Explains how to make a lawn safe and environmentally friendly using organic methods, and how to pick the best grass for each climate and sunlight situation.

This book was written with these things in mind, I guiding every lawn care enthusiast through the steps needed to continue caring for a lawn without letting the concerns that develop because of unnatural products overwhelm you or your lawn. The keys to organic lawn care, starting with how to create a low-maintenance lawn, are laid out in great detail in this book, providing the essential information you need to enjoy your yard while not endangering the environment, your pets, or your children. You will learn how to keep your lawn healthy with the right soil, seed, sod, and feed without using any chemically enhanced products and how you can start caring for your lawn by mowing, watering, fertilizing, edging, and trimming with organic fertilizers and tools. Finally, learn how to change your existing lawn so that it is both environmentally sound and just as beautiful as it has always been. The final step in the process will show you how to deal with pests, disease, and weeds in your lawn organically. --Book Jacket.

A renowned landscape gardener’s guide to less expensive, less water-intensive lawns, whether it’s a front yard or a fairway. A lush green lawn is one of the great pleasures of the natural world, whether it’s outside your front door or on a majestic fairway at a legendary golf course. But anyone who’s tried to grow the perfect lawn the conventional way knows it requires an endless cycle of watering and applying synthetic fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides that costs a lot of money and kills all the life in the soil, on the surface, and on the grass. Fortunately, there’s a better way. Organic lawn care is not only healthier for the environment, it’s actually cheaper and less water-intensive, whether you’re managing a small yard or acres of turf. In this book, Howard Garrett, the renowned “Dirt Doctor,” takes you step-by-step through creating and maintaining turf organically. He begins with the soil, showing you how to establish a healthy habitat for grass. Then he discusses a variety of turfgrasses, including Bermudagrass, bluegrass, buffalo grass, fescue, ryegrass, St. Augustine, and zoysia. He explains in detail planting, mowing, watering, fertilizing, composting, and managing weeds and pests. And he offers alternatives to lawn grasses and turf, describing the situations in which they might be your best choice.

More than just a concentrated area of grass, a lawn is defined as a space planted with grass or other spreading plants that is kept trimmed to provide a natural carpet of foliage. If a grassy field is not cut and left to grow wild, it should not be considered a lawn but more likely a meadow.Most times a lawn is planted with grass to make an outdoor space that's usable and comfortable. It is aesthetically pleasing and easy to care for. It's also an economical way to prevent erosion and keep the soil moist and healthy.Many outdoor sports use a lawn as a playing surface. They often call that area by another name and might require exact specifications to be met regarding the care and maintenance of that lawn. In golf for instance, there is a big difference between the rough, fairway and the green. Each of these areas might even be planted with different grass varieties.Other terms used for a lawn are field (as in soccer), turf and pitch. In reference to your home, a lawn is also commonly called a yard.Although it is a matter of preference, there is a minimal level of maintenance required for a grassy area to be called a lawn. It should be trimmed close to the ground, although recently a trend towards wilder, les manicured lawns has taken off. Lawns are often invaded by common weeds such as dandelions and clover and can also become food for rodents and other animals.

Included are chapters on mowing, watering, fertilizing, soil building, equipment selection, seeding, weed control, diseases and insects, ground covers, and mulches.

Organic gardening expert Howard Garrett offers step-by-step instructions for planting and maintaining lawns, golf courses, and other turf with organic methods that he has proven to be easier, less expensive, and less water-intensive than conventional lawn care. A lush green lawn is one of the great pleasures of the natural world, whether it’s right outside your front door or on a majestic fairway at a legendary golf course. But anyone who has tried to grow the perfect lawn the conventional way knows it requires an endless cycle of watering and applying synthetic fertilizers and toxic chemical pesticides that costs a lot of money and kills all the life in the soil, on the surface, and on the grass. Fortunately, there’s a better way. Organic lawn care is not only healthier for the environment, it’s actually cheaper and less water-intensive, whether you’re managing a small yard or acres of turf. In Organic Lawn Care: Growing Grass the Natural Way, Howard Garrett, the renowned “Dirt Doctor,” takes you step-by-step through creating and maintaining turf organically. He begins with the soil, showing you how to establish a healthy habitat for grass. Then he discusses a variety of turfgrasses, including Bermudagrass, bluegrass, buffalograss, fescue, ryegrass, St. Augustine, and zoysia. Garrett explains in detail how to establish and maintain a lawn, including planting, mowing, watering, fertilizing, composting, and managing weeds and pests. And he offers alternatives to lawn grasses and turf, describing the situations in which they might be your best choice. Follow the program in Organic Lawn Care, and don’t be surprised when your water bill drops dramatically and your lawn or golf course is the best-looking one around.