The Organic Lawn Care Manual

January 8, 2007
For homeowners tired of their chemical-saturated lawns, this book provides step-by-step guidance for "get your lawn off drugs." Tukey, a lifelong lawn lover, started mowing as a teenager, and as the owner of a successful lawn care company, he was well entrenched in the "weed 'n' feed" method prevalent since the 1940s: "With one pass of a lawn spreader, we could feed the grass" (with chemical fertilizers), "kill the weeds" (with pesticides) "and still have time for a round of golf at the course we so envied"). When, after years on the job, he began to experience nosebleeds and shortness of breath, his doctor ordered him to stop using lawn chemicals, and that was the beginning of his commitment to organic lawn care. His lively and passionate instruction—on soil structure and how to improve it; grass varieties; "starting a lawn from scratch"; natural lawn foods; "watering dews and don'ts"; and how to deal with moles, voles, grubs and bugs—are interspersed with inspirational tales of natural-lawn activists. With an appendix on lawn games, from croquet to badminton, this book will delight lawn fanatics and provide sound advice for those who simply want to maintain their yard.

February 15, 2007
The popularity of all things organic has made it to the lawn. And award-winning magazine editor/publisher Tukey, host of the HGTV show "People, Places & Plants", attempts to bring it to the masses. Rather than stating the dangers of chemical lawn care, Tukey gently eases grass snobs into a new, holistic way of thinking. He offers detailed programs to "Get Your Lawn Off Drugs" by improving soil texture and structure, planting the right grass, and employing correct mowing and watering practices. He also covers new construction, lawn renovation, and the nearly no-mow lawn. His RILE (relax, identify, listen, eradicate) method of weed control may once and for all rid your lawn of the crab grass next to the driveway. Geared to do-it-yourselfers, Tukey's book is more approachable than Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley's well-noted "The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control". Clear photos and illustrations make the instructions accessible; an overview of grasses and a handy weed identification guide also add value. Recommended for all libraries with lawn care collections.Tracy Mohaidheen, MLIS, West Bloomfield, MI

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2007
Tukey, the editor and publisher of " People, Places & Plants "magazine, offers gardeners what he calls "how-to methods for safe, effective lawn care" and avoiding the use of chemicals. He explains how to evaluate lawn-care needs, how grass grows (what he labels " grass anatomy"), how to create healthy soil, and how to select grass that is drought tolerant and disease and pest resistant. There are chapters on starting a lawn from scratch or refurbishing an existing lawn, making the transition from synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, watering, weeding, dealing with pests and diseases, and mowing and maintenance. Included is a helpful glossary, a list of ground covers, and many color photographs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)