Water Wise Denton

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Winter is coming! Here are some tips to save yourself some headache later in the season.

1. Protect your pipes! You can buy faucet covers, but if not available you can wrap a towel around the faucet and use something like tape to secure it in place to insulate.
2. Put up outdoor hoses. Right before winter is a good time to drain and store your water hoses inside. Don’t forget to cover the exposed faucets.
3. Look for leaks. A very effective way to do this is turn off the water inside and outside your home, take a meter reading, wait 15 minutes, then take another reading.
4. Shut off your sprinkler. To conserve water and prevent damage to your system, turn off your irrigation. If your system has a main shut off, turn off the water supply to the system, wrap any exposed pipe, and drain your lines.

It’s time to start thinking about your tulips and hyacinths. Right now, in November, put your bulbs in the refrigerator to be ready to plant in late December and early January. Once planted, your new flowers should be emerging by late winter or early spring.

In the winter, warm season grasses like Bermuda, St. Augustine, and Zoysia go dormant. Dormancy is period of rest that grasses use to survive unfavorable conditions like the winters. During this time, the grass stores energy in stems and roots. You don’t need to water your grass even when it turns brownish gold. Just embrace the gold!

With below freezing temperatures common here in North Texas, it’s important to keep your backflow device protected all winter. Like other plumbing fixtures that sit outside, as water freezes it can break pipes leading to significant water leaks that often can go undetected for weeks.

You may recognize backflow devices from your yard, but many are unaware of the important role they play in keeping drinking water safe. There are several different scenarios which can lead to water running from your irrigation system back into the water supply system. This can introduce contaminants that make water unsafe to drink. Keeping these protected and inspected annually can go a long way to ensuring safe drinking water for your family and community.

Take a look at the graphic below describing how to safely winterize the backflow device in your yard.

When the temperatures drop, so do the leaves; this is called dormancy. When plants go into dormancy, it is essentially a hibernation. Plants will store energy and shed foliage, making it seem lifeless. The importance of plants going into dormancy is water conservation, pest prevention, and, ultimately, continued survival. To have a beautiful landscape next spring without replanting, try North Texas native plants! Natives are much more adaptive to the climate we have than non-natives. They go dormant prior to long periods of freezing temperatures. This protects the plants from a harsh freeze. For an extra layer of protection add a layer of mulch!

For more information on native plants for your area, check out the Native Plant Society of Texas. npsot.org/resources/native-plants/native-plants-database/

Aeration is the process of creating small holes in the soil. Aerating your lawn will promote deep root growth, help remove some of the thatch, or layer of dead material, increase soil nutrients, and reduce runoff in your lawn. Fall is the best time to aerate your lawn and it is best to fertilize afterwards. If you do fertilize, make sure to use a winter specific fertilizer.

Mechanical aerators can be several hundred dollars, but hand aerators like the picture below can be as low as $20.

When you fall back an hour on Sunday don’t forget your irrigation timer too! During the fall and winter, because of the shorter, cooler, and darker days you don’t need to irrigate your lawn as much. Move your sprinkler setting to “seasonal” like shown in the picture below for an easy update to your irrigation timing.

Xeriscaping in Texas will look a lot different than it will in places like Arizona and Nevada that popularized this practice. Xeriscaping focuses on native plants that are appropriate for your climate and soil type. To get started you will need to understand your own microclimate.

A soil test is a great place to get basic fertilization recommendations, this can be done through Texas A&M for as low as $12. Then you can select the best native plants for your landscape Native Plant Society of Texas is a great resource to find the best native plants for your climate and soil type.

Soil Testing: Soil Testing Lab – Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory (tamu.edu)

Native Plant Society of Texas: Native Plant Database - Native Plant Society of Texas (npsot.org)

Sprinkler irrigation is the most common way to water landscapes and is typically very efficient. If you do have a sprinkler irrigation system, make sure all heads are adjusted properly and are not spraying towards any unwanted areas like sidewalks, driveways, or overlapping zones. If you do notice this, you can easily adjust the sprinkler head to the correct position. As shown on the image below on a normal pop-up sprinkler, you will notice an arch in a color this will indicate where there will not be spray like the picture shown below. Most sprinklers can be adjusted by using a spray head pull up tool to raise the head, then inserting a screwdriver into the top and adjusting the stem the correct positioning. Each pop-up will be different depending on the brand so make sure to check your owner’s manual before attempting to adjust.