Winter Watering in Colorado

This is a great time of year to get in the habit of winter watering your plant material!

Typically January and February do not have as much snow as March and April in the Rocky Mountain Front Range area. This means taking advantage of milder weather periods like this one and getting your hose out of the garage. You want to water only on days above 40 degrees when there has not been sufficient wet snow for two weeks or so.

The primary focus for your landscape's winter watering needs are all your trees, both deciduous and evergreen. Turn the hose half on and place at the base of the tree for a couple minutes until the root ball is soaked. It is best to do this mid-morning to noon so that the roots have a chance to soak up the water before temperatures drop below freezing that evening.

The second focus are your evergreen shrubs (Mugo Pines) and broadleaf evergreen shrubs (Euonymus). These shrubs have a tough time in the winter with the large extremes in temperatures. They are also susceptible to animal damage from hungry rabbits and deer that are looking for food.

The third focus for your winter watering are your ornamental grasses. We have found that the grasses need extra water in the winter, too, so soak their root balls in the same way. Make sure and disconnect your hose from your hose bib when you are finished!

The rest of your plant material (deciduous shrubs) and your turfgrass are usually okay unless we really have a dry period lasting more than 3-4 weeks. 

Your plants will be happier this winter with a little extra water and come out in the spring much healthier!