WATER
Why do I have to pay so much attention to water?
But, I have an irrigation system!

Pay attention to watering! Too much is just as bad as not enough. The truth of the matter is a vast majority of folks have no idea how much water they are or not applying to turf. Oh sure, some say, "I water 3 times a week for 25 minutes each zone", or "As far as I am concerned it's up to mother nature". Grass needs 1", of water every 7-10 days, (every 5-7 days in a drought). To minimize disease and some insects activity, watering needs to be done all at one time; then the grass needs to dry out the remaining days before the next watering.

Also, to minimize disease and some insects activity, water in the morning hours not the afternoon and never in the evening. The only way to know how much water has been put down is to measure the flow of water. Put a pan with vertical sides marked at 1" or 1.5"out in a zone and collect the water. See how much time it took to collect the water. That's your projected time to water each zone. Water the zone and allow it to dry out for 7-10 days until that zone is watered again. Check your calibration as you think water pressure changes, i.e. spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. Water deep and infrequently. Rainfall gets added into the equation.

Irrigation Systems - Our experience is that most timers on irrigation systems are not calibrated to the standards listed above. Most timers go on 3 to 5 times per week for only 10 or 30 minutes each zone. Our experience indicates that the grass only gets 1/4" to 1/2" of irrigation instead of the 1" to 1-1/2" amount. Irrigation systems are a convenience, but they also allow for an "out of site out of mind" kind of care for the grass. Most people do not consider rainfall, as they should.