How quickly things change!  Only a short four weeks ago as I was posting a new entry we were experiencing a torrential rainfall.  By the end of the day we recorded just over four inches in the rainguage at my house.  And more recently we received an additional inch of rain during a late night storm a couple of weeks ago.  However, in the past two weeks the heat has moved in and the wind has been very strong.  The combination of heat and strong winds can sure dry things out very quickly.  Plants (including lawns) are now using about an inch of moisture each week.  As the soil moisture is depleted by plant uptake and the drying effects of wind and heat we need to be irrigating to replenish the soil moisture.  In a lawn situation this can be accomplished by watering a couple of times a week for 2-3 hours in each area (if using a hose end sprinkler).  By watering for this lenght of time the moisture begins to work its way down several inches into the soil.  A short duration of watering will only moisten the soil surface and will quickly dry out.  If you have an inground sprinkler system the best way to determine how long to water in each zone is to see how much water is collected in a coffee can or pie pan during a single watering cycle.  You should run each zone long enough to collect at least a half inch (maybe anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes)  and set your system to do this every third or fourth day.  Providing supplemental watering when mother nature's faucet is turned off will ensure our lawns and plants remain healthy and looking their best.