Perfect winterizing of lawn and irrigation system
It’s fall and the cold winter is approaching. It is therefore high time to prepare the lawn and the lawn irrigation system for the cold and frosty temperatures by winterizing.
My main focus today is on making my garden ready for winter, which includes taking care of the lawn and making sure the automatic lawn watering system is frost-proof.
It has rained a lot in the last few weeks, which gave me the opportunity to reseed the lawn twice from the beginning of September to the beginning of October.
I spread the grass seed with my Substral box spreader and found that settings 11 to 12 gave the best results.
A dense turf is essential to prevent weeds and moss from establishing themselves in the lawn during the cold season.
While grass stops growing at temperatures below 10°C, weeds continue to grow at lower temperatures and spread to bare patches.
Sufficient water and mild temperatures of at least 10°C are required for the grass seed to take root successfully.
Ideally, temperatures should be between 15°C and just under 20°C. If the temperatures are already lower, it is advisable to postpone reseeding until spring. In my case, however, the conditions were ideal and the reseeding grew well.
For two years now, I’ve been using special robot turf, which I’m very happy with in terms of structure and color. However, the robot remains in the garage during reseeding.
As soon as the lawn has reached a height of 8 to 10 cm, I cut it down by a third with the large lawn mower.
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Optimally preparing the lawn for winter
To prepare my garden and especially my lawn for winter in the best possible way, I have put together a list of the most important steps that have proven successful in recent years.
These tips should help to get your lawn through the cold months in good health and give it a vital start in spring.
- Regular mowing in the fall: I mow the lawn regularly until the frost sets in. I set the ideal cutting height at 4 cm to 5 cm to protect the lawn from fungal infestation and disease.
- Removing leaves and foliage: It is essential to remove foliage regularly to prevent the formation of moss and fungi. I use my lawnmower to collect the leaves and chop them up at the same time, which speeds up the composting process.
- Autumn fertilization with potassium-rich fertilizer: The use of special autumn fertilizer, such as Substral Autumn Fertilizer, strengthens the plant cells and prepares the lawn for the cold season. I apply the fertilizer with a spreader and make sure that it is well watered into the soil.
- Avoiding lawn damage due to wheel drive: In wet weather, the wheel drive of the lawn mower should be avoided to prevent damage and bald patches.
- Scarifying for heavy moss infestation: If the lawn is heavily mossy, we recommend scarifying in the fall. However, I personally prefer scarifying in spring, as I achieve better results.
- Frost protection for the lawn irrigation system: I make sure that my lawn irrigation system is frost-proof by draining it with compressed air and opening all the valves to prevent condensation from collecting.
- Protection of outdoor water connections: All outdoor water pipes and connections must be drained before the first frosty nights to prevent damage from freezing water. I use a tap with a bleed function to handle this efficiently.
- No walking on the lawn during frost: During frost periods, the lawn should not be walked on to prevent damage to the frozen blades of grass.
I have documented these measures in a video, which can be found further down in this article and, of course, on my YouTube channel.
By consistently implementing these steps, the lawn can go into the winter months stronger and sprout again healthy and strong in the spring.
- Universal-Kastenstreuwagen für die präzise und komfortable Ausbringung von Rasendünger, Rasensamen, Kalk und Sand
- Große Räder ermöglichen ein leichteres Befahren unebener Flächen und verhindern Verstopfen der Streuöffnungen bei feuchten Rasenflächen
- Präzise und einfache Streuereinstellung am Handgriff - Mit Streu-Stopp-Bügel unterbricht die Ausbringung beim Wenden und Zurücksetzen
- Komfortables Handling und bequemes Befüllen ohne Durchrieseln des Streuguts - Streuwalze garantiert ein gleichmßiges Streubild
- Der Kastenstreuer hat ein Füllvolumen von 11 Liter und eine Streubreite: 45 cm
Mowing the lawn in autumn
I continue to look after my lawn carefully in late fall by mowing it regularly.
However, I stop mowing as soon as the frost period begins. There is no fixed date for this, because while frost can occur as early as September in Austria, in Thuringia it often only occurs in December.
I adjust the cutting height to 4 cm to 5 cm, a setting with which I have had the best experience so far in winter.
It is important that the lawn is dry when mowing and that the clippings are collected. Mulch left lying around encourages the growth of fungi and moss.
When the ground is wet and softened by the fall weather, I don’t use the wheel drive on my lawn mower. Too often the wheels spin when starting off, which can cause bare patches in the lawn.
