Natural grass lawn installation in Dubai

Nothing in a garden feels like real grass underfoot. A living lawn loses water through its leaves, which takes heat out of the air, so a garden with a natural lawn is cooler on a summer evening than one with paving or artificial grass. In return it asks for frequent watering through the hot months, mowing, feeding and patience while it establishes. At OutMazed® Design a lawn is one part of a landscaping project, built by the in-house team that grades the ground, lays the irrigation and sets the paving around it.

A lawn can be laid from rolls, seed or sprigs; which suits depends on the site and how soon the garden is used.

• Warm-season grassesDubai lawns are warm-season grasses, which grow through the heat and slow in the cooler months. Some tolerate salty soil and water better and need less of it; that comes before colour or leaf texture.
• Rolls of turfFarm-grown grass laid as rolls on prepared ground. A green lawn immediately, and the usual choice for a villa.
• Seed and sprigsSeed is sown on prepared soil; sprigs are small pieces of living grass planted to spread. Both take longer than rolls to close over.

What is under a lawn decides how it looks later on.

• GradingThe ground is shaped so water runs away from the villa, the pool and the walls, with no hollows.
• Sweet soilNative ground in most villa plots is sand. A layer of sweet soil, low in salt and able to hold water and nutrients, becomes the root zone.
• Drainage and salinityWhere the ground is compacted or low, drainage is added so water does not pool. Salt in the ground or the water burns grass; flushing the soil before laying and watering deeply afterwards keeps it moving down. Irrigation pipes and cables go in before the soil is finished.

• Edging and bordersA firm edge in stone, metal or paving keeps the line crisp, stops grass creeping into beds and guides the mower.
• Shade and foot trafficWarm-season grasses want sun; under a tree, a pergola or a high wall the lawn grows thin. A lawn crossed every day wears to a path, so stepping stones carry the route.
• Lawn strips in townhouse gardensA strip of grass between paving and planting, or a green edge around a pool deck, gives the cooling without much mowing.

A new lawn is at its most fragile just after laying. Rolls must knit their roots into the soil; seed and sprigs must germinate and spread. Until then the lawn is watered lightly and often, kept off where possible, and not mowed until it has rooted. How long it takes depends on the grass, the season and the site; we explain what to expect beforehand.

Lawn care is part of our garden maintenance service, alongside the irrigation, planting and paving.

• Summer stressWatering is increased, the mowing height is raised so the grass shades its roots, and a dry patch is checked for a blocked sprinkler.
• Winter, mowing and feedingGrowth slows in the cooler months, when watering is cut back and the lawn is fed and repaired for spring. Cutting too short in summer lets weeds in.
• Aeration, sand and dustSpiking or coring opens compacted ground to water and air. Wind-blown sand is cleared from the sprinkler heads, and a light top-dressing levels the low spots.

Duration depends on the work; a programme is given after the site visit.

The area of lawn; rolls, seed or sprigs; how much the ground must be cleared, graded and built up with soil and drainage; the irrigation; and the edging and paving around it. A quotation follows the site visit.