The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year [Paperback]

David Mellor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2003

Now you can have green grass right in your own backyard, thanks to David Mellor, master groundskeeper of Boston's Fenway Park.

Everyone wants a green lawn, but how do you actually get one? Bags of fertilizer? Weed killer? Sod? What about mowing? Everyone knows how to, but do you really know when to? Fenway Park's master groundskeeper David Mellor does. He's been caring for some of the nicest lawns around for years. In The Lawn Bible, Mellor offers you everything you need to know about lawn care for your part of the country, including planting, mowing, feeding, and troubleshooting, as well as tips, illustrations, and anecdotes.

Whether your yard is full shade, full sun, or something in between, David Mellor will help you transform it into the greenest grass of your dreams.

The Gospel of Grass, according to David:
--How to think like a lawn
--How to make a lawn child-friendly and a child lawn-friendly
--What combination of good soil, good seed, and good sun adds up to a great lawn
--The mechanics and artistry of mowing
--How to win the war on weeds, pests, and disease

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mellor, the director of grounds at Fenway Park and a sports turf field consultant, knows his lawns. A self-professed "lawnatic," Muller holds that beautiful green grass is the stuff of memory (remember "that first $5 you earned cutting someone else's lawn"?), the secret to prime curb appeal and even a key to getting in touch with our "agrarian roots." In his comprehensive illustrated guide, he describes the different types of grasses (creeping bentgrass is good for putting greens, while Kentucky bluegrass is a suburban lawn classic), shows homeowners how to determine their soil type (try the "Squish Test"), offers tips for maintenance (mow high during droughts) and even includes directions and diagrams for different mowing patterns ("Your lawn is your canvas"). His section on lawn pests features drawings of the insects that plague lawn owners and lists ways to get rid of them, from the "beneficial nematodes" that prey on pest larvae to insecticidal soaps to chemical pesticides. For those who take their lawns very, very seriously, there's a gold mine of information in here, all clearly organized and thoughtfully presented.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A nice Father's Day gift for your personal groundskeeper." -- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (April 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786888423
• ISBN-13: 978-0786888429
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's all here, September 6, 2003

By 

Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year (Paperback)

Most home owners, even non-gardeners, want an attractive lawn. It is, after all, one of the largest aspects of most suburban homes, it's what the visitor and the passer-by sees first - and those first impressions are so-o-o important. And most home owners are not too happy with their lawn. It has bare spots, moss, weeds and the track left by the paper delivery person. These home owners need "The Lawn Bible".

Written by Fenway Park's master groundskeeper, who has faced more grass issues than the rest of us put together, it has everything the grass-grower needs to make him or her the lawn meister of the neighbourhood. The writer starts by taking a look at a single grass plant and moves on to discuss the most basic element of a good lawn - the soil. He discusses seeding, instant lawns, watering, mowing (including your own design of stripes) replacing old lawns, weeds, insect pests and diseases. There is no question I could think to ask about lawns and grass that isn't addressed in this book, and all the information is arranged logically so I wouldn't have to spend too much time searching. For anyone who needs further information there is a list of Internet resources at the end.

I'm usually a bit wary of books calling themselves "The Bible of...." but this book really provides all the leadership and advice you need about lawns. Written by a master whose lawns and grass are wide open to the criticism of thousands each week, you can be confident the book is authoritative. It also has quotes from groundskeepers of other well-known sports fields.

If your lawn doesn't look good to you, invest in this book. It's readable, the material well arranged and presented, and it tells you all you'll ever need to know about lawns.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I had hoped for, June 21, 2006

By 

J. Pier "cedron1" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year (Paperback)

I wasn't very impressed with this book. I already have the Scotts lawn care book and loved that one. Since this book is by Fenway's greenskeeper, I expected even more detailed and in-depth advice. Instead this book covers the same basic topics in any lawn book with no extra helpful advice. In fact, in many cases the information was not as detailed as other books.

Several of the tips have nothing to do with being a home lawn owner. For example, one tip suggests using a certain enhancing chemical. When I looked up the chemical, it turned out it is only available to professionals and actually costs hundreds of dollars per gallon. How does that help me at home?? In another example tip given, a groundskeeper talks about re-soding after games. Again, I am not sure how that helps me know what to do at home.

I suggest buying the Scotts lawn care book instead of this one. That book is much more of a "bible" than this book is.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lawn Bible, May 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lawn Bible: How to Keep It Green, Groomed, and Growing Every Season of the Year (Paperback)

I love this book. I've shared it with friends and neighbors who now have to have their own copy. It's a wonderful gift for anyone who has a lawn or dreams of having a lawn one day. As a new home owner I'm going to follow the recommendations and guidelines in establishing a new lawn.(My neighbors can't wait until I get rid of the field of dandelions which make up my current lawn.) The "Tricks of the Trade" section is great. I love learning the secrets of the turf proffesionals. David Mellor includes Organic Options when it comes to fertilizer and weed control. Those are the methods I'm going to implement. This book will help you grow a lawn that's healthy for you and your family.