To prevent the formation of fungi and diseases, I carefully remove leaves and foliage from the lawn.
While mowing, I collect the leaves with the lawnmower, shredding them at the same time. The chopped leaves decompose more quickly later on in the compost.
If you collect the leaves with a rake, be careful not to damage the turf too much.
If your lawn is heavily mossy, it may be a good idea to scarify in the fall. Liming the lawn also helps against excessive moss infestation, but I personally have not had any good experiences with this.
I prefer to aerate and scarify in the spring when the new season starts.
In conclusion, a healthy lawn can withstand very low temperatures without any problems as long as the leaves of the plants are not bent or broken.
Walking on the lawn in frosty weather should therefore be avoided at all costs.
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Video: Preparing the garden for winter
The necessary tasks and work to prepare the garden for winter I have again recorded in a video.
You can find my videos about gardening, lawn care and irrigation system in my playlist Project Garden.
If you want to see more of me and my projects, feel free to check out my YouTube channel.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 19. April 2025 um 01:36 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
Fertilize lawn in autumn
Fertilize the lawn should not be too late. I have found that the right time for lawn fertilization is crucial to prepare my lawn optimally for the winter months.
The best time for this is from September to October, as the lawn is still active then and can absorb the nutrients well. It should not be too cold, otherwise the nutrients can no longer be processed effectively.
In spring and summer, I mainly use nitrogen-rich fertilizers, as nitrogen stimulates plant growth.
For autumn fertilization, on the other hand, a fertilizer with a high potassium content is ideal. Potassium strengthens the plant cells and increases resistance to frost and disease.
For autumn fertilization, I opted for the Substral autumn fertilizer, with which I have had very good experiences. This fertilizer contains the right mix of nutrients to make the lawn resistant and robust for the winter.
I spread about 25 g/m² on my lawn, using my box spreader and setting it to setting 3.
It is important to water the lawn thoroughly after fertilizing so that the fertilizer dissolves and the nutrients can penetrate the soil. This promotes rapid and effective nutrient absorption.
For the most part, the regular and heavy fall rains have helped me do this, but when the rains fail, I turn on my lawn irrigation system to make sure the fertilizer doesn’t stay on the grass surface too long, as this can cause burns.
With these measures for selecting and applying the right fertilizer, I ensure that my lawn is well prepared for the cold season and can grow back strong and healthy in spring.
- Hilft Ihrem Rasen die Wintermonate besser zu überstehen, damit Sie bereits im Frühling mit einem grünen Rasen in die neue Gartensaison starten können
- Kaliumreicher Spezial-Rasendünger mit lang anhaltender Wirkung, regeneriert und kräftigt den Rasen für Herbst und Winter
- Kalium stärkt die Zellstruktur zur Überwinterung und erhöht die Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen Krankheiten und Frostanfälligkeit im Winter
- Substral Herbst Rasendünger sorgt für einen grünen und gesunden Start Ihres Rasens in das Frühjahr, konkurrenzstarker Rasen statt Moos und Unkraut
- Feines homogenes und staubfreies Minigranulat zur optimalen Ausbringung, NPK-Dünger (6-5-10) mit Eisen
Make lawn irrigation system frost resistant
Now let’s turn our attention to my lawn irrigation system. My lawn irrigation system also needs to be winterized and drained.
This measure is essential, as water in the pipes and components could freeze in the event of frost and thus damage the pipes and lawn sprinklers.
As water expands when it freezes, ice formation and the resulting pressure could cause the pipes to burst and damage the valves.
Unfortunately, the valve boxes installed in my system offer no protection against cold temperatures, and the pipes and sprinklers are not installed in a frost-proof area.
Previous attempts with automatic drain valves were not satisfactory as they often became clogged with dirt or leaked and I had no way of ensuring that the system was completely free of water.
Due to the complex topography of my property, the installation of an effective slope for draining the water is also very complex.
To avoid these problems, I use a compressed air emptying system.
I have installed a compressed air adapter to which I connect my air compressor. The pressure when blowing out the system is set to 5 to a maximum of 6 bar to prevent damage to pipes, connectors and sprinklers.
You can find a detailed article on blowing out my lawn irrigation system with compressed air here: Winterizing and frost-proofing your lawn irrigation system.
I start draining by opening the first irrigation circuit, to which I then apply air pressure from my compressor. The sprinklers drive out of the ground and the water is effectively blown out.
