FAQ

Winterizing

Winter in Colorado is no joke! Here are a few steps to making sure your landscaping is ready for it.
Turning off your irrigation system.

1. Locate the water source in your utility room (the room with the water heater). The sprinkler line is typically the first ‘tee’ above the water meter for your house. Turn the ball valve to a perpendicular position to stop the water flow.
2. Outside the house, locate the backflow (brass and copper hardware fixed to the side of the house) and manifold box (green or purple lid in the ground). Open the manifold box lid and open the drain valve at the end of the PVC piping. Water should start coming out.
3. On the backflow, turn both valve handles a couple times to release the pressure built up in the unit. Occasionally, you will audibly hear the vacuum seal being broken. Turn both valve handles 45 degrees so the position is half open/closed.
4. Next, locate the drain cap on the brass elbow immediately after the copper line emerges from the house (not available on all systems). LOOSEN BUT DON’T REMOVE this cap to allow more water to drain from the system.
5. Lastly, take a bucket back to the water source from Step 1. On the bottom of the valve turned to shut water off, there should be another drain cap (similar to Step 4). With the bucket below the drain loosen this cap as well and capture the water to discard.

At this point, your system has been drained and is ready to weather the upcoming cold mornings. Another damage-preventative measure that can be taken is insulating the copper/brass by wrapping the pipes with a bath towel and some tape. Pool noodles are also a great way to insulate.

Winter watering is, unfortunately, NOT OPTIONAL in Colorado. Winter is the driest season here and it is important to take care of your plants when the weather starts getting cold. With the irrigation turned off, there are other ways to make sure your plants make it through the season.

Dry conditions and fluctuating temperatures cause lawns, shrubs, and trees to become distressed. The damage isn’t immediately obvious. Plants grow in the spring using the food energy which was stored in the root system in the fall. It is only when the temperatures begin to rise in late spring or even early summer, that the distress from the winter will show itself in the plants’ health.

After you have turned off your sprinkler system, continue to water your grass with a hose (remember to connect and disconnect due to freezing temps). In Colorado, this period typically runs from November through April. During these months, you should water 1-2 times per month. Water the lawn when the air temperature is above 40 degrees. Water at mid-day, if possible, so the water has time to soak into the ground and doesn’t quickly freeze. If the water freezes, solid ice could suffocate your lawn and leave it matted.

You will need to water everything in your yard that was planted during the last growing season. If the grass, plants, trees or bushes have not been through a winter season yet, then they need to be winter watered. You will also want to water anything that is exposed to wind (especially evergreens) or a lot of sun.

Trees and shrubs should be soaked well once a week to twice a month to ensure they are healthy coming out of dormancy in spring. Evergreens should also be watered/misted from the top of the limbs to the base to add humidity to the needles during the winter. Because they do not shed their foliage in the winter, the needles can experience browning or bleaching from the dryness and wind.