Greener Earth Organic LawnCare & Landscaping

06/16/2026

Garden appreciation at night.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17j2gsXQqw/

06/06/2026

Exerpt: In summery weather mow between 3" - 4" high. Skip when soil is dry (do screwdriver test). Water 1.5" per week.

Omitted: It's best to mow during the coolest hours of the day. And 1.5" watering rule includes *rainfall accumulation*

06/04/2026

Be careful and observant if white flat wildflowers are around you. 2 are poisonous.

Four plants in the same family. All have umbrella-shaped white flower clusters. All have divided feathery leaves. Three of them will hurt you in completely different ways.

🌿 The 3-second field check:

Is it taller than you with massive leaves? Giant hogw**d. The sap causes severe blistering burns when skin is exposed to sunlight afterward. Do not touch. Do not cut. Report to your county extension office.

Are the flowers yellow? Wild parsnip. Same phototoxic sap as giant hogw**d. Same burn risk. The yellow color is the diagnostic — if the umbrella flowers are yellow, don't touch any part of it.

Is the stem smooth with purple blotches? Poison hemlock. Crush a leaf — it smells musty, not like carrot. Toxic in every part of the plant. Grows in ditches and roadsides across the US.

Is the stem hairy with no blotches? Queen Anne's lace. Crush a leaf or root — it smells like carrot. Flat cluster that curls into a bird's nest shape as it dries. Not toxic.

🐾 The sequence: size first, then flower color, then stem, then smell. Four checks. Four answers.

When unsure, leave it. The safe one has a hairy stem and smells like carrot. Everything else gets distance 🌿

05/26/2026

Non-pesticide ways to control garden m pests.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14dDuvtwVn6/

Three garden pest control methods that get shared constantly and don't work. And five that do.

What doesn't work:

- Crushed eggshells for slugs — slugs crawl over them without slowing down. Good calcium for the soil. Useless as a barrier.

- Coffee grounds for ants — ants build nests in coffee grounds. Multiple gardeners confirm this in every comment section. Use them as soil amendment, not pest control.

- Citrus peels for cats — cats walk past them. The peels dry out in two days and become mulch.

🌿 What actually works:

- Strong water spray for aphids — a hard blast from the hose knocks them off. Most never return. Outperforms soap, garlic water, and every DIY mix.

- Beer traps for slugs — shallow dish sunk to soil level with cheap beer. Effective overnight. Three-foot radius per trap.

- Cutworm collars — a cardboard tube pushed one inch into soil around each transplant. By the time it decomposes, the stem is too thick to cut.

- Row cover at transplant — lightweight fabric over hoops prevents egg-laying entirely. Remove when flowers open.

- Five-minute morning patrol — hand-pick squash bugs and Japanese beetles before 9 AM when they're sluggish. Drop into soapy water.

The best pest control is the predator team already in the yard. The second best is a hose 🌿

05/13/2026

Here are the best mowing practices. Following these often *magnifies* the results.of my organic-based lawn feedings!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EHKrdbQ97/

10 mowing habits that destroy grass.
Full article 👇 💬

05/04/2026

Can You Plant Flowers In A Parkway Strip In Grand Rapids?

Before you landscape that curbside patch, here’s what the City of Grand Rapids wants you to know.

05/04/2026

The mulch the you select is more important than you think!
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CW4oLxP1E/

05/02/2026

On April 22, 1970, about 10% of the US population demonstrated on the very first Earth Day. Honestly, I was at the peak of Spring Rush and missed commemorating Earth Day with a special Fb posting. Hmm, an Earth-friendly and organic based lawn service no less!

Well finally.... Here is Walter Cronkite's editorial comment the nightly news on that first Earth Day in the US. Cronkite was widely considered to be the "most trusted man in America."

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EDSvQUUGk/

04/30/2026

Mulch -- it functions far more than for looks, for cooling the soil and for water retention.

The Mulch You Choose Is Changing Your Soil Underground 🪵
All mulch looks similar from above. Below the surface, the differences are dramatic — and the wrong choice can damage your soil biology for years.
Here is what each common mulch type actually does underground:
🪵 Wood chips — The best all-around mulch for permanent beds. As it breaks down slowly, it feeds the fungal networks in your soil that plants depend on for nutrient uptake. Apply 3–4 inches deep around trees, shrubs, and perennial beds.
🌾 Straw — Clean, lightweight, and excellent for vegetable gardens. It decomposes quickly and adds organic matter without the heavy wood-chip carbon load that can temporarily lock up nitrogen.
🍂 Shredded leaves — The most underrated mulch in any American yard. Free, available every autumn, and the single best thing you can add to soil health. Run your mower over collected leaves and apply immediately.
⬛ Black plastic sheeting — Marketed as a w**d suppressor and it does work, but it prevents rainfall from reaching roots, heats soil to damaging temperatures in summer, and kills the beneficial soil organisms that make your garden productive. Avoid using it in any living garden bed.
🪨 Gravel and stone — Appropriate for pathways and drainage areas, not for plant health. It reflects heat upward onto plant stems, provides zero nutritional value to the soil, and creates a permanently inhospitable environment for soil life.

04/30/2026

Lilac shrubs bloom before long, but did you know that snipping the flowers for vases kicks in a survival skill?

The lilac's response to cutting runs deeper than simple regrowth. When you harvest those fragrant clusters, the plant interprets this as browsing pressure from large herbivores. Its survival instinct kicks in, redirecting energy from root expansion into reproductive overdrive. The cut triggers dormant buds along each stem to activate, forming the framework for multiple flower clusters where there was once just one. This ancient defense mechanism explains why wild lilacs in deer country often bloom more profusely than protected garden specimens. Your pruning shears mimic what elk and moose have been doing for millennia. The more you cut during peak bloom, the more the plant commits to flowering as its primary survival strategy. What feels like taking becomes giving back. [XMDF4]