# Extreme Lawn Challenge



## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Hello Everyone,

Greetings from Kuwait in the Middle East!! I come to you for help, seeing that the distinguished members of this forum seem to comprise of some of the most intelligent lawn minds in the globe!! Formalities aside, as you've read in the intro, I live in Kuwait in the Middle East where Summers reach temps of 130 Fahrenheit on a nice day. You'd probably come to the conclusion that maintaining a lawn in those kind of temps is the navy seals course equivalent of lawn maintenance. That is why I come to you. Aside from learning and interacting with you guys, I look to be the first person here in Kuwait to perfectly maintain a pitch/lawn throughout the heat of the Summer. I have not seen a successful attempt thus far, whether it be for personal use, or use on government grounds. If I were to get this task done, I would probably be set to start a lawn care company that ensures green lawns throughout the summer heat!! Attached are photos of my pitch in the winter where temps are more forgiving (albeit overseeded with Perennial Ryegrass), and a photo of it in the beginning of the Summer where armageddon begins to set in. I hope this garners enough interest for me to explain more in my next post! ( bear in mind, the soccer pitch hasn't been played on for the last 6 months, its just for looks  )


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## dubyadubya87 (Mar 10, 2020)

I can't imagine how much water it would take to maintain a lawn in such conditions, kudos!


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Do you have a soil test?
I would be interested in seeing that.
What are your choices of fertilizer,
I think you would have to do syringe watering during the heat.
What pre emergents and herbicides do you have?
How much water can you put onto your field ?


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## Burnie (Jun 13, 2020)

Bottom one looks really nice, but from the buildings in the background it is like 2 different places???


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Burnie said:


> Bottom one looks really nice, but from the buildings in the background it is like 2 different places???


Apologies, photos are from opposite ends. Probably should have used the same side.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Tellycoleman said:


> Do you have a soil test?
> I would be interested in seeing that.
> What are your choices of fertilizer,
> I think you would have to do syringe watering during the heat.
> ...


I do have soil tests taken yesterday, I'll attach them. I've recently used carbon x latter end of the spring. Haven't used any pre-emergents yet. Do have Bayer season long weed control.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

I took to the field today to get some soil tests from different areas of the pitch. 1st is one from the healthy part of field, 2nd is from the dried out dead part around the middle, and 3rd is from the edges where theres a strip of yellow. I'm confused as to the second and third tests since both seem to be damaged by the heat, but the tests are complete polar opposites. The 2nd test obviously shows that the soil has turned to clay and would need extensive aeration. 3rd however is extremely damp, assuming that the location of the sprinklers gives it too much water thus killing the grass.

First:





Second:





Third:


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## DesertLawn (Jul 4, 2018)

I live in the desert in the southwestern part of the US. Keeping my lawn green and healthy is tough in this kind of heat (highs the next few days will be 104, 107, 110, 111). I probably put down over 1.5 inches of water per week and still get dry spots. I'll usually water in dry spots with a hose. I also recently started doing a short watering during the hottest time of day to cool it down.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

DesertLawn said:


> I live in the desert in the southwestern part of the US. Keeping my lawn green and healthy is tough in this kind of heat (highs the next few days will be 104, 107, 110, 111). I probably put down over 1.5 inches of water per week and still get dry spots. I'll usually water in dry spots with a hose. I also recently started doing a short watering during the hottest time of day to cool it down.


I have 6 field sprinklers for the field. They actually water the field 3 times a day. :shock:


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## DesertLawn (Jul 4, 2018)

nasseralsabah said:


> DesertLawn said:
> 
> 
> > I live in the desert in the southwestern part of the US. Keeping my lawn green and healthy is tough in this kind of heat (highs the next few days will be 104, 107, 110, 111). I probably put down over 1.5 inches of water per week and still get dry spots. I'll usually water in dry spots with a hose. I also recently started doing a short watering during the hottest time of day to cool it down.
> ...


I'm sure watering a sports field is different than a home lawn. Hopefully some of the guys who take care of golf courses/athletic fields can chime in on that.

Do you know if you're getting even watering from those sprinklers?


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

DesertLawn said:


> nasseralsabah said:
> 
> 
> > DesertLawn said:
> ...


