Want a deep, blue/green lawn without using chemical fertilizers which feed the grass and kill the soil?

There are some good organic fertilizers which will do the trick. Blood meal is the dried blood left over in the production of beef. Sounds gross, but it is a wonderful lawn fertilizer. It is rich in iron so it turns your grass a very deep green. Make sure to water well after application.

Blood meal can be a little pricey, so perhaps you'd prefer Chicken manure. It is widely available and a terrific organic lawn fertilizer. At $5 for 50 pounds it is also a cheap alternative.

To minimize the damage done by dog urine, try spreading agricultural gypsum over your entire lawn, twice a year. It helps the salts leech out more quickly.

For brown spots that need immediate attention, remove the brown grass and fill with compost. Sprinkle the appropriate grass seed on the compost, firm down, and then add a thin layer of compost on top. Water the spots well until reestablished.

Now, go out and play ball with your kid.