Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening


Book Description

Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening has been the go-to resource for gardeners for more than 50 years, and the best tool novices can buy to start applying organic methods to their fruit and vegetable crops, herbs, trees and shrubs, perennials, annuals, and lawns. This thoroughly revised and updated version highlights new organic pest controls, new fertilizer products, improved gardening techniques, the latest organic soil practices, and new trends in garden design. In this indispensable work you will find: • Comprehensive coverage for the entire garden and landscape along with related entries such as Community Gardening, Edible Landscaping, Horticultural Therapy, Stonescaping, and more • The most in-depth information from the trusted Rodale Organic Gardening brand • A completely new section on earth-friendly techniques for gardening in a changing climate, covering wise water management, creating backyard habitats, managing invasive plants and insects, reducing energy use and recycling, and understanding biotechnology • Entries all written by American gardeners for American gardeners, with answers for all the challenges presented by various conditions, from the humid Deep South and the mild maritime coasts to the cold far North and the dry Southwest Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening has everything you need to create gorgeous, non-toxic gardens in any part of the country.




Forage Fertilization


Book Description

The Importance of Forages to Agriculture -- Fertility Needs of the Warm-Season Grasses -- Satisfying the Nutritional Requirements of Established Legumes -- Present and Potential Use of Fertilizer for Forage Production in Temperate Zones -- Satisfying the Nutritional Requirements of Grass-Legume Mixtures -- Fertilization of Summer Annual Grasses and Silage Crops -- Fertilizer Responses of Irrigated Grasslands -- Fertilization of Mid-Continent Range Plants -- Fertilization of Annual Grasslands of California and Oregon -- Fertilization of Humid Tropical Grasslands -- Lime Needs of Forage Crops -- Nutrient Recycling in Pastures -- Nutrient Losses from Grasslands through Leaching and Runoff -- Relationship of Nitrogen Fertilization and Chemical Composition of Forage to Animal Health and Performance -- Potential for Fertilizer Use on Tropical Forages -- Effects of Elements Other than Nitrogen on the Nutritive Value of Forage -- Effect of Fertilization on Winterhardiness of Forages -- Fertilizer Effects on Photosynthesis Organic Reserves and Regrowth Mechanisms of Forages -- The Effect of Fertilization on Disease and Insect Resistance -- Economic Returns from Forage Fertilization in the Southwest -- An Economic Approach to Forage Yield Measurement and Valuation -- Economic Returns from Forage Fertilization -- Use of Anhydrous Ammonia and Fluid Fertilizers on Grass -- Coated and Other Slow-Release Fertilizers for Forages -- What the Future Holds for Forages -- Glossary -- Subject Index -- Fertilizing Forage for Establishment -- Fertilization of Cool-Season Grasses -- Front Matter.




Texas Gardener's Handbook


Book Description

Texas Gardener’s Handbook is filled with need-to-know information from popular Texas gardening experts. Each includes his or her collective wisdom in a complete guide for Texas gardeners. In addition to hundreds of proven plants, this resource has monthly to-do calendars for each of more than ten plant categories, from annuals to vines. Full-color photos and expert advice assist gardeners with the proper care and timing for everything from planting to watering. Information on gardening with less water addresses the challenges of gardening in Texas.




Lawn Gone!


Book Description

A colorful guide covering the basics of replacing a traditional lawn with a wide variety of easy-care, no-mow, drought-tolerant, money-saving options that will appeal to today's busy, eco-conscious homeowner. Americans pour 300 million gallons of gas and 1 billion hours every year into mowing their lawns, not to mention 70 million pounds of pesticides and $40 billion for lawn upkeep. No Wonder the anti-lawn movement is thriving, as today's eco-conscious consumers realize that their traditional lawns are water-hogging, chemical-ridden, maintenance-intensive burdens. Lawn Gone!, from award-winning gardening blogger Pam Penick, is the first basic introduction to low-water, easy-care lawn alternatives for beginning gardeners, written in a friendly style with an approachable package. It covers all the available time-saving options: alternative grasses, ground cover plants, artificial turf, hardscaping, mulch, and more. In addition, it includes step-by-step lawn-removal methods, strategies for dealing with neighbors and homeowner associations, and how to minimize your lawn if you're not ready to go all the way.




