Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am so pleased that THE LAWN BIBLE acknowledges that most people who care about their lawns also care about the environment. Finally, here is the advice that will give lawn enthusiasts the best grass with the least amount of waste. Dave says, "As we look into a future where lawn watering restrictions will certainly become the norm, wetting agents and other smart water gathering, retaining and dispersing techniques will be key to a healthy green lawn." I was delighted to read about new products and expert techniques. Although I love the look of green grass, I've felt guilty about how much water and fertilizer the average homeowner like me probably wastes with a haphazard approach to lawn care. Dave's advice to let the grass grow to a longer length, especially in areas affected by shade, will not only save me time and money, but also will improve my lawn and cost less in water and fertilizer to keep it looking good. I also will make it a point to scatter my lawn clippings instead of bagging them. On behalf of environment-conscious people everywhere, thank you, Dave.

This is my first lawn book - bought to help me with my first lawn. I found it well written with plenty of helpful advice and guidance. D. Mellor stars the book by teaching you how to listen to your lawn - and figure out what it needs. He goes into detail about the different kinds of grass available, and which grow best in what locales. He discusses different aspects of mowing, watering, reseeding and renovating, and weeding. He also gives instructions at what he is most famous for, mowing with patterns.

However, I don't think a lawn book can be complete without pictures. How will I know that I need to treat a "plantain" infestation, if I don't know what "plantains" look like? How do I know what "Sulfur cinquefoil" looks like?

Pictures are worth a thousand words.

This book is a great mix of basic lawn care information and inside scoop from a guy who's in a position to know any "secrets" there might be to lawn care-author David Mellor is the head groundskeeper at Fenway Park in Boston. He somehow manages to bring together love of lawn and love of sport in a way that ought to make any man happy. He tells the reader how to grow his grass, maintain his grass--even how to put his grass "to sleep" when it's just plain time to start over. I love the stories from his buddies in the groundskeeping biz--one guy tells of having like 36 hours to get the brand new New England Patriots field in shape for its debut on Monday Night Football on the heels of a Rolling Stones concert AND a Major League Soccer championship. Another guy tells how he takes care of the grounds near Babe Ruth's grave. Some of the stories are kind of funny and really get you thinking about how hard it's got be for these guys to keep things green.

The real growing grass information in this book is solid and David Mellor comes of as a good guy you'd like to know. I'm getting this book for my brother-in-law...he's a big baseball fan and his lawn is a wreck.

I thought this book was going to be a better that what it was. It's pretty much the same book as the Scott's Lawn guide you can get at Home Depot, which is awesome I might add.

Save your c$sh, and get the Scott's Lawn guide book.

A lot of good info, some more for the pro than homeowner. If making patterns with the mower is your thing, you'll love it.
I was hoping for more in-depth info on why I would want to select a particular fertilizer or other chemical over others for various situations.

Got this to learn how to make different patterns in my lawn. I would have liked more about this in the book.

I haven't finished reading it yet, but love what I've read so far. Good information and a good read!