Will probably have to do the tuna can test real soon, but from looking at it, it seems to hit everywhere.


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

Some information from the Univ of Arizona Turfgrass program with watering, fertilization and cultivation schedules.

We don't get to 130, but do hit 110 regularly in the summer months.

They recommend deep watering every 3 days vs daily watering so that the roots go deep.

https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1817-2020.pdf


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

...


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

I am currently in the process of identifying the best Bermuda grass seed for use in Kuwait. I have exported and bought 5 types of high end Bermuda seed and have planted them separately to study and observe how well they deal with the heat. Cut off sod in 5 different poitions, prepped the soil for seeding with some peetmoss, then went on to seed with starter fertilizer and topsoil. I have had success with princess 77 in the past since it maintains its color in our winter, thus making it a very viable option for use. The seeds I've planted are:

1. Arenden 15
2. Panama
3. Sahara
4. Riviera
5. Triangle

I'll make sure to keep you guys posted for how well they do all through the Summer.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

drfous said:


> Some information from the Univ of Arizona Turfgrass program with watering, fertilization and cultivation schedules.
> 
> We don't get to 130, but do hit 110 regularly in the summer months.
> 
> ...


Very interesting, will definitely read this and assess trying. My question, however, is; when it comes from sunburn on grass, does it have to do with the actual grass leaf burning up or the stress down to the roots?


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

I have also started experimenting with the use of hybrid grass turf. Apparently, theres this new type of artificial turf that has mini lines cut out throughout it where you go to seed the actual grass seed. The idea being that the few artificial lines of grass help solidify and assist in the foot traffic department. When the actual grass seed germinates enough, you cut it to that the artificial levels out with the actual grass. Very interesting concept.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

So getting a soil sample means that you send it off to a lab for analysis. You need to do that.

Artificial turf will be wayyyy to hot. dont do it


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Tellycoleman said:


> So getting a soil sample means that you send it off to a lab for analysis. You need to do that.
> 
> Artificial turf will be wayyyy to hot. dont do it


Unfortunatly, I we dont have labs anywhere here. Only lab I have is you guys in the forum post :lol: :lol:


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

I have had success with the hybrid grass, albeit not in the Summer. Doesn't hurt to try.


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## JLavoe (Jun 8, 2020)

DesertLawn said:


> I live in the desert in the southwestern part of the US. Keeping my lawn green and healthy is tough in this kind of heat (highs the next few days will be 104, 107, 110, 111). I probably put down over 1.5 inches of water per week and still get dry spots. I'll usually water in dry spots with a hose. I also recently started doing a short watering during the hottest time of day to cool it down.


A fellow IV native! Cheers fam.

Obviously watering is the biggest concern. Hard to draw up a plan without a good soil test /:
I wonder how much of a hassle it would really be to ship a soil sample to the US for someone here to help with a lab test. :|


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## DesertLawn (Jul 4, 2018)

JLavoe said:


> DesertLawn said:
> 
> 
> > I live in the desert in the southwestern part of the US. Keeping my lawn green and healthy is tough in this kind of heat (highs the next few days will be 104, 107, 110, 111). I probably put down over 1.5 inches of water per week and still get dry spots. I'll usually water in dry spots with a hose. I also recently started doing a short watering during the hottest time of day to cool it down.
> ...


Wow, can't believe there's two of us on here lol. Cheers!


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## DesertLawn (Jul 4, 2018)

One other thing I thought about, are the brown dead patches possibly the rye that was overseeded or did you spray that earlier in the season?


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

DesertLawn said:


> One other thing I thought about, are the brown dead patches possibly the rye that was overseeded or did you spray that earlier in the season?


That may be the case, though the rest of lawn is much greener than the middle part where the brown spots are located. I'm assuming the soil compaction has alot to do with the browning in the middle.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Would it be wise to use a slit seeder? I have a new bag of Arden 15, compared to the cheap Bermuda the guys seeded the field with.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

I really think that we need to see what you are working with as far as soil analysis. I know you dont have none in your area but i believe you can send off a soil test.
There are multiple mail in soil analysis you can do.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1896

Getting proper fertility is important.

l


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Tellycoleman said:


> I really think that we need to see what you are working with as far as soil analysis. I know you dont have none in your area but i believe you can send off a soil test.
> There are multiple mail in soil analysis you can do.
> 
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1896
> ...


