Today, we applied microbial foods and biology to the soil that supports your lawn. The soil is a living breathing place with air, water and billions of micro-organisms breaking things down and building things up. The organisms may go dormant in the heat, but when they wake up, they’ll have a refreshing snack waiting to spark them up. As it cools, the microscopic creatures get busy and all hell breaks loose. The leaves grab sunlight, making food for the roots which pass it on to the biology. And all is green and well in the little slice of earth that is your lawn.

The creatures below the surface don’t make a lot of noise. At least that I can hear. I can hear the whine and screech of a gas powered blower on an otherwise serene and peaceful Saturday morning. That is one reason we switched to an all eclectric fleet of lawnmowers and blowers.

Of course, it’s cleaner (I wish we had solar panels). We don’t have to lug around oil and gas cans. And customers and their neighbors really appreciate it.

It’s not easy being on the cutting edge. When we started a few years ago, the technology just wasn’t there. The batteries didn’t last. We had electrical problems. The machines were weak and didn’t have the power to do the job. Well, the world has changed for the better. We bought a gigantic new electric mower this year that glides noiselessly through heavy grass like a three masted schooner through the gentle ocean waves. The batteries last all day.The guys were hesitant at first to embrace the new technology, but as the equipment got better, so did their enthusiasm. I mean, they are the ones trying to get the job done.

A happy grass plant needs plenty of leaf surface to do what it does best, wave in the breeze and capture sunlight. The lawn wants to perform photosynthesis, make food and grow deep roots. Leaving the clippings helps as well, providing nitrogen for the plant, food for the earthworms and a barrier to crab grass.