Gardening At Altitude: This anniversary is all wet

Check out the article featured in The Boulder Daily Camera. FLM Account Manager DJ Caldwell was interviewed for this piece. This is also the first time a daily newspaper has mentioned the Landscape Industry Certified Technicians program! This same article is also running in the Longmont Times-Call and Loveland Herald.
http://www.dailycamera.com/lifestyles/ci_16319366

Don't get caught with frozen sprinklers!

Last year right about now, hundreds of Front Range homeowners had serious damage to their sprinkler systems when temperatures took an early dive well below freezing. As current nighttime temps keep falling, we know this year's first freeze can't be far away.

The backflow is outside,
usually next to the foundation.


The unseasonal surprise last year caught many homeowners off guard because their sprinklers had not yet been winterized or protected. If you haven't yet scheduled to have your system winterized by having it blown out with compressed air, set up an appointment with a landscape professional.

Next, protect your system from a freeze that may occur before it's winterized. The most vulnerable part of the system is called the backflow prevention (BFP) device. It keeps the water that's in your sprinkler system from backing up into the domestic water inside your house. It is also one of the most expensive components of the sprinkler system.

Here's what you can do now to protect the backflow device from an early freeze. These precautions protect from those early freezes and still allow you to run your sprinkler system.

• Turn the valve handle at a 45 degree angle.
• Wrap the device with a towel.
• Then wrap everything with a plastic bag that you tape or secure in place.

After you have stopped watering for the year and before your system is winterized, take these additional precautions before winter sets in.

• Drain the backflow so there is no more water inside. If you don't know how to do this, call a pro.
• You won't be able to operate your sprinkler system after draining it, so you are ready for the final step of irrigation system protection which is having the system winterized.

Winterizing the sprinkler system requires hooking up an air compressor to the sprinkler system. The compressor pushes air into the lines to blow out the water. Water expands when it freezes. So pipes full of water will burst from the expansion and pressure when the water freezes. Repairs can be extensive and also expensive.

That's why it is critical to have the sprinkler system properly winterized. It is one job that's usually best done by a professional who has both the equipment and the know-how to get the water out of the lines.


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC

Water by the thermometer, not the calendar

The calendar says it's officially fall, but the last two weeks in September have been more like the first two weeks in August in terms of precip and daily high temps.

This September has been about the sixth hottest and driest on record, so the standard operating procedures for watering Kentucky bluegrass lawns do not apply.

September and early October are critical times for lawn care and moisture. The absolute worst thing you can do for a lawn is to allow it to become drought stressed just prior to going into winter. Drought stress will push the lawn into early dormancy causing it to shut down its energy before the grass plants have had time to store up nutrients needed to survive the winter months.

Think of bears that need to stoke up on food and fatten up before hibernating. It's similar with turfgrass. It needs to be in optimal health before taking its long winter nap.

Turfgrass is a perennial plant that moves through an annual cycle that involves spring/summer growth, storing energy to prepare for winter, winter dormancy and re-emergence in spring. So, what's the plan for right now?

Water. If your lawn is moving into dormancy and drying out, make sure it gets sufficient water. Keep watering about twice per week. Push a screwdriver into the soil to see how hard the soil is. It should go down several inches and easily.

Winterize the sprinkler system by blowing out the lines with compressed air. Remember it was a hard freeze the first week in October last year that damaged many non-winterized sprinkler systems along the Front Range.

Keep watering even after the system is winterized. Haul out the hose and keep watering as long as temps are warm.

Water all winter long--usually about once per month. Winter is when lawns lose their density due to lack of moisture and it takes far more water in spring to bring a lawn back than if you do winter watering. Check south and west facing lawns as they dry out faster due to more sun.

Fertilize one more time in the last half of October. Ironically, it's the two fall-ish fertilizations--the one around Labor Day and the one in late October--that are two of the three most important times to fertilize the lawn. Remember those bears.

Aerate if you can. Spring aeration is most beneficial, but if you can aerate in the fall it's another healthy step for your lawn.

Finally, mow the last couple of times to tuck your lawn in neatly for the winter.

Lawn under control, settle into fall. Plant some bulbs. Carve the pumpkin. And enjoy the down time 'til spring.


Tip of the Week reprinted courtesy of Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC) of which Foothills Landscape Maintenance, LLC is a member. ALCC is the only professional organization for Colorado's landscape contracting industry statewide. Tip of the Week is copyrighted by Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado and may be forwarded or copied by its members provided proper credit is given to ALCC