As wintertime approaches you might want to start to think about how you can keep your home and backyard in the best condition even as the weather takes a turn for the worse. There are a lot of things you can do to prepare for the winter. Some of them are designed to keep the home in good condition and ensure that when the spring rolls around your home hasn’t suffered.
There is a lot of lawn and garden care that can be necessary, from cutting the grass before winter to preparing perennials for winter. We’ve addressed loads of the ways you can prep gardens for winter in this guide to landscaping maintenance through the winter months.
Winterize Your Pool Equipment
If you have a pool heater, protecting it from occasional freezing temperatures matters even in a desert climate. “Winterizing” here means covering the heater and making sure it’s shielded from sudden cold snaps overnight, which are common even when daytime highs stay comfortable. Skipping this step risks cracked components that are expensive to replace come spring.
Clean and Protect Pavers
Winter storms are rare in Las Vegas, but when rain does come, it can leave dirt and debris sitting on pavers longer than it would in drier months. A pressure wash before winter keeps pavers looking sharp and prevents staining from setting in over the season. This is also a good time to check for any pavers that have shifted or settled, since repairs are easier to schedule when you’re not using the space daily.
Protect Outdoor Furniture
Las Vegas winters bring less rain than most of the country, but sun, wind, and occasional cold snaps still take a toll on outdoor furniture. Rattan, wicker, and fabric pieces are especially vulnerable to fading and cracking when left exposed year-round.
- Cover furniture that stays outside through winter
- Store cushions and fabric pieces indoors or in a sealed container
- Move anything delicate into a garage or storage unit if space allows
- Check wood furniture for any sealant that needs reapplying before spring use resume
Check Landscape Lighting
With sunset arriving as early as 4:30 PM in December, landscape lighting gets more use in winter than any other season. Walk your property and confirm solar lights are charging properly and non-solar fixtures are working before the days get shorter. Adding a few extra path lights makes the yard safer and more usable through the darker months. Our landscape lighting service can assess and upgrade your current setup.
Winterize Your Sprinkler System
Even if your main landscaping focus this winter is the pool and patio, don’t skip your sprinkler system. Frozen or cracked lines from an unexpected cold snap can cause costly leaks that go unnoticed until spring, and clogged or damaged sprinkler heads can waste water all season without you knowing. Check out our guide on how to winterize your sprinkler system for the full steps, or call us if you’d rather have it handled for you.
Prepare Your Lawn for Winter
Yes, the lawn still needs your attention through the winter. Go through your normal lawn care routines and utilize lawn feed even in times when it gets cold. This will mean a far better lawn in the future, and you won’t be trying to salvage some sort of garden the following year.
Mow through the Winter
You need to make sure you still mow through the winter, otherwise when the spring rolls around the condition of your yard is likely to suffer. Weeds and other unwanted additions can be more of an issue if you don’t mow the lawn from time to time through the winter.
Luckily, if you’re in an area where there isn’t as much sunlight, the lawn will probably grow far slower in these cold months so you may not have to do this job as regularly. Cutting grass before winter is not the most attractive job, it may well be very cold out there, but you’ll be delighted that you did.
Aerate and Fertilize
Strictly speaking, aeration doesn’t have to take place in the wintertime. However, aerating the turf involves plugs in the soil, and these don’t feel good to walk over. This means that it’s worth doing in the fall or start of winter because you won’t be walking on the turf as much. Manual aerators can be bought online and these are a lot of work, but you can get power tools for this job, too.
This is another job you’ll be glad you did before the winter. Knowing when to winterize lawns can be tough, but the earlier you can get to it in the winter, the better. The turf needs to be kept as strong as possible through the winter months. Fertilizing is quite a tough job and you should make sure that when you are looking into preparing the lawn for winter you should make sure you are using the right fertilizer for the zone and area in which you live.
Perennial Weed Control
It is important to think about preparing perennials for winter as well. Luckily, perennials will come back year upon year and this means you don’t have to worry a huge amount about the need to buy new plants each year. It’s far better for your bank balance and for the environment to keep plants alive.
There are ways you can ensure weed control and pest control are carried out through winter, and it doesn’t take too much work. Weed them before the winter season and use an organic herbicide as there are perennial weeds too that can keep cropping up through the winter. To properly prep your garden for winter, surround shrubs and perennials with mesh and wiring to stop pests being able to get at them.
We Are Here to Help
A well-protected pool, patio, and outdoor living space means less repair work and more time enjoying your yard once warm weather returns. Contact Cacti Landscapes for a walkthrough of your outdoor space.
FAQs
Do I need to winterize my pool in Las Vegas?
Yes. While Las Vegas doesn’t see hard freezes often, overnight temperatures can still drop below freezing several times each winter, and that’s enough to damage exposed pool equipment. Pool heaters are especially vulnerable a sudden cold snap can crack internal components if the heater isn’t covered and protected ahead of time. Winterizing typically means shielding the heater from direct cold exposure and making sure any exposed plumbing near the equipment pad is insulated. Skipping this step is a common way homeowners end up with an expensive repair bill right when they want to start using the pool again in spring.
Should I cover my patio furniture in winter?
Yes, especially anything made of rattan, wicker, or fabric. Las Vegas winters bring less rain than most of the country, but the combination of sun exposure, wind, and occasional cold snaps still causes fading, cracking, and material breakdown over time. Fabric cushions and umbrellas are the most vulnerable and benefit from being stored indoors or in a sealed container rather than just covered outside. Sturdier materials like teak or metal can often handle a winter season with just a cover, but it’s worth checking for any protective sealant that may need reapplying before you start using the furniture again in warmer months.
Is it safe to pressure wash pavers in winter?
Yes, as long as daytime temperatures stay above freezing, which is the case for most of a Las Vegas winter. Pressure washing removes dirt, staining, and debris buildup that can accumulate after the season’s occasional rain, and doing it in winter means your patio and walkways are clean and ready to use once temperatures warm up. It’s also a good opportunity to inspect pavers for any shifting or settling while you’re already out there, since repairs are easier to schedule when the space isn’t in daily use for entertaining.
Do sprinkler systems need to be winterized in Las Vegas?
Yes, even though our winters are mild compared to most of the country. The risk isn’t a sustained deep freeze, it’s the occasional overnight cold snap that can freeze water sitting in exposed lines, drip emitters, or backflow preventers, causing them to crack. Because Las Vegas doesn’t get consistently cold enough for homeowners to expect this risk, it’s an easy step to overlook, and the resulting leaks often go unnoticed until a spring water bill spike or a soggy patch in the yard gives it away. A quick winterizing check before the first hard freeze of the season catches these issues while they’re still simple, inexpensive fixes.
