You should generally try to water once a week and apply an inch when you water. Sometimes, when it's really hot, the grass does better if you split the inch and water on two days. If it's really hot, there has been some recent research that watering for just a few minutes (like 3-5) every day in the afternoon will help, not so much because of the water (too much evaporates and never makes it to the roots), but because the water cools off the lawn.

Fine fescues (probably what was in the shade mix) do well with little water, but they suffer in the heat. Watering a lot probably won't help them in the summer. They go dormant and stay that way until it cools off, then they snap back.

Hey bpgreen, interesting you mention the watering research. I water an inch a week, but the last few weeks here in Dallas have had many 100 degree days and my bermuda lawn seems to be thinning a little and losing a bit of color. You have more info on that research or could you point to where you found it? Thanks.

I read it in a post on a lawn forum, either here or another one (GW doesn't allow links to other forums). I'll see if I can find a link to one of those studies and post it.

I'm not sure it would apply to Bermuda, though. I think it was talking about cool season grasses.

I've read that watering advice in the old text books from the 60s. The original research is unlikely to be found on the Internet.

werewithall, you created a moist environment perfect to develop fungal diseases. You got a variety of them and lost some grass. If you change to watering once a week you give the soil time to dry out.

You'll have to reseed this fall to fix that.

Actually, there was some recent research on frequent watering during summer months to cool the grass. If I remember correctly, it was almost more of a misting than a real watering. The intent wasn't to provide water but to cool the grass.

werewithall ... you flipped from underwatering to overwatering, both by the clock rather than by what the grass was trying to tell you. Use a soil probe or a moisture meter and check several spots in the lawn before you decide to water. Also, grasses change color when they need water, usually getting a blue or silvery tinge. If you learn to spot that, you can control the watering much better.

dwrecktor ... Keep an eye on the color. Bermuda turns a distinctly bluish-green just as it starts to get water stressed. When you spot that, thoroughly water it.