This growing season, we have experienced flooding and now drought.  Plants have been stressed since the early Spring when we had too much water, and have continued to be stressed due to a lack of water now!  Currently, we are at least 8" behind in rainfall for the year, which is amazing considering where we started!  So the question becomes, do I water or not?  The answer is yes, and no. 

For browned out lawns, let them stay that way.  They are dormant and will come back when (and if) we get fall rain.  Watering sporadically will do more harm than good.  Most towns have heavy watering restrictions on residents, which would not allow for enough watering to keep a lawn green.  As far as trees and shrubs are concerned, many are getting early fall color due to stress.  Plants naturally drop leaves when there is a lack of water, but this can become problematic when the leaf drop is excessive.  Concentrate your watering on high-value ornamentals to get them through until we get regular rain again.  Trees and shrubs need the equivalent of at least 1-2" of water per week.  The best way to achieve this is by giving plants a heavy soaking one to two times per week versus watering for 10 minutes a day.  All you need to do is place a hose at the drip line of your plants (See image below), turn on your hose at a slow