Jay Nygaard: Jay Nygaard, with Great Outdoors Landscape. Water, without it, there is no life and your grass is brown. Automated water systems are the best way to water your lawn in such a way where you will conserve water, you water more evenly and you'll get a deeper watering as well, promoting a health root system.

Now most bluegrass rye fescue blends, that are used in landscapes require about two inches of water per week in this heat of the summer and much less in early spring and late fall, down to a half inch per week.

To do so, you would use a rain gauge and each one of the zones that you have programmed onto your sprinkler system because each different set of heads emits a different rate of flow, each zone will have to be tested individually to determine the amount of time that is proper to water your lawn efficiently.

Bluegrass rye and fescue blends require about two inches of water per week in the heat of the summer, much less in the fall and the spring, closer to a half inch. Once you've done that, you can properly assess the amount of time each area will take to water your sod area appropriately for the time of year you are in.

Another advantage to having an automated sprinkler system is the ability to connect a rain sensor. A rain sensor will automatically override the system if mother nature is providing water for you, thus preventing any over-watering and the effects of over-watering, which include fungus.

The best time of day to water your lawn is pre-dawn. During the pre-dawn hours, there is less wind, there is no sun to cause evaporation and generally there is more pressure available to your system.

If an automated sprinkler system isn't an option for you and you need to hand water, you can do so with the assistance of a timer that connects directly to your hose bib. Once you've connected that to your hose big, the hose is connected to the timer and then out to your sprinkler.

Set the timer for the required amount of time and turn on the water and it will automatically shut off when it's done watering. The same rules, however apply, you must still test the sprinklers that you're using with the rain gauge to determine how much water it emits and determine how much time you should set for the particular area of lawn that you're watering.

With either method you may need to supplement by hand watering, problem areas of the lawn. These areas maybe compacted soil and dry spots that just need a little extra hand watering to get them through the heat of the summer. An extra shot of water will go a long way to keeping your grass happier and healthier. Next up, tips on caring for your new lawn.