Apologies, but could you explain as to what I can learn from a soil analysis? Really interested to learn what I could learn from them!!


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## DesertLawn (Jul 4, 2018)

nasseralsabah said:


> Tellycoleman said:
> 
> 
> > I really think that we need to see what you are working with as far as soil analysis. I know you dont have none in your area but i believe you can send off a soil test.
> ...


It will show your soil's ph level as well as the available nutrients in your soil.


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

I think I'd focus on aeration and getting water/nutrients/roots down as deep as possible.


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## Tellycoleman (May 10, 2017)

Soil test tell you a lot. If you have never done one than that would be my 1st thing that I do. 
None of us live where you do so we do not have any idea of what your soil is made of and what is the proper way to fertilize. We can assume a lot of things on what you need but we dont know.
For example.
We dont know if you have sandy or clay soil? Do you even need to aerated your soil if it really sandy. More important you want deep roots and healthy grass. In order to get that you need to fertilize and water. Water you can provide. However if your soil is extremely acidic or basic it will actually block nutrients and fertilizer from getting to your plant. You may put down a lot of fertilizer and because of soil ph your plant cant absorb it. Also Soil test will tell you soil composition. Sandy soils need more water. Clay soils hold a lot water but also is hard to infiltrate water into it. (Water has a hard time getting into the ground and will run off instead of absorbing). So if you have Clay soil you will want to water a little then let it absorb then water a little more let it absorb. It will take longer to water. The opposite is sandy soil. Water will flow through very easy. You will have to water heavy and very often,
We have no idea what we are dealing with with your soil. Hopefully it will be a little of both.
Also we dont know if you have a lot of a certain element already in your soil. Elevated Calcium- PH- Phosporus-or potassium may need to be addressed and change the kind of fertilizer you use. Like everything we deal with TO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS BAD.

So to sum it up You need to really work on establishing a good root system. It gets soooo hot.In order to get this you need to know what's in your soil. You need to give your soil what it needs to make the roots grow. As well as not over supplying it with nutrients it doesn't need.@nasseralsabah


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

@Tellycoleman Wow, your post makes me think that I need to get a test done asap. I'll just have to get the logistics of it down.


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## drfous (May 9, 2020)

Another reason to get the water down deep - watering often and shallow in that heat likely leaves a high level of salts behind in the root zone.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Back again guys. As you know, I've decided to test some of America's finest Bermuda seeds to see what holds up the strongest in our scorching heat. Below is an update on the last post. I have to admit, the Triangle is reacting very well and has been the finest so far. The Arden 15 has been the biggest let down so far. Any observations you guys could give or detect? ( 8 days in )

Arden15:


Panama:


Riviera:


Triangle:


Sahara 2:


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## ladycage (Aug 12, 2019)

Some grass seeds take longer to germinate. I would love to have seen LaPrima grass seeds in the comparison as it is suppose to be rapid grower. It will be interesting to see which looks to best after established. We see that Triangle is the fastest and thickest but Sahara is seems to be following behind and looks lighter green.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

ladycage said:


> Some grass seeds take longer to germinate. I would love to have seen LaPrima grass seeds in the comparison as it is suppose to be rapid grower. It will be interesting to see which looks to best after established. We see that Triangle is the fastest and thickest but Sahara is seems to be following behind and looks lighter green.


I have ordered a new batch for second round testing.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Although growth is a major factor, cold tolerance is even a much bigger one. The idea is to not need to overseed with ryegrass. Winters here are from 0-10 celsius. Foot traffic tolerance is also really important.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I just saw this thread and after reading through it I will be surprised if @nasseralsabah soil samples even make it to the U.S. as I am sure US Customs will not want foreign soil to enter the country, I am sure it falls under the US Agriculture restrictions somehow. I guess it couldn't hurt to send it over here and see what happens but just keep that in mind if it never gets to the lab.

