Commercial Winter Prep: Irrigation Blowouts & Dormant Pruning
Winter Is Coming: Is Your Commercial Irrigation and Landscape Ready?
The drop in temperature across Central Kentucky is your final warning: your commercial property’s infrastructure needs to be secured for winter.
For facility managers and HOA boards in Lexington, "winterizing" isn't just a landscaping task—it is asset protection. Failing to properly prepare your irrigation systems and plant material for sub-freezing temperatures can lead to catastrophic infrastructure damage and expensive repairs in the spring.
Green Solutions Landcare is currently completing final winterization routes. Here is the checklist we are executing to protect our commercial partners.
The $10,000 Mistake: Skipping Irrigation Winterization
The single most expensive mistake a commercial property manager can make in November is neglecting the irrigation system.
The physics are simple: water expands when it freezes. If water is left sitting in the PVC pipes, valves, or backflow preventers of your commercial system, the pressure from expanding ice will shatter them.
In a commercial setting, this is rarely a small fix. A burst main line often runs under asphalt parking lots or concrete sidewalks. The cost of a professional winterization service ("blowout") is a fraction of the cost of excavating your hardscapes in April to repair major leaks.
Our team uses high-volume commercial compressors to completely purge water from every zone of your system, ensuring zero moisture remains to cause damage. According to Michigan State University Extension, removing this water is the only reliable way to prevent winter freeze damage in cool-season climates like Kentucky.
Why Winter is the Best Time to Prune
Many property managers assume winter is a "no-touch" season for plants. In reality, late fall and winter are the ideal times for structural pruning of most commercial trees and shrubs.
Our Commercial Landcare teams utilize dormant pruning for three key reasons:
Structure Visibility: Without leaves, we can clearly see diseased wood, crossing branches, or structural weaknesses that could snap under the weight of ice or heavy snow.
Disease Prevention: Pruning while the plant is dormant (asleep) significantly reduces the risk of transmitting common fungal diseases and attracting insects to fresh cuts. The Iowa State University Extension confirms that late winter is the ideal time for pruning deciduous trees to ensure rapid healing in spring.
Safety & Liability: Trimming back limbs that overhang parking spots, entryways, or walkways prevents potential damage and injury claims during winter storms.
The Final Cut: Preventing Winter Pests
Before the equipment is put away, we perform a final, lower mowing of commercial turf areas.
Leaving grass too tall heading into winter causes it to mat down under snow cover. This matted turf creates an insulated, protected environment ideal for voles, field mice, and other rodents to nest right up against building foundations. A proper final cut discourages pests and helps prevent snow mold issues in the spring.
Protect Your Infrastructure
Winter in Kentucky is unpredictable. Your preparation shouldn't be. The window to winterize is closing rapidly.
Contact Green Solutions Landcare to confirm your irrigation system is winterized and your green assets are ready for the freeze.
