Lawn Care Tips: Expert Guide for UAE Gardens

Common types of ornamental lawns in the region

Paspalum vaginatum is a creeping, dark green grass used extensively by the Municipalities in the open areas and parks around the Region; it has a high salt tolerance but is susceptible to fungi if not cared for (regular cutting, watering, and fertilizing).
Cynodon dactylon - also called Bermuda grass, and there are a number of cultivars of this, is a fine textured lawn not dissimilar to Paspalum, it is used around the world on golf course tees, bowling greens, lawn tennis courts, and cricket pitches due to its hard-wearing nature. Cynodon has a much lower salt tolerance than Paspalum but overall a higher drought and fungal tolerance. As with Paspalum, it is also supplied as stolon's, but more commonly as sods or "roll-on" turf.

The grass is usually available as stolon's; these are small (fresh) pieces of grass that have been removed from an existing lawn mechanically (by verticutting). These pieces are laid onto the prepared surface, lightly covered, and watered; individual pieces take root and become separate grass plants, covering the lawn within 4 to 6 weeks. This process must be done within a few hours of collecting the stolon's. Paspalum stolon's are sometimes challenging to come by, but the grass is also available as sod or “roll-on”.

Cutting/ Mowing

Mowing the lawn regularly is important not only for the aesthetics of the lawn but also for its health. If the lawn becomes too "grown out" it traps air between the grass blades, which prevents it from drying out properly and increases the likelihood of fungal infections. It also provides a safe haven for insect pests, which may take hold in or below the grass.

The mowing frequency of the lawn is dependent on the season, during the warmer months the grass grows faster, and hence more frequent cutting is required to maintain a standard height.
It is established that the ideal cutting height for local conditions is 25-30mm (2.3-3cm), the generally accepted specification agreed on by most local contractors. This does not apply to specialized sports surfaces such as golf tees.
The cutting height of your mower should be checked, also different mower brands have different calibration settings - this is normally covered in the machines instruction handbook.
In summer mowing should be done with caution, if the grass has been allowed to grow out too much before cutting (say to 5 or 6cm), it shades the inner parts of the lawn which then become very soft and tender; cutting the lawn back severely at this time can cause the now exposed inner portions to get sunburnt, damaging the lawn surface.
If your lawn surface is uneven, whether due to natural settling over time or poor installation of sods, there are two solutions to consider: top-dressing or rolling the lawn. The uneven ground beneath the grass can lead to uneven cutting or scalping as the mower wheels traverse dips and troughs in the surface.
Cutting is also important if you have an automated irrigation system, this ensures that the pop-up nozzle is not clogged or overgrown by the grass which will result in dead patches in the lawn.
If you use a garden service or have your own mower, check the condition and sharpness of the cutting blades, most commonly available domestic mowers have a rotary blade that swings horizontally to the lawn surface. If the blades are dull, corroded, or chipped they tear the grass blades as opposed to cutting them cleanly, this can result in fungal infections and often results in a freshly cut lawn having a very slight brown tinge to the top (as the torn edges of the grass blades die). Garden equipment maintenance is another whole post on its own!

Fertilizing

Regarding fertilizers, always use a balanced fertilizer, 12-12-17+TE is a good, general-purpose fertilizer for lawns. The application rate may vary from product to product depending on the exact formulation, but the application rate is generally between 90 and 120 grams per square meter. This gives a good balance of NPK (as well as the trace elements), the potassium ratio is slightly higher, but that also helps with drought resistance.
Try and avoid using Urea unless you know exactly what you are doing, this is exceptionally strong and very easy to burn or damage your lawn if you get the application rate incorrect; gardeners here use it as a "quick fix" as it greens the lawn up quickly, however, this growth, because it is so fast, is soft and a delicacy for most insects, if you are using it make sure to alternate it with a balanced fertilizer. https://www.gardenmaestro.me/post/why-insects-attack-your-plants
Always, always apply granular fertilizers to a dry lawn this prevents fertilizer pellets from sticking to the grass blades and prevents chemical burns. Water the lawn well directly after application, this washes the granules through the grass mat so that they sit on the soil and don't burn the grass.

