Fall weather usually brings cooler temperatures but sometimes trends warmer and drier than normal. Consistent autumn lawn and landscape care will help your yard better survive the winter, protecting its health and longevity.
Here are four keys to watering wisely while sustaining your lawn and landscape’s health.
Water your lawn, shrubs and trees consistently through mid-October.
When plants enter dormancy in a hydrated state, they are more resilient and experience less branch dieback or lawn winterkill. To prevent damage, commit to watering consistently until mid-October rather than stopping in September. There’s no need to overwater, but watering regularly will help your plants go into dormancy in a healthy state rather than a stressed condition. If you winterize your sprinkler system early, water with a hose-end sprinkler.
Reduce the number of watering days per week.
As temperatures fluctuate, it's important to adapt your watering habits. If the air temperature drops consistently into the 70’s in September, reduce from three to two watering days per week. This is a great way to save water as your lawn’s water need lessens. An easy way to change your sprinkler schedule automatically is to install a smart controller, which adjusts your sprinkler system’s number of watering days based on actual weather conditions and qualifies for a $50 rebate.
Don’t change the length of time you water each day.
It’s important to wet the entire root zone each time you water. This practice ensures your plants have enough water to prevent wilting between watering days. Run each sprinkler zone long enough to fill a cup with one-half inch depth of water. You can also use the run times based on sprinkler type as a starting point and adjust up or down as needed.
Water before 10 am or after 6 pm until October 15.
This Water-wise Rule reduces evaporation. After October 15, you can water any time of day to prevent water freezing on sidewalks and causing a slipping hazard. Until then, water in the morning or evening so the water goes to your lawn’s roots, not the atmosphere.
To maximize your landscape’s health, water regularly into mid-October, especially if fall is warm and dry. As the weather cools down, water less often each week rather than running your sprinklers for less time. Water in the morning or evening until October 15, then water any time of day. Learn more seasonal watering tips at csu.org/waterwiserules.
