Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.
Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.
Let authors Lance Walheim and the gardening experts at the National Gardening Association treat you and your yard to a megadose of lawn care information. In Lawn Care For Dummies, Walheim and the NGA give you the dirt on all the essentials, including how to
* Design a low-maintenance or a high-maintenance lawn
* Evaluate the pros and cons of planting a lawn from seed or starting one from sod
* Discover how often you need to water your lawn without under-watering it or waterlogging it
* Choose a mower that's right for your grass type
* Deal effectively with wicked weeds and pesky insects
* Create alternative lawns, such as ground cover plants, decks, and patios
Lawn Care For Dummies also features a beautiful color insert with photos illustrating the various types of lawns found in yards across the world.
"I would recommend this book to anyone starting a new lawn or improving an existing one." — Kevin N. Morris, Director, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program "This is the one book you should have, keep handy, and use often!" — Doug Fender, Executive Director, Turf Resource Center, Rolling Meadows, IL Full Color Section Highlights Ideas for a Beautiful Lawn! Grow a Lush Lawn — a Cut Above the Rest! No matter where you live, what you do, or how many kids you have, you too can grow a great garden of grasses — quickly and easily. Discover tons of time- and water-saving secrets for better planting, fertilizing, weeding, and mowing. With easy-to-follow instructions and lots of illustrations, Lawn Care For Dummies® brings you everything you need to know to grow a lawn that's the envy of the block! From Sod to Sunday Naps — Your Complete Guide to LawnsCompare the pluses and minuses of planting seed, sod, sprigs, stolons, or plugsChoose a grass type that thrives in your climateUnearth winning techniques for repairing broken lawnsDiscover ten surefire ways to help drought-weary yards surviveControl pests with environmentally friendly methods that are safe and effectiveSelect alternative ground covers that are practical and good lookingInstall a permanent, in-ground irrigation systemAlso look for Hungry Minds' Gardening For Dummies®, the fun and easy way to grow a gorgeous garden!
"I would recommend this book to anyone starting a new lawn or improving an existing one." -- Kevin N. Morris, Director, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program "This is the one book you should have, keep handy, and use often!" -- Doug Fender, Executive Director, Turf Resource Center, Rolling Meadows, IL Full Color Section Highlights Ideas for a Beautiful Lawn! Grow a Lush Lawn -- a Cut Above the Rest! No matter where you live, what you do, or how many kids you have, you too can grow a great garden of grasses -- quickly and easily. Discover tons of time- and water-saving secrets for better planting, fertilizing, weeding, and mowing. With easy-to-follow instructions and lots of illustrations, Lawn Care For Dummies
About the Authors Lance Walheim, former staff garden writer for Sunset magazine, is the nationally recognized author of over 30 widely read garden books, including The Natural Rose Gardener and Hungry Minds' Roses For Dummies??. The National Gardening Association (NGA) is recognized for its bimonthly National Gardening magazine and prolific work in science education for children. NGA is also the coauthor of Gardening For Dummies??, Roses For Dummies??, Perennials For Dummies??, Annuals For Dummies??, and Container Gardening For Dummies??.
Introduction 1
Part I: Planning Your Perfect Lawn 7
Chapter 1: Designing Your Perfect Lawn 9
Chapter 2: Cool-Season Grasses: The Grasses of the North 19
Chapter 3: The Warm-Season Grasses 35
Chapter 4: Lawn Climates, Big and Small 51
Part II: Getting Ready to Plant 61
Chapter 5: Preparing to Plant 63
Chapter 6: Increasing Your Soil Sense 77
Chapter 7: Installing an Irrigation System 89
Part III: Planting a Lawn 103
Chapter 8: Planting a Lawn from Seed 105
Chapter 9: Starting a Lawn from Sod 117
Chapter 10: Planting Sprigs, Stolons, and Plugs 131
Part IV: Showing Your Lawn That You Care 137
Chapter 11: Watering Lawns 139
Chapter 12: Fertilizing Lawns 155
Chapter 13: Lawn Mowing 175
Chapter 14: Dethatching, Aerating, and Renovating 197
Part V: Battling the Lawn Invaders 211
Chapter 15: Weed Wars 213
Chapter 16: Insect Invaders 233
Chapter 17: Disturbing Diseases 245
Chapter 18: Other Lawn Problems 257
Part VI: The Part of Tens 265
Chapter 19: Ten Lawn Alternatives 267
Chapter 20: Ten Top Lawn Trees and How to Care for Them 275
Chapter 21: (Almost) Ten Things to Do or Not to Do with Lawn Clippings 281
Chapter 22: Ten Things to Do with Your Lawn During Drought 287
Chapter 23: Ten Lawn Games 291
Chapter 24: Ten Weird Things You Can Do with Lawns and Lawn Grasses 295
Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Deal with Leaves 299
Part VII: Appendixes 305
Appendix A: Sources for Lawn Care Products 305
Appendix B: Lawn Information Sources 313
Index 321
"I would recommend this book to anyone starting a new lawn or improving an existing one." -- Kevin N. Morris, Director, National Turfgrass Evaluation Program "This is the one book you should have, keep handy, and use often!" -- Doug Fender, Executive Director, Turf Resource Center, Rolling Meadows, IL Full Color Section Highlights Ideas for a Beautiful Lawn! Grow a Lush Lawn -- a Cut Above the Rest! No matter where you live, what you do, or how many kids you have, you too can grow a great garden of grasses -- quickly and easily. Discover tons of time- and water-saving secrets for better planting, fertilizing, weeding, and mowing. With easy-to-follow instructions and lots of illustrations, Lawn Care For Dummies brings you everything you need to know to grow a lawn thats the envy of the block! From Sod to Sunday Naps -- Your Complete Guide to Lawns Compare the pluses and minuses of planting seed, sod, sprigs, stolons, or plugs Choose a grass type that thrives in your climate Unearth winning techniques for repairing broken lawns Discover ten surefire ways to help drought-weary yards survive Control pests with environmentally friendly methods that are safe and effective Select alternative ground covers that are practical and good looking Install a permanent, in-ground irrigation system Also look for Hungry Minds Gardening For Dummies, the fun and easy way to grow a gorgeous garden!