Get To Know Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape

We talk a lot about our services and our company, but we think it's important that you get to know us as people, and as a family too.  I always like to know who it is that I am working with when I hire a contractor to do any work at our home, or on our property.  We are huge advocates of supporting local contractors, and our community economy. 

Our President:

Andy Bailey was born and raised in Jackson, MI more specifically in Vandercook Lake.  He is a VCL alumni, having graduated in 1996.  In 1998 he married his wife of 15 years, Courtney (Alldaffer) Bailey, and they continue to live in the Vandercook Lake area with their three children. Jordon age 15, Logan age 12, and Brianna age 10. 

Andrew has held many managerial and sales positions over the course of his career, and has spent more than 12 years in the building and construction trades industry.  He was a top earning outside sales representative for Building Supply of Jackson from August 2000 until the company was sold to Siding World at which time he was selected for store management, where he further developed his skills in customer service and sales.

In 2007, Andy created Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape.  He created a company with a cause, driven to provide the best customer service and the highest quality of work to all of our customers.  Andy also committed Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape to a high level of community improvement and involvement, sponsoring little league ball teams, 4H organizations, and local Relay For Life Events.

In an effort to provide a wide range of services, Andrew Bailey completed his training and licensing as a builder for the State of Michigan, and became a member of the Jackson MI Home Builders Association in 2011. Andrew continues to look for new ways to become the best lawn and landscape company for any outdoor services needed, whether residential or commercial.  With the support of his family and community he will continue to grow a wonderful community business, that we all can be proud of.

Check out our website for more information, or follow us on facebook, and twitter! Thank you for your support, we appreciate it!

Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape
517-945-1204
www.greenersolutionslawn.com

Seasonal Lawn Care Tips

There are many steps that can be taken to help prepare and your yard and garden throughout the year for the change in seasons. Many people think of this in terms of the late fall season, and preparing your lawn and garden for the harshness of the winter cold and snow.  However, preparing your lawn for the growing season is equally as important.

I spoke briefly about de-thatching techniques in an earlier post and this is the first step in preparing your lawn.  Coupled with aeration your off to a great start.

Aeration is technique used to remove "plugs" of grass and deep thatch from your lawn. Each portion removed is anywhere from 1/2inch to 1 1/2inch in depth; depending on the equipments used to do the job.  The removal of these bits of grass, thatch and tight roots; allows water, air, and fertilizer to get deep to the remaining roots and ultimately creates healthier, stronger, greener grass to grow. 

As a quick tip for fall preparation that will help with these steps later, make sure to trim your grass to about two inches the late fall season.  This will help prevent deep thatch from developing over winter.  If your grass was quite long at the end of the season, you may end up with bald spots, fungus, and grass mold. Long grasses in the fall are breeding grounds for rodents too, like field mice. Mice can be particularly damaging to your lawn during the fall and early winter as they feed on the surface root systems of your lawn.

Once your lawn has been de-thatched, and aerated, allow the young grass shoots to grow out before cutting for the first time.  Grass should get to an initial height of 3-4 inches before trimming for the first time.  Then for the first 2-3 trimmings remove only 1/4-1/2 inch at a time.  Cutting too much, too soon, too fast can shock the grass and cause it to die! It's easy to forget that grass is alive, and can be easily damaged by "rough" care. 

After two or three regular trimmings, you can apply your first treatment of consumer grade fertilizer, and seed your lawn if needed.

If you want regular; worry free lawn care, and property maintenance consider hiring a professional many services are much more affordable than you may think.  Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape hires and trains top quality individuals to know the best techniques for seasonal lawn maintenance. Let us take the work and worry out of caring for your lawn. Call today for a FREE, no obligation consultation.



Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape
www.greenersolutionslawn.com
517-945-1204

The Benefits Of Attending Your Local Home Expo

Spring is nearly here and it's time to start your annual home improvement wish list.  I love this time of year it inspires me to look at my home and property and look for opportunities to freshen things up, and make some changes!

