We're starting to get those questions again: when should we shut down and drain our irrigation and sprinkler systems? And how will our grass and plants that need irrigation survive until they go dormant for the winter?
First, there's no mandated date for shutting down sprinklers…it's more of a feeling. Some folks go by when their neighbors do it. Should they? Cesar Marin, a certified irrigation technician with Signature Landscapes says, "Not really, because they could have different types of landscaping. You have to go by what you have going on."
The day to shut down sprinklers for winter is tough to predict. We’re in an area where we've seen snow with fireworks and folks on motorcycles on Christmas. Many shut theirs down at the first under-30 degree night forecast. Nothing's really going to freeze or get damaged if we're just flirting with 32 degrees...or will it? Cesar says, "No, because then we warm up during the day so everything thaws out and creates moisture for the plants." He says if it’s not a hard freeze, everything will be fine.
So when is the point of no return for your system? Nevada Day, which this year falls on October 27. "Being around Reno, I've lived here all my life. That's what I've known. After Nevada Day, everything just freezes."
But the process is more than a twist of the wrench. Cesar starts by shutting off the irrigation. Then he opens up the drains. Next step, close and drain all the water out of the valves. Then go to the valve boxes, open the drains and release water there. The last step is in your garage: "Just go to your timer and make sure you put it in the off position." But keep the timer plugged in, so you don’t lose your settings.
He says don't push the time you do all this to after Halloween. After that, damage comes easy to sprinklers. As he put it, “If you have three or four days consecutively of hard freeze, that's when damage will happen to your irrigation system." A lot of damage. At one house, $4,000 worth: "The valves cracked and broke and then all the lateral lines froze and expanded, so it was pretty much a tear down and re-done."
And before you shut things off on Nevada Day, a tip from Cesar about keeping your lawn going: "You want to first aerate, fertilize, and then shut off sprinklers, because a fertilizers needs to get some moisture to make sure it activates. Otherwise it just sits there and can burn your grass."
And that's what you need to know…until you turn it back on for spring. That day? Undetermined. Like many things, it depends on the weather.