While waiting for the soil test to come back I would concentrate on your watering and driving those roots deeper into the ground. Do you have any restrictions on watering the field(pitch)? I would get the irrigation dialed in and make sure it is as uniform and even as possible and then find out what kind of output (cm/in per hour). Once you have that figured out you can start watering the grass and see what works best for you. I know how hot it can get there as I have been there in August/September, so I know you have your work cut out for you


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Mightyquinn said:


> I just saw this thread and after reading through it I will be surprised if @nasseralsabah soil samples even make it to the U.S. as I am sure US Customs will not want foreign soil to enter the country, I am sure it falls under the US Agriculture restrictions somehow. I guess it couldn't hurt to send it over here and see what happens but just keep that in mind if it never gets to the lab.
> 
> While waiting for the soil test to come back I would concentrate on your watering and driving those roots deeper into the ground. Do you have any restrictions on watering the field(pitch)? I would get the irrigation dialed in and make sure it is as uniform and even as possible and then find out what kind of output (cm/in per hour). Once you have that figured out you can start watering the grass and see what works best for you. I know how hot it can get there as I have been there in August/September, so I know you have your work cut out for you


Hahaha, Yeah I figured it would be a hassle to get a sample into the States. Well, I'll be fiddling with the watering to see what gives me the best results. I currently have some hard spots in the middle which probably need some aeration. I'll be adding peetmoss just to get the soil more primed for water intake, especially in summer time. I am fiddling with the idea of doing deep and irregular watering after aerating since studies show that root growth is better when it isn't watered often. I'm just worried that while doing that, the grass would burn up.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

You might also want to look into using some wetting agents on the turf also. Do you have equipment to spray stuff? They also make a hose end sprayer that you put pellets into that will distribute the wetting agent. You might want to look into the local university around you that might have the ability to read your soil samples or try and get the info of a nearby soccer(football) team and get the Groundskeeper info and see if they can help.


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## LushTurf (May 28, 2020)

Just my two cents worth, but I think you can do long watering further spaced out intervals to promote deeper roots, and still use a short, middle of the day watering to cool down. I really have no scientific data to back it or any education on the matter, but I would think the long, intermittent watering promotes roots growing deep to follow the water, where as a few minutes of mid day water simply evaporates and cools the blades down. If you can somehow acquire some soil samples and make the grass grow thick, you probably wouldn't even get water to the soil with a few minute cycle with the temps that you have.


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## LushTurf (May 28, 2020)

Wouldn't that be kinda like wilt watching a bent grass green on a golf course?


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

LushTurf said:


> Just my two cents worth, but I think you can do long watering further spaced out intervals to promote deeper roots, and still use a short, middle of the day watering to cool down. I really have no scientific data to back it or any education on the matter, but I would think the long, intermittent watering promotes roots growing deep to follow the water, where as a few minutes of mid day water simply evaporates and cools the blades down. If you can somehow acquire some soil samples and make the grass grow thick, you probably wouldn't even get water to the soil with a few minute cycle with the temps that you have.


This sounds like the most sound plan. I'll probably do a day of long watering, followed by a day of spaced out watering. I'll see how that goes and proceed.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

Took to the field again directly after watering took place. There was about 25 minutes worth of sprinkler watering occuring and these were the plugs I was able to take from 3 different spots. Tell me what you guys can see. First one is from the healthy part of the field and seems to get adequate water in. I know for sure that the second one where most of the yellowing is happening is borderline completely compact since theres almost no water. Third one was weird since I could go really deep though the grass was yellow on top.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

nasseralsabah said:


> Took to the field again directly after watering took place. There was about 25 minutes worth of sprinkler watering occuring and these were the plugs I was able to take from 3 different spots. Tell me what you guys can see. First one is from the healthy part of the field and seems to get adequate water in. I know for sure that the second one where most of the yellowing is happening is borderline completely compact since theres almost no water. Third one was weird since I could go really deep though the grass was yellow on top.


The third one looks to be almost totally sand.


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

Second ones seems to have the healthiest root growth even though it is shorter than the other two.


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## nasseralsabah (Jun 19, 2020)

A question for the experienced. Seeing the test areas that I posted. Most of them have some bare areas on the top or left sides. Am I supposed to wait till they naturally fill in or just seed over them again after a while???


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