Keeping It Green - Lawn Care and Landscaping Blog

The summer of 2007 brought a nasty drought to the Cincinnati area, which resulted in a lot of dead trees. We were sad to see so many of them die, and then the Hurricane force winds of Ike in September 2008 swept through and “helped” bring some of those trees down.

It’s hard to watch a tree die when you think of all those years spent growing tall and providing beauty and shade. And the refreshing smell of pine wafting through the air on a summer day reminds me of camping in the mountains and sleeping among the pines as a kid. And a little part of me just wishes that it would come back to life, but I know better. And looking around the neighborhood, we all come to the realization that it’s time to clean up those dead trees and make room for new life.

So today, in Springfield Township, some neighbors joined together and hired Keeping It Green to take down those dead trees. Aside from the fact that it’s kind of fun getting together with the neighbors on a beautiful sunny afternoon, this type of community tree service saves us all a little green in the process.

Keeping It Green is happy to offer multi-family discounts for tree services, and other similar services. It saves us money to rent the equipment for multiple jobs, so we’re happy to pass that savings along to our customers. After all, who doesn’t want to save a few bucks these days?

You might be looking at your trees and wondering how the heck you’re going to get that thing down. And after last year, you’re probably more scared than usual that some high winds will blow that sucker on to your home and cause some damage. That’s where we come in. We’ve got the equipment and the skills to get to some pretty high trees and bring them down without damaging your property. And once the tree is down, we can remove the stump too.

Now let’s talk about how we can work together to “Keep It Green”. First of all, removing that dead tree is sad, but it’s necessary. That dead tree isn’t doing anyone any good. It’s an eye sore and it’s a hazard because it’s just standing there, waiting for a wind or some soft soil to loosen its roots and fall. But look at it like this: it’s free firewood, drying and curing and waiting to be cut up! So we’ll take down that tree and cut up some nice firewood to keep you warm this winter and help you save on your heating bill. But we don’t stop there. What about that big open space? Well, plant another tree! We like Fast Growing Trees Nursery as a great option to plant something that will grow fast and fill up that space with a lush, beautiful tree.

So if you’re looking around your neighborhood and notice some dead trees, knock on your neighbor’s door, or holler across the fence, and ask them if they want a discount on taking down those dead trees. We’ll be happy to help!

So I’ve started a garden this year and the first sunny day, the birds were out there, perched on my neatly piled rows of dirt, picking away at the seeds I had just planted. Obviously standing watch 24-7 is not an option. As much as I love that garden, I do have a life and somehow being a real live scarecrow wasn’t sounding like my life’s calling.

Next thought? Ooh! Let’s make a scarecrow! But that was quickly thwarted by thoughts of finding clothes to stuff, something to stuff them with… this was starting to sound like more trouble than I was willing to deal with. So what did I do? I Googled “how to keep birds out of my garden.” And I might have slipped in a keyword or two about an eco friendly option. Hey, that’s what I do.

I read all sorts of home remedies from hanging aluminum pie plates to windchimes, to something shiny in the trees. I reminded myself that not everything you read on the internet is true, and decided to conduct a little experiment of my own. This could be interesting.

I gathered from the things I had read that some sort of unexpected or unexplained motion is what keeps the birds at bay. But even then, my little feathered friends are apparently quite smart and can eventually learn that the object is not harmful and they come back for more. Add to that my penchant for being environmentally concious, and what did I come up with? Hang CD’s in the trees.

Just about everyone has a stack of CDs laying around the house that are in need of some repurposing. Whether it’s those AOL CDs, a video game that you defeated, or driver installation CDs (you know you can always download the most recent drivers for anything online), you’ve probably got a few laying around the house. Tie some string on them and hang them in a nearby tree. If there are no trees around your garden, hang them from a stick perched on the corner of two fence posts. Or get creative and construct yourself something to hang a CD from. The idea is to get it into a location where the CD can sway and twirl freely in the breeze. The reflection from the sun and the random motion from the shifting wind casts random shadows and reflections on the garden.

Shown above: a perfect example of a CD wonderfully repurposed as a Bird Scarer. Courtesy of Flickr photostream by Gilgongo.

I have a magnolia tree close to my garden. I put three CD’s in the tree and it actually looked kind of decorative as well. Better than a tin pie plate that’s for sure. I haven’t seen a bird in my garden yet, and I’ve got a few things sprouting so I count this one as a success! I haven’t had to move the CD’s yet either because the wind seems to keep them swinging randomly enough that the birds haven’t figured it out yet.

So for now, I’m keeping the birds away and repurposing some old garbage. It’s a win-win! Well, for everyone except the birds. Do you have any eco-friendly home remedies that have worked for keeping the birds away? If so, share with us! I might need a back up plan if they get wise to my CD tricks.

We headed out to the Cincinnati Home and Garden Show last Sunday and came away with some great new ideas in landscape design as well as an abundance of information on eco-friendly products and services.

One of my favorites was the Dixie Chopper propane powered lawn mower. Aside from the fact that this thing just looks cool with it’s two giant propane tanks strapped to the side of the mower, the benefits are amazing. Propane burns cleaner, so not only is it better for the environment, but it also means less oil changes, cleaner engine, less maintenance costs. I was told that the two tanks of propane will last for about 9 hours and this machine cuts about 9.2 acres per hour.

The price tag was a little steep at a whopping $11,000, so of course I suggested the opportunity of a sponsorship. Well, it got a good laugh. And it doesn’t hurt to ask, right? So the Dixie Chopper guy gave me his card and suggested I call the 800 number and give it a try.  Maybe I’ll do that. Not sure if they want to donate an $11,000 mower to little old Keeping It Green in Cincinnati Ohio, but maybe business will be good to me this year.

This whole thing started me thinking about propane conversion kits. So I Googled it. And they’re out there… with a slightly lower price tag, and an excuse to go build something new in the garage. And if that doesn’t work out, there’s always the diesel powered engines which will take bio-diesel. And just my luck… I know how to make bio-diesel.

So, the saga of the greener mower continues. We’ll keep you updated as we find a way to make our mowers greener! Where’s that can of green spray paint? I have an idea…

‘Til next time… Keep it green!

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Talk to you again real soon!