Managing Cover Crops Profitably (3rd Ed. )


Book Description

Cover crops slow erosion, improve soil, smother weeds, enhance nutrient and moisture availability, help control many pests and bring a host of other benefits to your farm. At the same time, they can reduce costs, increase profits and even create new sources of income. You¿ll reap dividends on your cover crop investments for years, since their benefits accumulate over the long term. This book will help you find which ones are right for you. Captures farmer and other research results from the past ten years. The authors verified the info. from the 2nd ed., added new results and updated farmer profiles and research data, and added 2 chap. Includes maps and charts, detailed narratives about individual cover crop species, and chap. about aspects of cover cropping.




From Drought to Deluge: the Resilient Central Texas Garden


Book Description

Resilience is Key. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from adversity. Central Texas presents plenty of challenging conditions, from thin limestone and dense clay soils to wide temperature swings and nearly unpredictable variations in rainfall. This book will help you build a garden tough enough to withstand these forces - one that can be both beautiful and practical with the effective use of plants and efficient use of water. The result will be a more sustainable, environmentally friendly garden without resorting to swaths of gravel, desert cacti and sun-withered succulents. The Travis County Master Gardeners Association has harvested a bounty of facts, advice, lists, and tips for surviving and thriving in Central Texas' periods of extended droughts and bursts of heavy downpours. Among the many things you'll learn are:- The difference between xeriscaping and "zero-scaping"- How to determine the type of soil you have and how to get the most out of it- Proven principles of landscape design that apply to residential gardens- Smart plant selection and placement based on your specific situation- More efficient irrigation strategies that save both water and money- How to practically maintain and manage your garden year round




Management of Turfgrass Diseases


Book Description

This Second Edition of Management of Turfgrass Diseases has been completely revised and updated to provide the latest information on maintaining a healthy turf and identifying turf diseases. Written by a leading international lecturer on turf grasses, the book covers cultural, genetic, biological, and chemical approaches to turf management and provides practical solutions to everyday problems. Fungal, bacterial, and viral diseases; black layer disease; and diseases caused by nematodes are addressed for all major grasses. You'll learn about cool and warm season grasses, growing conditions, new diseases, symptoms, and identification and management techniques. Valuable tips on irrigation, fertilization, and grass culture as well as 72 full-color photographs and more than 100 figures ensure this book will be dog-eared from use. It's almost like having your own private turfgrass consultant sitting right on your bookshelf. What's New in the Second Edition? This second edition features new grasses, new diseases, and the latest research findings and practices. You'll have the most up-to-date information available on these major grasses:




American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn


Book Description

“Ted Steinberg proves once again that he is a master storyteller as well as our foremost environmental historian.”—Mike Davis The rise of the perfect lawn represents one of the most profound transformations in the history of the American landscape. American Green, Ted Steinberg's witty exposé of this bizarre phenomenon, traces the history of the lawn from its explosion in the postwar suburban community of Levittown to the present love affair with turf colorants, leaf blowers, and riding mowers.




The Mathematics of Turfgrass Maintenance


Book Description

Loaded with helpful hints and easy-to-understand examples -- and now with 20 percent more content -- this book covers the type of mathematical problems that golf course superintendents face every day. You'll learn how to handle budgeting estimates and figure how much fertilizer or pesticide you should buy. You'll also find guidance on the ordering of topdressing, irrigation volume and coverage, area and volume calculations, and many other aspects of golf course operation that require a thorough understanding of basic mathematical principles. Whatever the management calculation may be, this book has the solution you need! Example problems and answers help you get the job done right.




Destructive Turfgrass Insects


Book Description

"...the most useful, practical book I have seen on the management of turfgrass insect pests...mandatory reading for turfgrass managers in golf, lawns, and sports..." --Dr. James B. Beard, International Sports Turf Institute, Inc. Written in clear, everyday language, Destructive Turfgrass Insects covers the biology, diagnosis, and control of virtually all the insects and mites that attack warm- and cool-season turfgrasses. No other source gives you as many practical and comprehensive management guidelines for use on golf courses, lawns, and sports fields.