.
Thanks to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Water My Yard team for putting this recap together.