I repeat this procedure until no more water residue is visible and then proceed according to the same principle with the second circle. It is important that this process is carried out carefully to ensure that all pipes and sprinklers are completely free of water.
Finally, I open all the valves by hand to allow the last of the condensation to drain away.
This ensures that my irrigation system is well protected during the winter months and can be put back into operation next spring without any damage.
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- Lieferumfang: 1 x scheppach Kompressor HC53DC, Gewicht: 42,6 kg
Video: Drain the lawn safely before winter
I recorded the winterizing of my lawn irrigation system in an exciting and informative video and published it on my YouTube channel.
You can find all the videos on gardening, lawn care and irrigation systems in my Project Garden playlist.
If you want to see more of me and my projects, feel free to check out my YouTube channel.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 19. April 2025 um 01:33 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
Make sure that the air does not force the water back into the house network. The water pipe should have a system separator. All shut-off cocks to the house mains must be closed.
- Systemtrenner Typ BA mit Monoblockkartusche zur Normgerechten Befüllung von Heizungsanlagen
- Entzinkungsfreies Messing-Gehäuse. 3/4“ ÜW für den Anschluss an ein vorhandenes Zapfventil
- Mit Schlauchanschluss und eingangsseitigem Schmutzsieb
- Zertifiziert nach EN 12729 und Beschluss 4/2007
- Max. Betriebsdruck: 10 bar. Max. Betriebstemperatur: 65°C
Secure outdoor faucet against frost
With the first frosty nights, the need to make all outdoor water pipes frost-proof also comes into focus.
This is crucial, as the water in the pipes freezes at sub-zero temperatures, expands and can cause the pipes to burst. Such damage not only leads to costly repairs, but can also flood the garden and endanger the basic structure of my house.
In my garden, I have installed the water connections for the drinking water outside so that all the pipes have a gradient. This makes it much easier to drain the water.
To ensure effective drainage, I also installed a special tap with a venting function when I installed the water pipes. This makes it possible to drain the pipes completely by ensuring that air can flow in while the water drains.
The process is simple but effective:
First I close the inlet to the outside area via the large stopcock.
I then turn on all the taps in the outside area and open the drainage tap. This step causes air to flow into the pipes, which effectively forces the water out of the pipes.
After the water has drained completely, I close the air vent again, but leave the taps open.
The open valve prevents the build-up of pressure from any condensation that may flow in and also protects the pipes from frost damage.
These measures ensure that my outdoor water installations survive the winter without being damaged by frost.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 19. April 2025 um 01:36 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
How much time does winterizing take?
All in all, I estimate about half a day for the necessary work to prepare my garden for winter. With the exception that reseeding the lawn takes a little more time, I usually manage to get all the work done in one weekend.
After that, I can devote myself fully to winterizing my plants, which also need to be carefully prepared.
I am very curious about your own methods and experiences.
How do you winterize your garden? What tips and tricks can you recommend? Let me know in the comments!
- Verhindert Frostschäden: Durch automatische Entwässerung bei Außerbetriebnahme des Sprinklersystems, Ventil öffnet bei einem Wasserdruck von unter ca. 0.2 bar im System
- Einfache Montage: An das separat erhältliche T-Stück 25 mm x 3/4 Zoll Innengewinde (Art.-Nr. 2790)
- Ideale Installation: Entwässerungsventile werden idealerweise an der tiefsten Stelle der Bewässerungsanlage montiert
- Drainage: Zur sicheren Drainage in eine Packung aus gewaschenem Grobkies einbauen
- Lieferumfang beinhaltet: 1x Gardena Entwässerungsventil
Summary and conclusion
In preparation for winter, I have been concentrating on maintaining my lawn and making my lawn irrigation system frost-proof.
Due to the unusually rainy weather, I was able to reseed the lawn optimally in the fall to promote a dense turf that prevents weeds and moss in the cold season.
The correct cutting height and regular mowing until the frost sets in are essential.
The irrigation system requires special attention to prevent damage caused by freezing water. I prefer a compressed air drain, as automatic drain valves have often caused problems in the past.
Blowing out the system with a compressor regulated to 5 to 6 bar ensures that all pipes and sprinklers are completely free of water. Finally, I open all the valves manually to allow condensation to drain off.
Winterizing is a necessary measure to ensure that the plant and lawn survive the winter months undamaged and are in top condition in spring.
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