We are well into fall, and we've had plenty of rain, and yet many people are still watering their lawns as they did in July or August.

I have neighbors who watered their lawns three days a week all summer long and are continuing to do so.

I don't understand it.

Though lawns are not yet dormant, they have just about quit growing.

The only lawns that may need watering on a regular schedule now are those that have been over-seeded with ryegrass, and those with newly laid sod.

Otherwise, turn off your automatic sprinkler system. You can always turn it on if needed.

Except for in the grass I sodded beside my house in July, I bet I ran the sprinklers in my yard only four or five times all summer. With all the rain, it simply wasn't needed.

Much of the roots of warm-season grasses die when the grass goes dormant, so all the stored food reserves for next year's growth is in the stolons (runners).

You really shouldn't have to water grass when it is dormant, but don't let it get bone dry. If there are two or three weeks this winter of no rain, give the grass a light watering of 15 to 20 minutes (rotary heads), which would be enough to wet the stolons.

Keep your lawn healthy over winter and you will decrease the likelihood of dead spots (winterkill) occurring next spring. Also, a healthy lawn will green up faster.

Watering three days a week like it is still summer wastes water and is detrimental to other plants in the landscape. You are paying for water your grass and plants don't need, and you are causing your sewer bill to be higher for an entire year, because sewer bills in Columbia and Richmond counties are based on the water usage in December, January, and February.

Another problem is that many homeowners still have their automated sprinklers set to come on early in the morning. That creates a hazard when it's freezing out, coating streets and sidewalks with ice.

Newly planted shrubs and winter annuals need regular watering during fall and winter, but usually can be watered by hand.

Sid Mullis is the director of the University of Georgia Extension Service Office for Richmond County. Contact him at (706) 821-2349 or smullis@uga.edu.