The novel “Greener Than You Think” by Ward Moore was published for the first time in 1947.

Albert Weener answered a job advertisement by Josephine Spencer Francis, a scientist who invented the Metamorphizer, a kind of fertilizer that allows a plant to grow in any condition without the need for other fertilizers. At this stage of development, the Metamorphizer works only with grass species such as devilgrass, scientifically known as Cynodon dactylon.

Weener, who works as a salesman without much success, manages to sell a dose of Metamorphizer with the result that the devilgrass in the garden where it was applied starts growing practically before their eyes. Any attempt to stop the growth fails and the grass starts spreading out of control.