Introduction Part I: Reviving Your Lawn Chapter 1: Assessing Your Lawn's Design Design a Lawn for Your Lifestyle Creating a Plan More Design Considerations Chapter 2: Rating Your Lawn's Condition Understanding Soil Compacted Soil Infertile Soil Lack of Humus A Three-Bin ComposterSoil Too Sweet or Too Sour Too Much Shade Excessive Thatch Bare Spots, Erosion, and Standing WaterDisease, Insects, and Weeds Irregular Surface Chapter 3: Restoring a Tired Lawn Improve Your Soil Getting a Soil Test Steps to Restoring a Lawn Chapter 4: Planting a New Lawn Comparing the Methods Steps to Planting a Lawn Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Grass Basic Distinctions Variations in Texture Other Important Characteristics Cool-Season Versus Warm-Season Perennial versus Annual Grasses Mixtures and Blends Grass Seed Labels Which Grass Where? Cool-season Grasses Warm-season Grasses Native Grasses Part II: Making Lawn Care Easier Chapter 6: Choosing a Mower Garden Tractors Lawn Tractors Riding Mowers Zero-turn-radius Mowers Buying a Zero-Turn-Radius Riding Mower Walk-Behind Mowers Buying a Self-Propelled Walk-Behind Other Lawn Tools Tools to OwnSpecialty Tools Tools to Rent Chapter 7: Reducing Lawn Maintenance Set the Right Height When to Mow Don't Bother with BaggingAvoid Overwatering Fertilizer Basics How Much and When?Prevent Thatch Build-up Chapter 8: Lawn Irrigation Systems How Sprinkler Systems Work Assessing Your System Installing an In-Ground SprinklerLawn Irrigation Gets Smarter Types of ET Controllers Improved Sprinklers Sensor Advances Chapter 9: Repairs and Improvements Clean Up Fertilizer Spills Patch Bare Spots Repair Damage from Pets Fix Damage from Skunks Remove Unsightly, Weedy Edges Let in the Sun Remove StumpsRepair Damage from Vehicles Part III: Solving Lawn Problems Chapter 10: Controlling Weeds Identifying Weed Species Cultural Measures Count The Nitty-Gritty of Weed Removal Herbicides Common Lawn Weeds Chapter 11: Fighting Lawn Diseases Fungi: Friends and Foes Is It Really Disease? Identifying DiseasesSpring-Through-Fall Lawn Diseases Summer Lawn Diseases Fall-Through-Spring Lawn Diseases Chapter 12: Managing Lawn Pests Preventative Tactics IPM, an Eco-friendly Approach Visible Clues to Insects Aboveground Pests Underground PestsSo You've Got Bugs Biological Insecticides Botanical Insecticides Insecticidal Soaps Beneficial Insects A Garden for Beneficials Synthetic Toxins: A Last Resort Taking Cover Moles In the Lawn Resource Guide Glossary Index Photo Credits.