Watering

According to the DM guideline, irrigation should be set at 12 liters per meter squared per day (mid-summer), divided over 3 applications a day.

This should be decreased during the cooler months of the year to prevent over-watering and cut out unnecessary water usage.

If you have an automated irrigation system this is normally an easy change of the settings. Most new systems will have a water percentage-type feature which will enable you to yo reduce or increase the amount of water (by increasing the station run-time) by a percentage-based factor. In order to be able to do this, you need to know what the maximum amount of water is delivered to the lawn at the 100% setting.

For example: If 12 liters of water per square meter (of turf) is delivered in 6 minutes then reducing this by 50% means a run-time of 3 minutes per station, delivering 6 liters of water per square meter.

The following is a guide to what the water delivery rate should be throughout the year:

Winter Dec, Jan, Feb 6 - 8 liters/m2

Spring Mar, Apr, May 6 - 9 liters/m2

Summer Jun, Jul, Aug 10 - 12 liters/m2

Autumn Sep, Oct, Nov 6 - 9 liters/m2

Just remember that these are guidelines, the actual amount of water required to keep your lawn in an optimal condition depends on a number of factors such as micro-climate, sun and shade patterns, wind exposure, fertilizer applications, slope/ topography, etc. A good option is to keep a Garden Diary and note things like irrigation changes as a reference.

Irrigation systems should be checked and maintained before summer (and if you are going on vacation), blocked or clogged irrigation nozzles can result in dead patches of lawn.
Irrigation of lawns over uneven or sloped areas is always difficult. Depending on the incline of the slope water may run off may accumulate at the bottom of the slope, causing damp, spongy areas of lawn. Conversely, the top of the slope may not get enough water due to the run-off and become dry (and stressed) faster. Cutting lawns on an incline is also difficult, and it's best to cut in bands across the face of the slope than up and down where the blade height may vary due to the rigid chassis of the mower.

Water costs

For an area of 100 square meters of turf, this equates to:

Winter Dec, Jan, Feb 6 liters/m2/ day = 600 x 30 x 3 = 54,000 liters

Spring Mar, Apr, May 9 liters/m2/ day = 900 x 30 x 3 = 81,000 liters

Summer Jun, Jul, Aug 12 liters/m2/ day = 1,200 x 30 x 3 = 108,000 liters

Autumn Sep, Oct, Nov 9 liters/m2/ day = 900 x 30 x 3 = 81,000 liters

Total yearly consumption = 324,000 liters/ 100m2 turf

The boring calculations: According to the current (2023) DEWA (Dubai) Residential tariff, this equates to about 3.5 fils per 1 Imperial Gallon (note DEWA uses IG and not US Gallons, which are different rates of volume), after all the calculations this equates to 0.0077 fils per 1 liter of water. The average monthly consumption of 100 square meters of turf is about 26,630 liters of water which equates to 205 AED per month (dependent on the slab tariff rate).

Cost of installation

The grass is normally supplied as a roll-on lawn (or sods) and the price ranges between 15 and 25 AED per m2; price is heavily governed by supply and demand and seasonal availability, you also need to factor in transportation/ delivery. You do get varying qualities of grass available in the market, the quality ranges from very good to exceptionally poor; look out for overgrown grass and signs of Army Worm (or their pupa) when purchasing grass or when it is delivered.

The above prices exclude soil supply (if required), leveling, soil amendments, compost, fertilizer, and labor for the installation of the grass. The installed price for roll-on is approximately 35 to 40 AED per m2 (inclusive of the grass), depending on the time of the year.

Seasonal shade patterns

Seasonal shade patterns cast by buildings, structures, and even trees can have a dramatic impact on the condition of a lawn. The two local lawn/ turf varieties are able to withstand full-day summer sun and are very resilient. However, if they get less than 4/ 5 hours of direct sunlight per day their condition can deteriorate quickly. Due to the lack of light, the grass can become patchy and thin, the individual grass blades become longer than those in the bright sunlight as they stretch looking for better quality light. In addition as the area may be more shaded and the grass more sparse, it may consume less water; if you are using an automatic system this can mean that the soil in the shaded areas becomes damp or waterlogged, you may even find that algae will grow on the soil surface - areas like this are also prone to fungal infections due to the damp soil. If this happens and your irrigation system can be adjusted, reduce the water amount to these "damp zones".

