Timely Tips to Prepare Your Lawn & Landscape for Cooler Temps

Cooler temperatures mean water customers served by NTMWD can turn their automatic sprinklers off and prepare their lawns and landscaping for the winter. November is when lawns typically start to transition into dormancy and annual hibernation.

During this period, green lawns will fade to brown and select varieties of trees and landscape plants will lose their leaves. This is their way of surviving the cold temperatures.  Here are some tips to help maintain lawns and landscaping during this time of year while conserving water:

• Apply 2 inches to 4 inches of nutrient-rich mulch or compost in landscape beds, around shrubs and trees. Mulch acts as an insulator against cold temperatures and holds precipitation in the soil. You can find a variety of mulch options at Texas Pure Products.
• Turn irrigation controllers to the OFF. Natural rainfall typically provides enough moisture throughout fall and winter, requiring no additional irrigation.
• Turning off sprinkler systems during the winter helps prevent water run-off that can freeze on streets and sidewalks causing potentially dangerous conditions for pedestrians and motorists.

“It’s important to remember that conserving water in the fall and winter helps save supplies for the warmer spring and summer months next year,” said Denise Hickey, NTMWD Water Resource Program and Public Education Manager. “This also allows us to perform critical maintenance on our systems while consumer demands are lower,” Hickey added.

Throughout the year, customers are urged to use weather-based irrigation tools such as WaterMyYard.org, Frisco’s WaterWise, or Texas A&M’s ET Network. These irrigation tools use data from local weather stations to provide recommendations for any necessary supplemental irrigation, if needed. For more water-saving tips, visit NTMWD.com/Help-Us-Conserve.