As a rule of thumb, stop watering your lawn by the third week of November. In frost-prone regions, you may need to stop watering earlier. In warm areas, you may need to water into early December. Want more gardening tips?
If it's dry and hasn't rained for a few weeks, keep watering trees as they need it until the ground begins to freeze, which usually happens in late October or November if you experience a true winter. Or if you're in a southern climate, the soil may not begin to freeze until December (or at all).
Watering Thoroughly, but Not Too Much
Once the seeds have been properly sown and lightly incorporated into the existing soil, water the area thoroughly and leave until next spring. By this time of year, our cool to cold temperatures and short days will help keep the areas moist far longer than in summer.
Sprinklers and Cold Weather
The answer is “before temperatures generally dip below freezing at night.”
Once the chill really sets in, like sometime in October or November, that's when mowing should decrease, maybe every other week. And once the temperatures consistently stay below 50 degrees, you're good to pack away the mower for the winter.
A good cutting height for the last mow of the fall for low-mowed grasses is 2 to 2.5 inches, while tall-mowed grasses are best kept at 3 to 4 inches during winter.
As a rule of thumb, stop watering your lawn by the third week of November. In frost-prone regions, you may need to stop watering earlier.
You should shut off your irrigation system just before temperatures in your region begin to dip below freezing at night. Don't shut off your irrigation system too early. Often homeowners shut their systems down as soon as the fall season arrives because they believe that their lawn requires less water.
Starting in November there is no need to water your lawn as much as at the start of autumn. Be careful not to overwater. Overwatering can lead to drowning your lawn and is both a waste of money and resources. We recommend winterizing your irrigation system before freezing temperatures.
When should irrigation systems be blown out? When blowout should occur depends on the region in which you live. Some regions begin blowout as early as August, and it can continue through early December, since ground temperatures cool slower than air temperatures.
Overseeding can help you get back to the thick, lush, green lawn you're looking to achieve. By spreading grass seed over your existing lawn, you can thicken up the thin areas and get your lawn looking terrific again. (This is different from reseeding, which is when you start over and plant a completely new lawn.)
Without water, the grass eventually goes dormant, turning brown and staying that way until revived with adequate moisture. In general, grass can go up to six weeks without water, depending on the condition of the lawn, soil and other environmental factors.
Fall is the best time. The autumn season comes with a mix of warm soil and cool air, perfect for planting grass seed and allowing time for new grass roots to develop before winter sets in. It is also a good time to fertilize to build stronger, deeper roots for winter, resulting in a thicker, greener lawn next spring.
Whether that usage is tied to more frequent watering of your yard or flower beds, filling and refilling a swimming pool, or cooling off by playing in a sprinkler, customer use of water traditionally begins rising in May and continues through September.
The general rule is to keep watering your outdoor plants until the ground freezes solid. Once the soil is frozen, the plants can no longer absorb water, so you can stop watering at that point. But until then, a good deep watering once a week (or more often if it's been dry) will go a long way.
The warm days, cool nights and rainfall allow for the plants to anchor themselves into the ground to prepare for the winter ahead. If the fall season is dry then the plants will become dehydrated and you may need to provide a drink of water every week to help the roots along.
If the weather has been super dry and cooler than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it is okay to stop mowing. Without the proper moisture and cool temperatures, the grass will not grow and therefore, will not need mowing. Once again, depending on the climate, this window is normally around late October through early December.
Most lawn experts recommend watering your grass until the soil or ground temperature reaches the 40-degree Fahrenheit mark.
The golden rule is to: keep mowing if it's still growing. Cool-season grasses often continue to grow into late October and November. While you might not need to mow as frequently, it is important to keep an eye on your lawns growing patterns and ensure it's mowed as needed before the winter.
Generally, a good benchmark is when temperatures drop below 50°F, which is usually in October for places with cold winters. “You should stop watering your lawn when temperatures consistently drop below 50°F during the day,” says Zahid Adnan, founder of the Plant Bible.
9NEWS spoke with garden experts who say October is the perfect time to winterize sprinkler systems, especially once lows begin to drop below freezing at night and lawns require less water with daytime highs in the 60s.
The best time to water grass is early in the morning, between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., as the cooler air and calmer breezes allow water droplets to reach the grass roots before evaporating. Watering during this period helps in preventing wasteful evaporation and the risk of lawn diseases associated with nighttime watering.
Grass Height for Fall
Once temperatures start to dip (but before the first frost), you'll want to do your last mow of the season, cutting to a height of approximately two inches to protect your turf for winter.
Waiting too long: Winterizing your sprinkler system too late can result in the pipes and valves cracking and breaking when a cold moves in. This could result in needing a full system replacement. So, when is the right time to turn off your sprinkler system in the winter? Just before the first frost.
Early fall is an ideal time to aerate your cool-season grass — aim for about 30-45 days before the first frost. This is also a good time to overseed your lawn. For warm-season grass, earlier aeration and overseeding are often better. Late spring to summer is an ideal time range for those grass varieties.