Green Zen pushes UAE-made mulch as Dubai seeks greener gardens with less water

Dubai-based Green Zen is promoting a coconut coir mulch made in the UAE as a way to help gardens hold moisture, reduce evaporation and support healthier plants in extreme heat. The company is calling for independent UAE trials as Dubai expands tree planting while trying to cut water demand.

Why it matters: - Dubai is expanding green space while trying to reduce pressure on water resources. - Green Zen argues that what covers the soil surface can affect how much irrigation gardens need. - The company says a UAE-made mulch could help gardens stay healthier while using water more efficiently.

What happened: - UAE resident and Green Zen CEO Jennifer McShane-Bary is promoting Green Zen Mulch, a natural coconut coir mulch made in the UAE. - Green Zen is challenging the common landscaping practice of planting into exposed sweet sand and compensating with heavier irrigation. - The company installed Green Zen Mulch around several plants and trees in an existing Dubai client’s garden on 5 August 2026. - Green Zen returned 12 days later, on 17 August, and saw visible improvement in leaf color, new shoots and previously yellowing foliage despite temperatures above 40°C. - Green Zen is seeking collaboration with Dubai Municipality, UAE government bodies, sustainability groups, universities, horticultural researchers and landscape authorities.

The details: - McShane-Bary says the basic approach is to keep sweet sand as the growing base and add mulch as a protective layer. - Mulching can reduce direct exposure to solar radiation and evaporation, moderate soil conditions and retain moisture near plant roots. - Coconut coir is suited to mulching because of its structure and moisture retention. - The UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 targets a 21% reduction in total demand for water resources. - Dubai Municipality planted 216,500 new trees in 2024. - Dubai’s Public Parks and Greenery Strategy aims to triple the number of trees in the emirate and substantially increase green areas. - Green Zen says each bag of Green Zen Mulch takes about 12 months of processing before it is ready for use. - Green Zen says the product is designed for Dubai’s summers, soil conditions and irrigation requirements. - The company wants controlled pilot tests comparing landscaped areas with and without Green Zen Mulch and measuring irrigation use, soil moisture, soil temperature, plant health, growth and maintenance needs.

Between the lines: - Green Zen is trying to shift the conversation from how many trees Dubai plants to how well those trees are supported after planting. - The company is positioning Dubai as a place that should develop and validate landscaping methods for its own climate instead of relying on practices built for other regions. - The August test date was chosen to stress the product under the season when Dubai gardens face the most heat. - The emphasis on independent measurement suggests Green Zen wants proof before claiming broader water savings or plant-health gains.

What’s next: - Green Zen wants independent UAE trials that can establish local data on whether mulch can improve plant health and reduce irrigation demand. - If controlled testing confirms the early results, the company says the approach could apply to villas, residential developments, hotels, schools, commercial landscapes, public spaces, streetscapes and municipal planting. - Green Zen says it is open to working with researchers and public authorities to validate the concept.

The bottom line: - Green Zen is betting that Dubai’s greening push can go further if the city changes not just what it plants, but how it protects the soil beneath it.