[.uk] The Organic Lawn Care Manual (ISBN 1580176496)

Best book I've read yet:
I've read quite a few books on organic lawn care, and this one is by far the best. It goes over everything you need to have a healthy, good-looking organic lawn. It contains tons of illustrations and easy to read summaries, as well as entertaining writing. It covers grass anatomy, building good soil, starting a lawn from scratch, overseeding, switching to organic fertilizers, watering the lawn, organic pest control, organic weed control, effective mowing, grass alternatives, and how to make it all low maintenance. It even includes an appendix on games you can play on your new lawn. I keep pulling this book out time and time again as I work on my lawn. The things I use the most are what organic fertilizers are equivalent to the chemicals recommended by a formal soil test, the lawn care calendar, and how to make compost tea so that it is aerobic and contains the most beneficial microbes for your soil.

Decent, but light on real information:
This book is like too many "green" or "organic" books lately. It spends as much time arguing for its existence (i.e. why you should manage your lawn organically) as it does providing practical information for how to do it successfully. OK, I bought the book already -- you don't need to convince me! It was frustrating that, when I needed a solution to a real problem, all the book told me was: if you plant your lawn the way we've told you, you won't have this problem. Not much help! On the plus side, I did learn about some good techniques like dethatching.

wonderful "how to":
This book offers a comprehensive "how to" guide for organic lawn care if you are starting over with new grass or transitioning over to organics. It offers wonderful insight to proper lawn care and even contains a "schedule" to follow. THis book provides a weath of information that is understandable to a "beginner" like myself. Highly recommended.

Marvelous:
I have to admit, I first looked into organic lawn care for not-so-noble reasons. I have a pool in my backyard, which means that using any nitrogen-rich fertilizer back there risks getting nitrates in the pool water, which is a big no-no for pool owners. I hoped that organic lawn care could provide me with a way to care for my backyard without endangering the pool water. That's not to say that I didn't care about the environment; it just wasn't my first priority. However, in reading this book, I've become downright enthusiastic about, not just helping the environment, but having a great yard *while* helping the environment. As other reviewers noted, the author does not ask us to settle for inferior lawns in order to help the environment. He is passionate about having a great lawn -- and doing it the right way. There are essentially two ways to get great looking lawns: treat it with chemicals, or follow the organic route described in this book. They can both produce great looking lawns, but there is a difference. I liken the comparison to making a person look better through either plastic surgery or exercise. Plastic surgery is fast and can have some incredible results, though it does nothing to improve the actual health of the person. Whereas exercising can probably get to the same end, though with a bit more effort, especially at the beginning. However, even though the results may look similar, underneath the person who has been exercising is stronger, fitter, and more able to cope with the physical stresses of life. Similarly, with a bit more effort (at least, at the beginning), an organically cared-for lawn can look great and be healthier and stronger than a chemically cared-for lawn. I'm ditching the remainder of my Scott's Four-step weed-and-feed lawn care process and embarking on *really* caring for my lawn. Thank you Paul Tukey for opening my eyes! PS - as an added bonus, I *can* care for my lawn organically without endangering my pool water.

Good Resource:
I purchased this as a gift for my dad and he seemed think it's a good resource to have on hand. I called him when I had a question about how to naturally get rid of dandelions, and he quickly found an answer for me in this comprehensive manual.