Oomkes Landscape Management

03/27/2026

09/08/2022

Now hiring! Looking for hard-working, conscientious people to join our team! Many positions open - full-time year round field service crew leader and crew members (mowing, edging, trimming, spring/fall-clean-up and winter snowplow work), part-time field service members (we work around college schedules), certified pesticide applicator and seasonal snow removal positions (again, we work around other jobs and school schedules). Full-time benefits include paid holidays, health and dental insurance and company matched simple ira plan. Please private message for more information or call the office at 616-541-4445 and ask for Amy. Thank you!

02/09/2019

We wanted to take a minute to publicly give a huge shoutout to our employees and their families. This past month our employees have worked, at times, almost around the clock to provide our customers with top-notch service through several snow events including a blizzard and three ice storms. This has meant many sleepless days and nights, many missed family events and meals, etc. While each of them knows what is involved in winter work, the past month has been extreme. Their willingness to do what needed to be done, sometimes after only a couple hours of sleep, is appreciated more than they will ever realize. It takes special people to do this kind of work, and that's what we have. So, a big thank you to our employees and their families! We could not have done it without you. Mark & Amy (ps, the video and picture attached were taken this morning by Chad and Mark - a little calm, beauty and encouragement after a crazy and chaotic few weeks. Photo in comments)

01/10/2019

*Dormant Pruning & It’s Benefits


While the winter weather here in Michigan doesn't always cooperate for completing a lot of dormant pruning, this winter really hasn’t been one for the record books. The milder weather this year has been allowing us to get this great service done for our customers who are signed up for it.

Dormant pruning usually occurs from late November through mid-March. Pruning in the winter has many benefits; During this time the plants enter their natural hibernation. This allows us to prune very extensively without jeopardizing the health of the plant. With the leaves and flowers being absent from the plants, it is much easier to see the plants overall form and structure. Dead and diseased branches are more apparent and easier to remove. Throughout the life of a woody plant, branches may grow in different directions and some branches may start to overlap. When this happens, the branches will start rubbing together causing open wounds that make easy entrances for diseases to enter the plant. Just like most woody plants, diseases and insects are also dormant and less active during the colder months. This gives the open wound created while pruning an opportunity to heal without the chance of an infestation by harmful pests and/or diseases.

The most common reason homeowners and site managers have their plants pruned is to reduce or maintain the plant’s size and shape. Pruning stimulates growth while increasing flowers and fruit come spring. Another benefit is to remove branches that may be interfering and/or obstructing walkways, windows, buildings, and other plants. Routine pruning helps cut back fast-growing shoots, suckers and sprouts, and controls the plant’s growth. If pruning is not done regularly, you may hamper the plant’s growth and encourage it to grow in all the wrong places. A plant may be “thinned” while dormant, this opens the canopy and allows air and light to circulate: As much as one-third of the plant may be removed.

-Chad G.

01/10/2019

Team Spotlight:

Chad Gapczynski – Field Services Manager. Last year we were thrilled to welcome Chad back. Previously he had worked for OLM before beginning school at Michigan State University where he graduated from the Sports and Commercial Turf Grass Management program in 2014. After graduating from MSU, Chad spent the 2014 season with the Detroit Tigers where he was a grounds crew assistant. In 2015 he accepted the Head Groundskeeper position with the West Michigan Whitecaps where he spent the next two seasons. He returns to us with invaluable field management experience that will benefit our customers immensely. Chad does not manage the turf care and mowing crews just from the office, but rather is out in the field working with the crews, meeting with customers and making sure our customer’s turf is healthy and thriving. In the winter you will find him plowing, salting and managing the sidewalk crews.

Chad will be posting informative articles about turf and landscape care on our page in the upcoming months. His first post will come later today so stay tuned!

07/19/2018

Interesting article from MSU about the drought conditions and lawns. Hopefully we will get some rain this weekend!

Michigan State University Extension applies research from MSU to help Michigan residents solve everyday problems in agriculture, community development, nutrition, family finances, youth development and more.

05/31/2018

This month we were able to celebrate Bethany's work anniversary! 7 years! Bethany started working for us when she was in high school and has been a valuable part of our team ever since. As a mowing crew leader, it's a busy time of year for her and her crew. Below is a sampling of the fine work that they do!

05/03/2018

This week we celebrate the work anniversary of Brad and Cindy! Brad has been with us since 2014. The majority of the time you will find him working on landscape installs, renovations, and hardscape projects; however, because of his mowing skills creating those coveted stripes, we do have him mowing on occasion as well. In the winter, he is one of our expert tractor/snowblower operators.

Cindy has been with us since 2016 although we have personally known her much longer. Not only is she the friendly voice you hear when you call our office but she skillfully handles our billing and assists with contracts and a multitude of other tasks as well.

A good occasion to celebrate!

04/12/2018

Turf Talk with Cody –
We have been getting a few calls recently from customers wondering when we will be applying the first round of fertilizer and crab grass preventative. Some have seen their neighbor’s lawn being done recently and some just think it’s time because it’s April. This is a good question. For the answer, we turn to Cody, the leader of our turf care group. We typically do not start our first applications until late April/early May. Why? Short answer: Sustainability. Grass that is not actively growing is also not actively absorbing nutrients. When fertilizers are applied with ground temps too low and grasses not growing, most of the nutrients applied wash away with rain and melting snow. These nutrients end up in storm drains, ground water and water sheds. This is not only detrimental to the environment but also is a waste of money.
In addition, soil temperatures are far too cold right now for crabgrass pre-emergent to be effective. Crabgrass pre-emergent has a limited life. If it is applied to early, it won’t be effective. And with the cold temperatures we have been having, it will be quite some time before it is warm enough for crabgrass to germinate. So this too has the potential of being washed into storm drains, ground water, etc.
Today makes us hopeful that spring weather is right around the corner (after the chance of freezing rain this weekend!). Hold on just a bit longer for your fertilizer and crab grass applications. We will be there before you know it.
Please feel free to call the office (616-541-4445) if you have any questions or would like to talk turf care with Cody. If you are not already on our spring schedule, we are only a phone call away.

04/03/2018

Bethany’s Blog:
This morning I would like to give a little glimpse of what we do in the “off-season” to prepare for spring and summer (in between snowfalls that is!). As crew members, we have attended several workshops this winter to further our knowledge about the products we use and how to use these products in a safe and effective way. The majority of the classes we attended dealt with pesticides, herbicides, and innovations in agronomics (soil science/plant genetics). Agronomics is basically learning what product works best with the soil in each area. We learned the benefits of using some organic material and how to lighten the appearance of unwanted weeds from popping up in the beds. These classes also counted for credits for each of our pesticide/spray licenses. It is important to keep up on credits not only to keep our license, but so we can continue to learn about products and how use them in a safe and effective manner.

The next set of classes was attended by Brad, one of our landscape/hardscape installers. They dealt mainly with hardscapes. These are the retaining walls or nice paver-patios in your backyard and front walkway. He learned about the latest cutting-edge technology and products, some which are salt-resistant and the color does not fade. The training and information in these installation classes will lead to more product knowledge and more efficient installs, giving our customers a great product that will last for all of those summer backyard barbecues!

The final seminar we attended was led by some of Michigan's finest state troopers. They taught us how to be safer on the roads for us as drivers and for you as fellow motorists driving around us. They instructed us how to properly strap down our equipment and to tarp our loads which leads to safer trips up and down the roads.

At Oomkes, we believe that having knowledge in these areas will not only benefit us as employees, but also you as customers. The more knowledge we have, the safer and more efficient we can be for you.