Three times a day till everthing has germinated (for TTTF that's usually 14 days). Once or twice a day for a week or so depending on weather and sun exposure. Every other day for a week, then every two or three days for a week, etc. Obviously rainy days means no watering, and if the ground is saturated you can refrain from watering until it's necessary. Water a bit longer when you are cutting back on the frequency. You don't want new grass to be drought stressed until winter. So if your new grass looks dark and thin and it's still growing, it needs to be watered.

That is not quite the answer to the question. I planted the grass on Thursday. I understand that the grass has to be water on a regular basis when it is germinating until some what established.

My question was how far into the winter months should the watering continue. Should it continue form November until February our winter months?

It all depends on the weather and if it's actively growing. If it's actively growing and showing signs of drought stress (leaves folded up and dark), then yes, you will have to water. Fortunately when temps are low, cool season grass' top growth slows down considerably or stops altogether, and its watering requirements are basically zero. Topgrowth stops when soil temps fall below 50 degrees F, not sure when that is in your area.

Here's watering advice for tall fescue lawns in Kansas, which isn't far removed latitudinally from Raleigh, NC:

"In the fall, water every other week if the weather is
dry. A good soaking before winter is also helpful."

Doctor Bridget says, "As long as temperatures are above 40 degrees F, it is possible for cool-season grasses to produce some growth."

Interesting, in that whole article, the doctor never specifies whether she's talking about air temp or soil temp, but it's probably soil temp.

The question she puts is "how long into the fall, is she expected to see to watering the lawn"?

Knuttle, as you have said, your winters are fairly mild--extremes of cold are few and far between with temperatures approaching the freezing mark some days.
That said, your lawn is dormant...it wont react to such low temperatures until they rebound to the fifties and sixties.
As many forget, grass is much like any other plant...it grows in the soil...so its the soil temperature --not the air temperature, that initiates early growth.

As long as the soil is kept at a temperature that doesn't let plants grow, your lawn will remain in its dormant state and as long as normal moisture levels are kept---rain/snow/sleet/rain/dew.....etc etc.....it will survive well.
There is no need to turn on your hose after it has stopped growing.
As a matter of fact, where grass is encouraged to grow past its time to be in dormancy, freezing temperatures can do it in. This is the3 reason why we stop fertilizing our plants --from August to November--to let them go into normal dormancy where they will sleep the winter away.

More BLATHER from ZS.

Followed up by the usual poorly written and incorrect advice by Goren.

You're not very observant tiemco. ZS posts are always followed up by another ZS post and sometimes another and another and.....

Texas-weed wrote:
> More BLATHER by ZS.

Texas-weed, yet again you've broken the rules of GardenWeb by attacking a fellow member. You've broken the rules so many times, your smelliness should be kicked off this web site.

You don't seem to be able to follow the important rules which keep forums civil.

Ahh the hospitality around here...

She got ya good that time TW.

Hi knuttle:

I'm about 40 miles west of you. I've planted and grown-in quite a few fescue lawns for homes and businesses. The best advice I can give you is once your seed has germinated and we head on towards late October, let the seedlings tell you when they need water. Check the grass daily and look for signs of stress. If you see the grass stressing, water it as much as you can without runoff. I would suspect that once we get into November, you probably won't have to water much, if any, at all until next year. That has been my experience in this area. If I recall correctly, last year we planted 2 lawns in early October, and after three weeks, we did not water them again until March. One of those lawns won the "Yard of the Month" award in their neighborhood for the month of August 2012 (and it's quite a spiffy neighborhood). :)

Just for reference knuttle is a he, not a she as referred to in a previous post.

Thanks for the benefit of your experience. I believe to summarize all that has been said the grass will go dormant between about November to early spring, dependent on the weather.

That may vary considerably if my 6 year old grandson gets the 11" of snow he is praying for.

No, the fescue grass will not go dormant during the winter in our area. However, during the coldest part of the winter (mid December to mid March), there will be little visible top growth observed. The more important growth will be the root growth that takes place. In our area, the time frame between mid October and early December is optimum for root growth and development. This information is based on turf trials conducted at N.C. State University.

Because of the cooler conditions and the shorter day length, the water requirements of the turf will be reduced. That is why I said to let the turf tell you when it needs water. The longer the interval between waterings, the more root growth and development that will occur for your new seedlings, and the better chance of winter survival.

Again, check the grass daily. Water regularly during the germination period. After 21 days, start backing off the water and let the grass tell you when it needs water.

What about nutrients? Did you submit a soil test for sampling?

nearandwest is correct, fescue will not go completely dormant where we are. You should not have to water from Nov to April, all your grass really needs in the colder months is approx 1" per month...we get that and more usually no problem. Observe your lawn, if it looks like it needs water then water. Really no reason to water just to water.
Last year was an odd year, top growth for me never stopped. Even with that, there was no need to water manually.