Florida Lawn Handbook: An Environmental Approach to Care and Maintenance of Your Lawn [Paperback]

Kathleen C. Ruppert (Editor), Robert J. Black (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998

Everything you need to know to keep your lawn looking its best!

 

Written in practical language by turfgrass experts, this new edition is completely up-to-date with the most recent lawn management information. Color plates identify various grass types, weeds, diseases, and insects—including those that are good for your lawn. Chapters cover selection, adaptability, establishment, and main­tenance for each type of lawn; soil analysis and fertilization; yearly calendars for lawn care and culture; mowing, watering, and calibrating sprinkler systems and fertilizer spreaders; overseeding for winter color; preparing a lawn for drought and low temperatures; weed and thatch control; safe pesticide application and use; integrated pest management strategies; and complete, illustrated diagnostic information for weeds, diseases, insect problems, nematodes, and other pests.

 

 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Landscape management information straight from turfgrass experts." -- Jacksonville Magazine, May 2005

"[A] great book to help with lawn management." -- Florida Times-Union, February 2, 2005 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

Everything you need to know to keep your lawn looking its best!

 

From reviews of the first edition:

"A must-have for anyone who wants a good-looking lawn."--Tampa Tribune

 

"A comprehensive, eco-friendly guide that takes the mystery out of proper lawn care and maintenance in Florida."--Gainesville Sun

 

“Gardeners should look no further than The Florida Lawn Handbook to help green up their lawns. It’s chock-full of ‘how to do it’ information from the University of Florida’s turf experts. Now there is no excuse not to have an attractive, earth-friendly lawn.”—Tom MacCubbin, radio host of Better Lawns and Gardens, Orlando

 

Written in practical language by turfgrass experts, this new edition is completely up-to-date with the most recent lawn management information. Color plates identify various grass types, weeds, diseases, and insects—including those that are good for your lawn. Chapters cover selection, adaptability, establishment, and main­tenance for each type of lawn; soil analysis and fertilization; yearly calendars for lawn care and culture; mowing, watering, and calibrating sprinkler systems and fertilizer spreaders; overseeding for winter color; preparing a lawn for drought and low temperatures; weed and thatch control; safe pesticide application and use; integrated pest management strategies; and complete, illustrated diagnostic information for weeds, diseases, insect problems, nematodes, and other pests.

 

 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Florida Inst of Food &; 2nd edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091628722X
• ISBN-13: 978-0916287221
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,332,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every Florida Homeowner Should Own This Book, June 10, 2003

By 

John H. Henderson (Las Cruces, NM, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Florida Lawn Handbook: An Environmental Approach to Care and Maintenance of Your Lawn, second (Paperback)

All around me, I see people spending a FORTUNE in time, money and effort "maintaining" their lawns, and it doesn't appear that they've done as much as read a pamphlet, book or web site on lawn maintenance. They water at the wrong time. They fertilize too much. They cut their grass too low or too often.

EVERY FLORIDA HOMEOWNER SHOULD OWN AND READ THIS BOOK! The lawn is a large investment, and this is a small price to pay to take care of it. This is the bible for Florida lawnowners.

This book is very complete. There are chapters on planting, water, fertilizing, insects and disease. And there is a chapter (or two!) on each common variety of Florida turf grass. This book is written by Florida university researchers and agricultural extension agents, so is the most authoritative reference there is.

I have two main complaints, although these problems are often interlinked. First, the chapters are written by different authors. As a result, there is some inconsistency in advice and writing style, and many topics are repeated. The second is that it can be a little technical. This could be remedied with an introductory chapter with pictures and definitions of the terminology used in the book. The authors assume that you know what the different parts of the grass plant are. As a new homeowner, I didn't even know what thach was.

I am going to use the info from this book and from the St. John's River Water Management District web site to write an article for my homeowner's association newsletter. Perhaps the neighbors will quit wasting water watering the mailbox in the evening from which I have to retrieve my mail.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Has to be an easier to use florida lawn book., June 28, 2006

By 

carol blakey - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Florida Lawn Handbook: Best Management Practices for Your Home Lawn in Florida (Paperback)

There is no index. This makes it frustrating to use. For example, if you want information on chinch bugs, you have to go to the table of contents and locate Pest Management on page 103, then leaf through until you find chinch bugs on page 123. However,once you find what you want, the information is helpful.

2.0 out of 5 stars OK; Not Great, October 9, 2011

By 

William R. Drake (Niceville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Florida Lawn Handbook: Best Management Practices for Your Home Lawn in Florida (Paperback)

Book presents facts/opinions with little helpful explanation. Divides content according to some arbitrary unknown rule. Photos are small and hard to distinguish plant characteristics and details