When the temperature drops, you have to prepare. You watch the weather closely, drag your heavy coats out of storage, and stock up on coffee and hot cocoa. And if you’re taking such measures to protect yourself from the winter weather, shouldn’t you do the same for your lawn?
Many homeowners don’t prioritize their yards during the winter months, but just because your grass isn’t growing doesn’t mean you should neglect your outdoor space. To ensure you’ll still have a healthy yard in the spring, you need to take steps to prepare your yard before the winter begins.
At Lifestyle Outdoor, our team helps you get ready for the winter. We can cut your grass to size, cover your garden, and winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills. Read on to learn more about the winter prep process.
On Thin Ice: Pipe Bursts in the Winter
There are many positives to cold weather. The first snow of winter can bring back memories of building snowmen and waging snowball fights with neighborhood kids. But when the temperatures drop and the deep freeze hits, you need to make sure your irrigation system doesn’t feel the effects.
You may be surprised to learn that underground pipes can get damaged by freezing temperatures, but it happens to many unsuspecting homeowners every year.
After your irrigation system waters the lawn during the warmer months, small amounts of water remain in the pipes. When this water freezes, it can cause the pipes to burst, potentially costing you thousands of dollars in repairs.
There’s no worse Christmas gift than a sudden irrigation emergency, but you can prevent it when you winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills.
No Quick Fixes
If you’re a new homeowner, or if you’ve simply never winterized your sprinkler system, you may assume you can just turn off your sprinkler valves and call it a wrap on winter prep.
And while you should always be sure to turn off your valves before the winter weather begins in earnest, that should only be the first step in the process.
It can be tempting to ignore outdoor winter weather prep, especially with the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday season. But it’s always better to have a plan and not need it, then run into problems without a fix.
Let’s take a look at our recommended steps to winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills.
Blowing Out Your Pipes
To prevent water from freezing in your pipes and destroying your irrigation system, we can perform a sprinkler system blowout.
This process, which uses a specialized air compression device, clears all the water out of your pipes to prevent freezing. When you work with our team to winterize your sprinklers, we come to your property and examine your system closely.
Next, we hook up the compressor attachment to your pipes and shoot pressurized air through the pipes. This drives all the remaining water out of your pipes, keeping them dry and safe from freezing.
Prepare Sooner Rather Than Later
If you’ve lived in Mission Hills for long, you know how…temperamental the weather can be. In the morning, you need a sweatshirt to stave off a chilly breeze, only to switch to a pair of shorts for that mid-afternoon heat wave.
The point is, you can never predict the weather, especially in the Midwest. So don’t put off your winter weather preparation.
You may think you have all the time in the world to schedule a sprinkler blowout, but if a sudden cold front hits one night, you may wake up to burst sprinkler pipes. We usually recommend a homeowner winterize their sprinkler system in Mission Hills in early November, just to get it out of the way before the first frost.
Working With the Experts
We’ve worked with countless homeowners and lawn aficionados over the years, so we understand when someone wants to take care of the hard work themselves.
As a homeowner, few things feel as rewarding—and have such visible payoffs—as keeping your lawn safe and healthy. But you shouldn’t do everything yourself, especially when it comes to something as potentially costly as your sprinkler system.
If you try to winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills on your own, you could cause serious damage to your pipes. Our team has the experience and knowledge necessary to blow out your sprinkler without harming your system.
Keeping Your Lawn Hydrated During the Winter
When considering lawn winterization methods, you need to care for your yard after things cool down—not just your sprinklers.
Your grass isn’t dead just because it’s lying dormant, and the care you put into it during the winter can make a big difference in its health come springtime.
For instance, many people think they shouldn’t water dormant grass, but under-watered winter grass becomes dull and dry in the springtime.
You may be shaking your head, thinking, wait—wasn’t I supposed to turn my sprinkler valves off? Yes, but you can still water manually.
Every few weeks, we recommend breaking out the hose and spraying a quarter inch or half inch of water to ensure your grass stays hydrated. Of course, if temperatures in the area hit sub freezing temperatures, wait until things warm up again before water.
Our Other Winterization Methods
If you winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills, then you’ve taken a great step to prepare your outdoor space for the winter weather. But that’s just one of the methods we recommend for seasonal maintenance to keep your lawn healthy through the cold. Let’s take a look at some of our other winterization services we offer at Lifestyle Outdoor.
Winter Fertilizer
If you want to enjoy a green, luscious lawn in the spring, you need to supply your lawn with the nutrients it requires all winter long. To accomplish this, we recommend winterizing lawn fertilizer.
At first, the idea of spreading fertilizer over dormant grass may seem unnecessary, but remember—grass still lives even when it’s not growing!
To understand why dormant grass needs fertilizer, think of your lawn like a hibernating bear. It needs to gather all the nutrients it can before settling down for its deep slumber. Our team members can spread fertilizer over your lawn to make sure it stays healthy throughout the coldest months of the year.
Cut Your Grass Down to Size
Cutting your grass is another important step in the winterization process. Obviously, we’re not worried about dormant grass growing out of control, but to ensure the health of your lawn, the grass needs to be short before the first frost hits.
Long stalks of grass may become heavy and clotted as a result of a deep freeze, which can kill your yard.
So before things get too chilly, our team members can come through and cut your lawn to the appropriate height. Ideally, this should be the shortest grass you have all year. We cut winter grass to about 2.5 inches for the best results.
We Got You Covered
Another winterization method we sometimes recommend is covering your garden and plants with mulch. Mulch acts like a warm blanket to prevent your cold-sensitive plants from dying as a result of snow or frost. But understanding which plants could benefit from a layer of mulch can be challenging.
After all, you don’t want to suffocate your plants in the process of protecting them. Fortunately, our team members are plant experts. We can make recommendations for the specific plants in your garden and apply the right amount of mulch so everything stays safe.
Breaking Out the Snow Shovels
Once the preparation is complete, there’s only one thing left to do—wait for the snow to arrive. But as beautiful as a fresh snowfall can be, it also demands caution.
Take the wrong step, and you run the risk of slipping and falling on an icy driveway or sidewalk. If the idea of digging out the snow shovel from storage fills you with dread, let us take care of it for you.
Contact our team at Lifestyle Outdoor, and our experts can come to your community when the snow starts to fall. Our HOA snow removal teams can clear your community’s driveways and sidewalks, so you can enjoy the snow without worrying about falling on your butt.
Care for the Whole Community
You may have noticed that we used the term “HOA snow removal teams.” This is because Lifestyle Outdoor isn’t just any other lawn care company—we work directly with homeowners’ associations so your entire community can get the quality lawn assistance they deserve.
Whether you want us to cut your grass or winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills, our team members can provide these services to your entire neighborhood at once. After all, the only thing better than one beautiful lawn is a whole neighborhood of beautiful lawns.
Protect Your Lawn This Winter for Beautiful Results This Spring
You deserve to enjoy the winter months without worrying about your lawn or your irrigation system. Work with our team and winterize your sprinkler system in Mission Hills, so you don’t run into any unexpected and costly repairs this winter.
To get the services you need for your winter weather preparation and ensure your lawn looks green, healthy, and beautiful next spring, request a site visit and learn how we can keep your grass safe as the temperatures drop.
You can also get a free service estimate by taking advantage of our online tool. Contact Lifestyle Outdoor and prepare your lawn for the coldest time of the year.