Blog Contributed by David West
Blog Contributed By: David West
While many people just assume that grass and landscaping simply goes away to hibernate like the bears during the winter months, this is not necessarily the case. Although winter may be a time when weekly commercial landscape maintenance work is reduced, it is nevertheless a good idea to get the property and grounds in shape to ride out the harsh weather months and be ready to go again in the spring.
One of the most important commercial landscape maintenance tasks to be accomplished before the ice, snow or harsh temperatures arrive is to drain and blow out the pipes in the sprinkler system. Burst pipes are never any fun and they can be quite costly to fix. There are some instances when insurance will not cover the damages if the outdoor spigots are not properly covered or secured for winter. Be sure to check in with your insurance agent so you understand the terms of your coverage.
Leaving the grass long and covered with leaves or other items can lead to dead spots when the seasons turn. Raking leaves and cleaning up will help prevent dead spots from emerging. Wait until late winter to administer a shorter than usual cut, leaving the grass clean and short. After mowing, give the grass a dose of fertilizer to get it through the late winter months. Fertilizers high in phosphorus and potassium help to build the micro and macro nutrients back into the soil that have been lost and stimulate root development, ensuring your grass has a solid foundation to “grow on” in the spring.
Before the ice comes to visit is also the time to do some landscape maintenance on the rockwork and concrete. Seal up any cracks or holes so that ice does not freeze inside them and further degrade the stone work.
Where possible, bring picnic tables, barbecues and other outdoor furniture in employee break areas inside for the winter. Weather damage to these items may not be instantly observable but it is cumulative and can significantly reduce the service life of these items.
There are many commercial landscape maintenance companies that offer winterization specials that will carry out the bulk of these duties for an extremely affordable price. For additional information about commercial grounds maintenance winterization, check out our website and visit our blog!
David West is not only a manager on the landscape maintenance, installation and turf management team of Great Estates Landscaping, he is also an avid outdoorsman and enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible.