Attractively designed, healthy, and well-maintained lawns, gardens, and grounds create a positive impression, establish a peaceful mood, and increase property values. Grounds maintenance workers perform the variety of tasks necessary to achieve a pleasant and functional outdoor environment. They also care for indoor gardens and plantings in commercial and public facilities, such as malls, hotels, and botanical gardens.
These workers use handtools such as shovels, rakes, pruning and handsaws, hedge and brush trimmers, and axes, as well as power lawnmowers, chain saws, snowblowers, and electric clippers. Some use equipment such as tractors and twin-axle vehicles. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers at parks, schools, cemeteries, and golf courses may lay sod after preparing the ground. Workers at sod farms use sod cutters to harvest sod that will be replanted elsewhere.
Grounds maintenance workers can be divided into landscaping workers and groundskeeping workers, depending on whether they mainly install new landscape elements or maintain existing ones, but their duties often overlap. Other grounds maintenance workers are pesticide handlers and tree trimmers.
Landscaping workers install plants and other elements into landscaped areas and often maintain them. They might mow, edge, trim, fertilize, dethatch, water, and mulch lawns and grounds many times during the growing season. They grade property by creating or smoothing hills and inclines, install lighting or sprinkler systems, and build walkways, terraces, patios, decks, and fountains. They also transport and plant new vegetation, and transplant, mulch, fertilize, and water existing plants, trees, and shrubs. A growing number of residential and commercial clients, such as managers of office buildings, shopping malls, multiunit residential buildings, and hotels and motels, favor full-service landscape maintenance.
Groundskeeping workers, also called groundskeepers, usually focus on maintaining existing grounds. They might work on athletic fields, golf courses, cemeteries, university campuses, and parks. In addition to caring for sod, plants, and trees, they rake and mulch leaves, clear snow from walkways and parking lots, and use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and prevent waste. They see to the proper upkeep and repair of sidewalks, parking lots, groundskeeping equipment, pools, fountains, fences, planters, and benches.
Groundskeeping workers who care for athletic fields keep natural and artificial turf in top condition, mark out boundaries, and paint turf with team logos and names before events. They must make sure that the underlying soil on fields with natural turf has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses used on the field. Groundskeeping workers mow, water, fertilize, and aerate the fields regularly. In sports venues, they vacuum and disinfect synthetic turf after its use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria, and they remove the turf and replace the cushioning pad periodically.
Groundskeepers in parks and recreation facilities care for lawns, trees, and shrubs; maintain playgrounds; clean buildings; and keep parking lots, picnic areas, and other public spaces free of litter. They also may erect and dismantle snow fences, and maintain swimming pools. These workers inspect buildings and equipment, make needed repairs, and keep everything freshly painted.
Workers who maintain golf courses are called greenskeepers. Greenskeepers do many of the same things as other groundskeepers, but they also periodically relocate the holes on putting greens to prevent uneven wear of the turf and to add interest and challenge to the game. Greenskeepers also keep canopies, benches, ball washers, and tee markers repaired and freshly painted.
Some groundskeepers specialize in caring for cemeteries and memorial gardens. They dig graves to specified depths, generally using a backhoe. They mow grass regularly, apply fertilizers and other chemicals, prune shrubs and trees, plant flowers, and remove debris from graves.
Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation mix herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides and apply them through sprays, dusts, or vapors into the soil or onto plants. Those working for chemical lawn service firms are more specialized, inspecting lawns for problems and applying fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals to stimulate growth and prevent or control weeds, diseases, or insect infestation. Many practice integrated pest-management techniques.
Tree trimmers and pruners cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to clear roads, sidewalks, or utilities' equipment or to improve the appearance, health, and value of trees. Some of these workers also specialize in pruning, trimming and shaping ornamental trees and shrubs for private residences, golf courses, or other institutional grounds. Tree trimmers and pruners use handsaws, pole saws, shears, and clippers. When trimming near power lines, they usually work on truck-mounted lifts and use power pruners.
