Cold Weather Landscape Tips

Prepare your yard for cooler weather.

During the cold winter months, water in the midmorning to avoid the afternoon winds that keep your sprinklers from hitting their grass target. You also will reduce the risk of icing that can occur if you water during early morning or evening.

Protect New Plants

February is usually mild enough to allow you to plant petunias, pansies, snapdragons and other cool-season annuals in a well-drained, highly-enriched soil. Adding a protective mulch on the soil around your plants will conserve water so you don't have to water as often. Remember to stake new plants and water them deeply to prevent damage from winds and burning young leaves.

Protect Pipes and Hoses

There are several steps you can take to protect the pipes and hoses in your home and landscape from cold weather:

Disconnect and drain garden hoses when they are not being used.
Insulate your irrigation backflow device by draping a towel over it and cover with a bucket or other protective cover that touches the ground.
Wrap exposed irrigation pipes with pipe insulation, insulated "faucet socks," an old towel or duct tape.
Don't leave interior or exterior pipes dripping. Las Vegas Valley temperatures generally don't drop low enough for a long enough period of time to warrant it.
Locate your water shut-off valve and learn how to turn off water at its source, so you can ward off damage from leaks or burst lines. Know how to turn off your irrigation backflow device as well.

Pruning

The ideal time to prune trees and shrubs is in late winter, when plants are mostly dormant. Finish heavy pruning by mid-February, before buds show evidence of swelling. Don't prune more than one-quarter of the living tissue during the year.

Leave Damaged Plants Alone

If you notice frost or a freeze has damaged a plant, leave it alone until warmer weather arrives and new growth appears. Pruning or transplanting a damaged plant during winter months can hurt or even kill it.

Fertilize Fruit Plants

Peak blooming season is in the spring, and the best time to fertilize fruit trees and grapes is the six weeks before and after they bloom. Fertilize in late winter for the finest fruit.

Mow, Fertilize, Aerate

Lower your mower's height to 1½ inches to stimulate new crown growth. Fertilize in late-September or early-October with a balanced mix of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Fertilizer not only improves turf quality, root growth and color—it also builds cold resistance into your grass. Fertilize once more in November to get your landscape through winter with style.

Aerate grass in September or October as well. Compacted soils are all too common in the Las Vegas Valley. Aeration boosts water penetration, which reduces runoff on slopes and helps water and fertilizer nutrients get down to the roots. Aerate again in the spring.