Question
When is the best time to water the Lawn in SoCal.

Thanks,

Bill

Answer
Good afternoon Bill:

1. Make sure your lawn gets at least one inch of water per week, either by rainfall or in combination with irrigation. Remember, less is better than more for both a healthy lawn and for water conservation. If your community imposes watering restrictions, remember that a little water is better than none. So water whenever allowed. Following a good season-long fertilizing program helps grass develop a sturdy root system, so the grass can take full advantage of whatever water is available.

2. The best times to water are early morning and early evening when there is generally less wind and heat.

3. Infrequent and deep watering (one inch of water will soak to a depth of 4 to 6 inches) will produce the healthiest lawn. Always water until the root zone is moist. Water soaks into different soils at different rates. If your soil is sandy, watering for 30 minutes per week should do the trick. Loam and silt loam require about two hours to soak to acceptable depths. Clay requires about five hours of slow watering to soak in. If you don't know your soil type, try this: place a few empty cans in the area you're watering. Time how long it takes to fill the cans to a one-inch depth. If puddles form or runoff occurs on the lawn before a one-inch depth is reached in the can, adjust the watering rate.

4. Stop watering if puddles form or runoff occurs. Allow water to soak in before watering is resumed.

5. Since most lawns can tolerate dry conditions over a reasonable period of time, water when a probe or screwdriver is difficult to push into the ground, or when you know that the soil is dry at the root zone.

A good web site in regard to "Watering Turf"  (Arizona).
Copy and paste to your browser and hit "GO". Refer to warm season grasses in your area.
http://ag.arizona.edu/cochise/waterwise/wateringturf.html

A lawn watering guide for California:Bookmark this one as you may refer to it often.
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/InOrder/Shop/ItemDetails.asp?ItemNo=8044

I hope this answers your question.
Have a good lawn!
Floyd McMahon