Supervisors of landscaping and groundskeeping workers oversee grounds maintenance work. They prepare cost estimates, schedule work for crews on the basis of weather conditions or the availability of equipment, perform spot checks to ensure the quality of the service, and suggest changes in work procedures. In addition, supervisors train workers in their tasks; keep employees' time records and record work performed; and even assist workers when deadlines are near. Supervisors who own their own business are also known as landscape contractors. They also often call themselves landscape designers if they create landscape design plans. Landscape designers also design exterior floral displays by planting annual or perennial flowers. Some work with landscape architects. Supervisors of workers on golf courses are known as superintendents.
Supervisors of tree trimmers and pruners are called arborists. Arborists specialize in the care of individual trees, diagnosing and treating tree diseases and recommending preventative health measures. Some arborists plant trees. Most can recommend types of trees that are appropriate for a specific location, as the wrong tree in the wrong location could lead to future problems with crowding, insects, diseases, or poor growth.
Arborists are employed by cities to improve urban green space, utilities to maintain power distribution networks, companies to care for residential and commercial properties, as well as many other settings.
Work environment. Many grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal, available mainly in the spring, summer, and fall, when most planting, mowing, trimming, and cleanup are necessary. Most of the work is performed outdoors in all kinds of weather. It can be physically demanding and repetitive, involving much bending, lifting, and shoveling. Workers in landscaping and groundskeeping may be under pressure to get the job completed, especially when they are preparing for scheduled events such as athletic competitions.
Those who work with pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals, as well as dangerous equipment and tools such as power lawnmowers, chain saws, and power clippers, must exercise safety precautions. Workers who use motorized equipment must take care to protect their hearing.
| 1. | Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety. |
| 2. | Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements. |
| 3. | Direct activities of workers who perform duties such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs. |
| 4. | Schedule work for crews depending on work priorities, crew and equipment availability, and weather conditions. |
| 5. | Plant and maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, and pruning. |
| 6. | Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained. |
| 7. | Train workers in tasks such as transplanting and pruning trees and shrubs, finishing cement, using equipment, and caring for turf. |
| 8. | Provide workers with assistance in performing duties as necessary to meet deadlines. |
| 9. | Inventory supplies of tools, equipment, and materials to ensure that sufficient supplies are available and items are in usable condition. |
| 10. | Confer with other supervisors to coordinate work activities with those of other departments or units. |
| 11. | Perform personnel-related activities such as hiring workers, evaluating staff performance, and taking disciplinary actions when performance problems occur. |
| 12. | Direct or perform mixing and application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides. |
| 13. | Review contracts or work assignments to determine service, machine, and workforce requirements for jobs. |
| 14. | Maintain required records such as personnel information and project records. |
| 15. | Prepare and maintain required records such as work activity and personnel reports. |
| 16. | Order the performance of corrective work when problems occur, and recommend procedural changes to avoid such problems. |
| 17. | Identify diseases and pests affecting landscaping, and order appropriate treatments. |
| 18. | Investigate work-related complaints in order to verify problems, and to determine responses. |
| 19. | Direct and assist workers engaged in the maintenance and repair of equipment such as power tools and motorized equipment. |
| 20. | Install and maintain landscaped areas, performing tasks such as removing snow, pouring cement curbs, and repairing sidewalks. |
| 21. | Perform administrative duties such as authorizing leaves and processing time sheets. |
| 22. | Recommend changes in working conditions or equipment use, in order to increase crew efficiency. |
| 23. | Confer with managers and landscape architects to develop plans and schedules for landscaping maintenance and improvement. |
| 24. | Negotiate with customers regarding fees for landscaping, lawn service, or groundskeeping work. |
| 25. | Answer inquiries from current or prospective customers regarding methods, materials, and price ranges. |
| 26. | Prepare service estimates based on labor, material, and machine costs, and maintain budgets for individual projects. |
| 27. | Tour grounds such as parks, botanical gardens, cemeteries, or golf courses to inspect conditions of plants and soil. |
| 28. | Design and supervise the installation of sprinkler systems, calculating water pressure, and valve and pipe coverage needs. |
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