Getting the garden ready for winter – winterizing the lawn and irrigation system
Table of Content
It’s autumn and the cold winter is just around the corner. It’s high time to get my garden ready for winter. To do this, I will make my lawn fit today and winterize my water points. My automatic lawn watering system is also being frost-proofed today.
There has been an incredible amount of
rained I took the chance and reseeded the lawn twice from early September to early October. To do this, I spread the grass seed with my Substral box spreader. I have had the best experience with the 11 to 12 setting.
EA dense turf ensures that weeds and moss cannot take root in the lawn, even during the cold season. This is important. The grass stops growing at temperatures below 10°C. Weeds do not do this. They also grow at lower temperatures and then spread to the bare spots.
In order for the grass seed to root well, it needs a lot of water and mild temperatures of at least 10C°. 15°C to almost 20°C is optimal. If it is already colder, you should postpone reseeding until spring. However, both were given in my case. The reseeding has grown well.
I have been using special robotic turf for 2 years and am very happy with the texture and color. However, during reseeding, the robot remains in the garage. From a height of 8 to 10cm I mow the lawn down by 1/3 with the big mower.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 9. December 2023 um 19:47 . 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. Durch einen Kauf über den Link werde ich am Umsatz beteiligt. Der Preis ändert sich für dich jedoch nicht.
Mowing the lawn in autumn
The lawn should continue to be mowed continuously in late fall. Only with the onset of frost period mowing can be stopped. There is no blanket deadline for this.
While the frost in Austria can strike as early as September, for me in Thuringia it may not be until December.
I set the cutting height to 4 cm to 5 cm. I have had the best experience with this in winter. The lawn should be dry when mowing, and be sure to collect the mate. If the mulch remains on the ground, this promotes the formation of fungi and moss.
If the lawn is dry, but the ground is soft and soggy from the fall weather, you should avoid using the wheel drive from the lawn mower. Too often, the wheels spin when starting up, producing bare patches in the lawn again.
Leaves and foliage must necessarily be removed from the lawn to avoid the formation of fungi and diseases. I pick up the leaves while mowing with my lawn mower. The leaves are chopped in the process and then also decompose a little faster later on the compost.
When collecting leaves with a rake, be careful not to tear up the turf too much.
If your lawn is very mossy, it is advisable to scarify it in the fall. Liming the lawn also helps to combat excessive moss infestation. However, I personally have not had good experiences with it. I do the aerating and scarifying in the spring when the new season starts.
One more thing, a healthy lawn can easily cope with very low temperatures. At least as long as the leaves of the plants are not bent or broken. Therefore, walking on the lawn in frost is an absolute no-no!
Prepare garden for winter – my video
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.
Fertilize lawn in autumn
Fertilize the lawn should not be too late. The lawn needs some time to absorb the nutrients. If it’s too cold, it won’t work. The optimal time for me has proven to be from September to October.
In the spring and summer, nitrogen-rich fertilizers are a good choice. The nitrogen promotes plant growth. But in the winter the plant should not grow. It should become robust due to the fertilizer and thus get protection from diseases and frost. For this you need a fertilizer with high potassium content.
- 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
The potassium strengthens the plant and makes it more resistant to frost. I apply about 25 g/ sq. ft. to my lawn. For this purpose, I use my box spreader again. The recommended setting is 3. After fertilizing you need to water well.
The fertilizer should dissolve quickly and not be left on the lawn for too long. This can also lead to damage.
I have been fortunate so far that the regular and heavy rain has dissolved the fertilizer. If it doesn’t rain, I activate my lawn watering system. That concludes my tips for lawn care before winter.
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.
The valve boxes do not provide protection from cold temperatures. Also, the pipes and lawn sprinklers are not in the frost-proof area.
I have not had good experiences with automatic drain valves. For example, the system must be installed with a slope so that the water can drain away completely.
Since my property extends over several levels, this is only possible with great effort. I also miss the control option with the valves. I can never be sure that the plant is water-free. In addition, the valves tend to clog or leak when dirt gets in.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 9. December 2023 um 19:46 . 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. Durch einen Kauf über den Link werde ich am Umsatz beteiligt. Der Preis ändert sich für dich jedoch nicht.
I therefore prefer to drain my lawn irrigation system with compressed air. For this purpose, I have installed a compressed air adapter on my lawn irrigation system to which I can connect my air compressor.
The air pressure when blowing out the lawn irrigation system should not be too high. Otherwise, the pipes, connectors and lawn sprinklers may be damaged. I have regulated my compressor down to 5 to 6 bar maximum.
To blow out the water, I first open the first irrigation circuit and apply air pressure to the system. The sprinklers drive out of the ground and the water is blown out.
This should be done over a longer period of time so that all pipes and sprinklers are completely free of water.
As soon as no more water comes, the second circle is blown out. To do this, I first take the pressure off the system and close the first circuit. Then I open the second circuit and apply pressure to the system again.
In this way, all water circles are now blown out one after the other. If you have a good compressor, you can of course blow out several circuits at once. When draining, also think about dead lines, end pieces and bed irrigation.
Finally, I turn on all the valves by hand. This allows any condensation that accumulates to drain off and not remain in the valves.
- Einsatzbereich: Mit seinem 50 Liter Kessel und seinen 412 L/min Ansaugleistung verfügt der Kompressor stehts über genügend Reserven für Anwendungen in Haus und Garage. Durch die Schnellanschlusskupplungen kann der Kompressor je nach Bedarf einfach umgerüstet werden
- Kraftvoll: mit einer Leistung von 2200 Watt kann man den Kompressor hervorragend für verschiedene Zwecke einsetzen. Des weiteren ist ein Druckminderer für optionale Regulierung des Arbeitsdrucks vorhanden
- Variabel und langlebig: der Kompressor ist geeignet für Arbeiten wie zum Beispiel: Reifen befüllen, das Arbeiten mit Nagelpistolen oder auch für Lackierarbeiten
- Lieferumfang: 1 x scheppach Kompressor HC53DC, Gewicht: 42,6 kg
My video on how to protect the lawn watering in winter
I captured the winterizing of my lawn irrigation system in a video again.
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.
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
By the first frosty nights at the latest, all outdoor water pipes must be drained. Should the water in the pipes freeze, it will expand and the pipes may burst.
I have several water connections outside. All pipes have a slope so that I can easily drain the water. When I installed the water line, I installed a faucet with a venting function. This makes it possible to run the pipes empty.
For the water to run out of the pipe, air must follow. And that’s exactly what this drainage tap does. In practice, this is very simple: first, I close the inlet to the outdoor area via the large shut-off valve.
Then all the taps in the outdoor area are turned on. Finally, I open the drainage tap. Now the air flows into the pipe and the water can drain on the other side.
The deaerator is then closed again. However, I leave the taps in the frost area open.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 9. December 2023 um 19:47 . 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. Durch einen Kauf über den Link werde ich am Umsatz beteiligt. Der Preis ändert sich für dich jedoch nicht.
All in all, I plan to spend half a day working on it. With the exception of reseeding the lawn, this means I’m done with my work in one weekend and can take care of my plants.
They also want to be prepared for the winter.
I’m eager to hear your hints and tips. How do you prepare your garden for winter? Drop me a line in the comments below!
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