Irrigation in a 45-degree summer: schedules, drip and controllers
The cardinal rule is to water before dawn. A cycle finishing between 4am and 6am puts water into the root zone before evaporation steals it; midday watering can lose a large share of every litre to the air, and evening watering leaves foliage wet overnight, inviting fungus in humid coastal months. In peak summer, lawns typically need daily pre-dawn irrigation, with some gardeners adding a second short cycle for sandy, fast-draining plots; in winter, every second or third day is plenty. The controller schedule should change at least four times a year — a garden still on its January programme in June is being slowly killed by its own timer.
Drip irrigation is the right technology for everything that is not lawn. Emitters deliver water directly to each shrub and tree's root zone, cutting evaporation dramatically compared with sprays, and keeping foliage dry. The UAE-specific catch is hard water: limescale and fine sediment clog emitters over months, so lines need flushing and a visual check a few times a year — one reason a maintenance visit that includes an irrigation check is worth more than one that only mows. Where your community supplies TSE for irrigation, use it; it is cheaper than potable water and paspalum handles it happily.