Following the onset of favorable moisture conditions, either through rainfall or irrigation, the turf will develop new leaves and begin to grow actively. Those persons desiring green turf throughout the summer should begin to water the lawn when symptoms of moisture stress begin to develop, but before the grass becomes dormant. A good indication of water stress in turfgrass is leaf color. The normally green leaves become a dull blue-green. Additionally, water-stressed turfgrass is less resilient.
Footprints remain in the turf after walking across it.
Turf should not be watered by a set schedule. Scheduled watering can lead to overwatering which wastes water and creates favorable conditions for some weeds and diseases. Automatic irrigation systems should be set to start for a single irrigation cycle only and then shut off until the turf requires water again. Water turf deeply to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Deep watering promotes the development of a deep, extensive root system which can withstand stressful weather conditions better than shallow rooted plants.