A multibillion dollar industry that has tripled in the last ten years, turfgrass management plays an important role in landscaping, golf courses, and other sports surfaces. Proper management and cultural practices are crucial for the performance of these versatile grasses, creating a demand among scientists, researchers, and industry professionals for better quality, hardier grasses. The mounting collection of research into new species, modern cultivars, and stress tolerant genotypes requires a high-quality, accessible resource. Filling a long-empty niche by compiling the most complete, up-to-date collection of contributions from internationally known specialists, Handbook of Turfgrass Management and Physiology is the only single source reference that covers every aspect of turfgrass maintenance and cultivation. Divided into several sections, this all-inclusive volume begins with an introductory chapter on turf related issues. The second section reveals detailed accounts of turfgrass growth, management, and cultural practices such as carbon metabolism and overseeding. Subsequent sections cover sports turf management and growth regulating factors, as well as breeding, genetics, and biotechnology. The text highlights research in turfgrass pathology and disease including nutritional disorders, rapid blight, and fungal diseases. The book reviews several methods of pest control using herbicides, as well as biological, and microbial control agents. It provides extensive information on the physiological responses of turfgrass to acidic soil, salinized water, temperature, light, depleted oxygen, reactive nitrogen use, and other environmental stressors. The final section looks at future and potential grasses requiring minimal maintenance and management. Offering hundreds of figures and tables, thousands of references, and an extensive index, Handbook of Turfgrass Management and Physiology is the definitive reference to the dynamic and growing world of turfgr

The Cactaceae family, with about sixteen hundred species, is cultivated worldwide for fruits, forage, fodder, and even as a vegetable. Cacti are recognized for their attractive flowers, special stem shapes, and ability to tolerate drought. Because of their efficient use of water and other adaptations, biological and agronomic interest in cacti has soared. These fascinating plants also have much to teach us about biodiversity and conservation. Yet a current, synthetic, wide-ranging reference on cacti has not been available until now. This comprehensive book, compiled by a well-known cactus biologist, includes authoritative, up-to-date chapters by thirty-five contributors from around the world on topics ranging from evolution to biotechnology. It is the first book of its kind to compile information on cactus biology, ecology, and uses in one convenient place.
The first half of the book provides a thorough overview of cactus biology and morphology and discusses the environmental and conservation issues that affect the plants. It includes a discussion of the evolution of the family, paying particular attention to new genetic and molecular approaches. The second half of the book focuses on the practical concerns of cultivating cacti, such as pest control and diseases, horticultural and forage applications, and techniques for agronomy. Other chapters cover the different markets for cacti and products that are made from them.
This unique volume will be a reliable and informative reference for ecologists and environmentalists, agriculturists, plant biologists, and anyone seriously interested in these remarkable plants.

In the 1630s, visitors to the prosperous trading cities of the Netherlands couldn't help but notice that thousands of normally sober, hardworking Dutch citizens from every walk of life were caught up in an extraordinary frenzy of buying and selling. The object of this unprecedented speculation was the tulip, a delicate and exotic Eastern import that had bewitched horticulturists, noblemen, and tavern owners alike. For almost a year rare bulbs changed hands for incredible and ever-increasing sums, until single flowers were being sold for more than the cost of a house.

Historians would come to call it tulipomania. It was the first futures market in history, and like so many of the ones that would follow, it crashed spectacularly, plunging speculators and investors into economic ruin and despair.

This is the history of the tulip, from its origins on the barren, windswept steppes of central Asia to its place of honor in the lush imperial gardens of Constantinople, to its starring moment as the most coveted--and beautiful--commodity in Europe. Historian Mike Dash vividly narrates the story of this amazing flower and the colorful cast of characters--Turkish sultans, Yugoslav soldiers, French botanists, and Dutch tavern keepers--who were centuries apart historically and worlds apart culturally, but who all had one thing in common: tulipomania.

Don't trash that stash Ask Ed: Marijuana Gold--Trash to Stash offers some little-known ways to get more magic out of each and every plant.This book shares some highly efficient and successful methods for transforming leaf or trim, into THC treats, naturally. Rescue unused parts from the garbage safely with equipment from your own kitchen. Ask Ed: Marijuana Gold is conversational in style, explaining each method in down-to-earth language that anyone can understand and follow. Photos clarify the step-by-step instructions, making each method practically foolproof. Plus a special 8-page full-color photo section features vivid examples of the processes and products discussed, giving the reader a point of comparison. Questions and comments from Ask Ed(TM) readers are interspersed throughout the book to supplement the text and offer insider tips. This book quickly pays for itself in the money it saves anyone who uses its recycling recipes.

Over the past ten years, the orchid industry is growing at a steady pace in the South East Asia and East Asia regions. In some Asian countries, orchids have become an essential export item. To maintain this progress, there is an urgent need for a book that is relevant to the region orchid growers in improving their cultivation and management skills, and to guide new students in understanding orchid physiology. This book provides a comprehensive account of tropical orchid physiology relevant to commercial growers, research workers and graduate students. An integrated and unifying theme of tropical orchid physiology, with a clearly written factual text and illustration, is presented over nine chapters. Each chapter is designed to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date information on an aspect of orchid physiology. This book complements the existing scientific literature available to improve orchid cultivation and to set new research agenda especially in the tropics.

This is an illustrated guide to varieties, cultivation and care, with step-by-step instructions and over 160 beautiful photographs. This is a practical guide to growing and caring for dahlias, with instructions for planting, pruning and propagating, and how to deal with common pests and diseases. It features a fully illustrated directory of over 50 different varieties of dahlia, including single, anemone, collerette, waterlily, decorative, ball, cactus, semi-cactus, pompon, fimbriated, green-eyed and clock-faced. It shows you how to buy dahlias and how to grow and propagate them successfully from seed, tubers, shoots and cuttings. Dahlias are a well-established classic for many gardeners. Their variety of form and hue enables them to be at home in gardens of any size. Easy to grow despite their exotic appearance, dahlias rarely fail to produce impressive, beautifully formed blooms. This pretty handbook contains advice for growing a wide variety of dahlias, from simple single-flowered types to balls with tightly rolled petals. It includes an illustrated directory of over 50 types, with descriptions of their foliage, blooms, height and growing conditions. Be it perfection of flowers that you seek, or just a glorious profusion of brightness in the garden, there is something for everyone in the world of dahlias.