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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: Growing Grass the Natural Way, and don't be surprised when your water bill drops dramatically and your lawn or golf course is the best-looking one around.
Preface
Introduction
Environmental Issues
History of the Lawn
Water Issues
Organic Approach versus Conventional Approach
Chapter 1. Soil
Physics (Structure of Soil)
Chemistry (Nutrients of Soil)
Biology (Life of Soil)
Chapter 2. Turfgrasses
Basic Turf Facts
Seasonal Growth Cycles
Turfgrass Selection
Chapter 3. Lawn Establishment
Soil Preparation
Seeding, Sprigging, and Sodding
Early Lawn Care
Chapter 4. Maintaining the Lawn
Mowing and Edging
Watering the Lawn
Fertilizing the Lawn the Chemical Way
Fertilizing the Lawn the Natural Way
Composting and Organic Matter
Cultural Management
Pest Management
Chapter 5. Products for Lawn Care
Amendments/Fertilizers
Microbe Products
Micronized Products
Chapter 6. Alternatives to Lawn Grasses and Turf
Growing Alternative Crops and Specialty Plants
Low-Light Situations
Water Concerns
Appendix
Differences between Toxic Chemical and Organic Approaches
Formulas
Unacceptable Fertilizer Products for Organic Projects
Unacceptable Pest-Control Products for Organic Projects
Index
Howard Garrett is a landscape architect with extensive experience in landscape design, contracting, greenhouse growing, golf course planning and maintenance, and organic product development. A leader in the natural-organic marketplace, he provides advice on natural-organic gardening, landscaping, pet health, pest control, and green living. Garrett’s many books include Texas Gardening the Natural Way: The Complete Handbook. He lives in Dallas, Texas
