Latest Blog
Pet-Safe Weed Killer: What That Actually Means
THE SHORT ANSWER “Pet safe” is a marketing phrase, not a regulated category. What is enforceable is the label’s re-entry interval — and for most lawn herbicides that means keeping animals off until the treatment …
Best Grass for Shade: What Survives Under a Tree
THE SHORT ANSWER Fine fescues are the most shade-tolerant lawn grasses, with turf-type tall fescue close behind and St. Augustine the best of the warm-season options. But extension guidance is consistent that below about four …
Plants That Repel Mosquitoes: What the Evidence Shows
THE SHORT ANSWER Sitting in a pot, almost nothing. The repellent compounds in citronella, lavender and scented geraniums are locked in the leaf and only released when it is crushed. A meta-analysis of 62 studies …
No-See-Ums: Identifying the Bites and Stopping Them
THE SHORT ANSWER A no-see-um is a biting midge — a fly in the genus Culicoides, often smaller than a millimetre. They breed in damp soil and rotting organic matter rather than standing water, and …
Cicada Killer Wasp: Huge, Alarming, Mostly Harmless
THE SHORT ANSWER No. The cicada killer hovering in your face and diving at you is a male, and males have no stinger — the behaviour is entirely bluff. Only females can sting, and they …
Homemade Weed Killer: What Actually Works
THE SHORT ANSWER Household vinegar at 5% acetic acid kills seedlings with one or two leaves and very little else. It is a contact herbicide — it burns what it touches and never reaches the …
A Tree Fell on a House: Who Pays, and What to Do First
When a tree fell on a house, whose tree it was usually doesn’t decide who pays. The rule most US states apply, and the documentation that decides your claim.
Why Gutters Overflow — and What It’s Damaging While You Wait
Gutters overflow for six different reasons and cleaning only fixes one. How to tell which you have, and what the water is doing while you wait.
Squirrels in the Attic: Why Sealing the Hole Makes It Worse
Squirrels in the attic chew wiring and nest in spring. Why the order of removal and sealing matters more than the method, and what real exclusion includes.