Unfortunately, if you do have areas of grass that are subject to seasonal shade patterns there is not much that can be done about it, short of moving the obstruction. There are seasonal/ annual grass seeds (and mixes) that can be over-seeded into thin areas like this (for example Ryegrass). Still, these are seasonal in nature and will die out as soon as the temperature increases - a temporary seasonal fix at best. Alternatively, accept the fact that you will always have this seasonal problem and replace the grass with a groundcover or mulch.

Also, consider pruning any large trees which cast deep shade patterns onto the lawn.
In certain areas, Zoysia japonica can be used as an alternative. However, it's essential to note that this grass is primarily ornamental and not suitable for heavy foot traffic. It cannot be walked on or maintained as a typical lawn.

Dethatching

Another thing to look at is de-thatching, and at least 1 time per year.

Thatch or thatching is a layer of dead organic matter that builds up between the soil and the shafts of the grass blades. Grass grows very quickly in the Middle East, so the thatch builds up quickly, and even faster if the clippings are not removed during the cutting of the lawn, if the thatch becomes too dense it acts as a sponge soaking up water meant for irrigation, which has two effects, dry patches because insufficient water is reaching the roots or fungal problems as the damp thatch is continually up against the leaf blade.

De-thatching can be accomplished by the use of a de-thatching or scarifying machine or manually.

Locally, machines are quite hard to come by, but can occasionally be rented out or even a service provider hired to perform the service. One key thing to consider is that you should know exactly where your irrigation nozzles and pipes are in the case of a scarifying machine so that you don't end up damaging them in the process.

The manual method employs muscle and is affected by using using a scarifying rake, these are available locally, although you may have to search around for them. If one is not available then an ordinary metal tine rake can work in a bind, although it's always best to use purpose-designed implements.

Both of these methods literally tear out the dead thatch materials between the blades of grass, but also will also damage the living grass to a degree in the process (which quickly recovers). It is therefore suggested that this takes place in late spring. Never do this in mid-summer as exposing the grass roots to strong sunlight during this time of year will cause them to sunburn. Likewise, it's not advised to do this mid-winter as the grass takes longer to recover. Normally the grass will have recovered within 2 weeks of the treatment

Aeration

Aeration is a process employed to assist lawns that may be subject to water logging or anaerobic conditions caused by compaction.

This is a common problem where people or vehicles use the same path across the lawn over a period of time, this compacts the soil below the grass, reducing the pore spaces in the soil (reducing aeration), and the compacted layer also causes more water to run off from this area rather than percolating into the soil, resulting in the grass becoming under-watered and yellow (besides showing signs of physical wear-and-tear).

Aeration is definitely something to look at, but you will have to search a bit in the market to find a hollow tine fork (or a tining machine if you are serious about your lawn care), also you need to make 100% sure you know where your irrigation lines are if you are going to use this or even a normal garden fork. Try and maintain the lawn height between 25-30mm (2.3-3cm when cutting, any longer results in dead patches eventually forming.

Pests and diseases

Lastly, keep an eye out for pests like Army Worm and treat them as soon as you see any evidence of these; try and keep outdoor lighting to a minimum in Spring, as this attracts moths to the area in the evening. This problem is more common during the late winter and early spring periods of the year. Army Worm damage can be characterized by yellow patches starting to appear on the lawn, this is normally spread out across the lawn and not isolated. Damage usually first is noticeable in the morning, as the worms feed at night and eat both the leaf blades and the roots. Unusually large numbers of birds on the lawn in the early morning - yes, early birds do get the worms!

Fungal problems are not uncommon on lawns in the region, but certainly not as common as in other parts of the world. These are difficult to identify to the untrained eye but are most commonly associated with lawns that have an accumulation of thatching.

Some symptoms that you can look out for are general dullness of the grass/ leaf blade, not to be confused with under-watering/ drought. This will occur in patches and will spread progressively. The grass blades may in fact become white/ grey in color.