There is no better place to become inspired than at your local Home Expo!  These home and garden shows are a great way for area homeowners to meet local contractors, interior design experts, and lawn and landscape companies. As well as learn about the newest trends for home improvement, and how to make those ideas a reality in your own home. Finally, these shows are entertaining, the companies and vendors who attend often put together unique interactive displays that are just fun to see and learn from.

The local home show can help you in selecting a great contractor. Finding the right company to take on your project is like choosing a doctor, this is someone you need to be able to trust to work in your best interests. Local home expo's are often times supported by your communities home builders association, so you can be rest assured that the contractors that you are meeting are quality, licensed contractors that you can trust.

A few tips to make the most of your Home Expo visit:

1.) If you have a specific project in  mind, bring some pictures or references for vendors so that everyone is on the same page
2.) Be open minded to the suggestions of the vendors, they are the experts!
3.) Be aware that many vendors may not provide pricing at the show but prefer to look first hand at the space and measure anything needed prior to giving any final price quotes for projects.
4.) The home expo is a busy place and you may have to wait to speak the representative, be prepared for short waits, the vendors try very hard to get to everyone.
5.) Be prepared to walk, Home Expo's are often held in large expo or convention centers that require a lot of walking.
6.) Have your calendar ready so you can schedule time for contractors to come out to prepare estimates if you have serious interest in getting your project started.

Now that you're fully prepared; come join us and the Jackson MI Home and Lifestyle Show, March 22-24 at the American One Fair Events Center! We'd love to discuss your ideas, and inspire you this spring!

Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape

Preparing For Spring

As we prepare for the start of a busy Spring season; I'm reminded of a few things that should be done on a seasonal basis for your lawn, gardens, and equipment.  Here are a few tips and reminders to prepare your outdoor living space this Spring.

1. Perform a quick maintenance on your mower in the spring.  Cold weather can effect the performance of your equipment and it's a good idea to take care of a few things before restarting your mower in the Spring. Change out spark plugs, oil and fuel filters.  Clean old clippings and leaves out from under the mower deck, and change the oil and fill with fresh gasoline before restarting.

2. Be patient with your lawn, it's not advisable to run out on the first warm day of Spring and attack your lawn.  It's been dormant for an entire season and starting lawn care too early can risk damaging the new grass shoots, causing bald spots to develop in your lawn. 

3. When you do start your lawn care regimen start with raking, or de-thatching.  Removal of dead grasses from past seasons can help aerate the upper crust of the soil and allow new grass shoots to flourish.

The thatch is the old dry grass remaining from previous seasons

Commercial de-thatchers pull the dead grass out leaving only the bright green healthy shoots

4. If you find a lot of areas that are not soft when walking, or are compacted from heavy snow; you can try aeration. This is a service that we recommend you have done by professional, improper aeration techniques can cause more damage than good.  Compacted soils can be loosened with aeration and roots systems will be stronger if performed correctly.

5. If you know your lawn is prone to weed growth, Spring is a good time to consider applying consumer grade herbacides.  It's much easier to try to prevent the weeds from cropping up than to deal with them once they have taken root!

We hope these tips help you prepare for the spring lawn and garden season.  Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape can help too! We offer full scale lawn and landscape services including, de-thatching, aeration, grass seeding, and mowing. Call anytime for a free consultation.

Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn and Landscape
www.greenersolutionslawn.com
517-945-1204

Home Expo 2013

Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape is proud to be an active member of the Home Builders Association of Jackson MI.  Each year the Home Builders Association hosts a great event, The Home Expo, at the American One Events Center in Jackson MI.

We look forward to participating again this year, and  will be available for the full length of the event to answer any questions that you have, and help inspire you to make a few upgrades to your home and property this year.  Join us March 22-24th, 2013, at the Jackson County Fair grounds, fair events center.

Follow us on facebook, twitter, and pinterest for even more great ideas, and updates about upcoming events! We'll see you at the Expo!

Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn And Landscape

New Website

We are so proud to present to you our new website! www.greenersolutionslawn.com,  this new website provides an over view of our business, and services. We will stay committed to keeping you updated on weather conditions and upcoming events, and new innovative ways to enhance your property residential or commercial. Thank you, and enjoy the new website!

Andy and Courtney Bailey
Greener Solutions Lawn and Landscape