Top Tips For Grounds Maintenance | Blog | GMCB Ltd

Whether you have 200 acres or 200 square metres to look after, grounds maintenance can be a daunting task. The seasons are likely your biggest enemy with the summer always a few weeks too short. There are a few steps that you can take to make the management of your land that little bit easier. Put it this way, you can at least avoid those sleepless nights and horrendously early starts from time to time.

Ground maintenance is essential. There are no two ways about it. Having a fair amount of land comes with its responsibilities and if you let it go it will quickly take control. Regaining land once it has been left to its own devices for too long is extremely challenging. The key is to stay on top of it. To do this though you’ll need to know the warning signs and how to deal with them. So, what are some helpful tips for grounds maintenance?

Maintain your lawn

Your grass may seem like the one staple of your land. The one area which inevitably, will

remain constant throughout. This however is far from the truth. Lawns are in fact incredibly fragile environments and without the right care and treatment, you could cause lasting damage. Weeds for example, if left ignored, will run riot on your lawn leaving bare patches and damaged soil. Regaining an even distribution of healthy grass after weeds have been left can be an extremely challenging task.

The first thing you should do is feed your grass. We know this might sound a little odd but applying grass feed to your lawn will vastly improve its colour and thickness. The second step is perhaps a little more obvious. Weed your lawn. Removing the weeds will immeasurably improve the aesthetic of your land and help your grass stay healthy for longer.

Of course, it almost goes without saying that you should keep your grass mowed and short. However, this doesn't just have a cosmetic benefit it will also improve the health of your grass. When each blade is smaller it allows sunlight to reach every area of your lawn, reducing the risk of bare patches.

Land clearance

We’ve all been in the frustrating position of trying to battle that stubborn patch of bramble you’ve been meaning to remove for the past year. Whether it's brambles, rhododendrons, shrubs, or hedges, thick vegetation can be a nightmare for your land. Not only does it vastly reduce the overall look of your garden but it also poses a serious risk to the health of the environment. Dense shrubbery is a magnet for pests. Badgers, foxes, or even rats love to make these areas their home. If you’ve got livestock or have people regularly using your land it's imperative you clear these shrubbery patches to maintain the safety and health of the area.

Shrubbery can also reduce the amount of light and moisture plants around it have access to. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to find the areas around thick shrubland to be tired and lifeless, so you should do all you can to clear it.

There are many ways you can clear shrubland but one of the most reliable techniques is to hire a team of commercial ground maintenance personnel. Using a professional team means you’ll benefit from all of the industrial-scale equipment they can bring to the party. So, the job will get done faster and more efficiently.

Tree surgery

If you’ve got a reasonably large patch of land the chances are there are a fair few trees dotted around. Admittedly trees can seem like the one constant of any environment, they seem to change very little and require hardly any maintenance. However, trees that are left ignored can cause catastrophic issues in the future. After all, large trees can be extremely dangerous and damaging to their surroundings. There are many different methods tree surgeons might use to maintain your tree but what are they?

Crown thinning

The crown is the part of the tree that holds leaves and creates the general shape of a tree. If left ignored this section can become incredibly problematic. Crown thinning reduces the density of the tree and allows for light to pass through the outer section. This will drastically improve the tree's overall health, making it safer for longer.

Crown reduction

Essentially this is just a more extreme version of crown thinning. The technique is usually used when trees have been damaged in storms or need to be reduced to avoid cables or existing structures.

Crown lifting

This process involves removing the lowest-lying branches which in turn lifts the natural crown of the tree. The technique is most commonly used when the tree is obstructing a walkway or area where vehicles often manoeuvre.

Pollarding

This technique is one of the more precise and intricate processes within tree surgery and is used often when a tree has become too large. Tree surgeons will carefully remove small branches and shoots from the tree which will reshape the crown and provide more light to the inner branches. Pollarding is usually carried out once a year in order to maintain the shape and health of the tree.

Tree lopping

This is one of the more rudimentary forms of tree work and involves simply removing specific branches from the tree. This technique is common when groundsmen find branches that are damaged or dead and thus pose a risk to those using the land.

Tree felling

Perhaps one of the more obvious terms on this list, tree feeling is the process of completely removing a tree. This can be achieved in two ways. Either cutting the trunk at ground level and letting the entire tree fall at once, or precisely dismantling the tree in sections. The latter method is mainly used if the area in which the tree resides is tight or nearby valuable assets.

Tree stump removal

Sometimes when a tree is felled the stump is left behind for some time. In most cases, it is usually best to remove this as the stump can attract pests or cause an obstruction. A team of tree surgeons will usually have a stump remover and can easily remove leftover stumps on your land.

Tree surgery is clearly an extremely important part of your land's maintenance. After all, they’re usually the most prominent things around. One thing’s for sure if you allow your trees to grow out of control or leave them unmaintained they can cause havoc later down the line. 

Slope and embankment mowing

If you have a large area of land to look after the chances are you’ve got some pretty steep slopes or embankments somewhere. If this is the case I’m sure you’re well aware of the frustrations of maintaining the lawn and shrubbery on these steep slopes. Mowing these patches of lawn can be extremely hard work not to mention incredibly dangerous. One slip or over-extension with the mower can easily mean lasting muscle damage and as a groundskeeper that’s the last thing you need.

It would be prudent then to hire a professional team to tackle your steep slopes and embankments. After all, they have incredible modern equipment that can easily tackle the steepest of hills.

One of these amazing bits of kit is a remote control flail mower. This hyper-modern lawn mower can be controlled using a wireless remote so there's no need for anyone to stand on the slope. What’s more, these nifty little things can handle up to 60 degrees of angle, so no hill will ever be too steep.

Commercial pressure washing

The likelihood is that you’ve got a patch of concrete or decking somewhere that’s needed a good clean for a while now. We’ve all been there and sometimes it's just not on the top of your priority list. So, before you know it, the job is a day's work. That’s why it’s often best to hire a professional team to pressure wash your surfaces. This way you’ll know for sure that all of the mould, dust, and mud will be removed in full.

There you have it, some top tips for groundskeeping and maintenance. Sometimes the jobs you need to do are just too big to handle on your own. When this happens you’ll know it's time to call in the professionals. If that's the case now, or you’d like some advice on anything, contact us today!