The average person is unfamiliar with proper watering habits. Watering a lawn improperly is harder on turf than not watering at all! The two most common mistakes are applying too little water & watering too frequently. It is best to decide in the begining of the season whether you wish to have a regular watering program throughout the season, or to allow your lawn to go dormant. If your lawn goes dormant in the heat of summer, you may have more problems with insect damage than if you had watered. And turf will definately get brown during the middle of a typical Michigan summer. However, keep in mind it also can be expensive to continue a watering program throughout the season. So make the decision early as to which program you want to follow, and decide how 'perfect' you want your lawn to look. Starting a watering program AFTER the lawn has dried out is a recipe for disaster! This can't be emphasized enough! If you do decide to water, it is important to follow these steps:

1) It is best to water at the first sign of “thirsty” grass (when footsteps do not spring back after walking on the turf). Don’t wait until the lawn has totally dried out before watering!

2) Apply 1” of water each week, per area. It is best to apply 1" of water in 2 or 3 sprinklings per week (for example, 1/3" of water 3 times per week). Measure how much you are applying by placing an empty container on the lawn. If you have large trees on your property, you may have to apply more than this -- trees consume huge amounts of water (in some cases, you can never water enough to keep turf healthy around large trees).

4)  The best time to water is early morning. Do NOT water in mid-afternoon on a hot day, the water will simply evaporate; also, the water will act as a magnifying class, burning the lawn. Watering at night may lead to disease.

It is important to water the lawn deeply. The reason for this is: The lawn will send its roots where the moisture is. A lawn that is watered deeply will establish roots a few inches below the surface. This will provide for a very strong root system -- vital for the health of the lawn.  Lawns that are watered shallowly have short roots -- causing a very weak root system. This will lead to all kinds of problems: An abundance of weeds, diseases, and certain death for the lawn during a drought.