Summer grounds maintenance is not just about enhancing the visual appeal of your property, it’s an important part of preventive care that your grounds need over the warmer months. A commercial grounds care plan aims to prevent overgrowth from causing safety concerns on your property.
Your grounds need a carefully planned regime that prepares your grounds for the rest of the year, ensuring they are healthy, safe, and welcoming.
As summer progresses over the varied landscapes of Yorkshire, businesses and commercial establishments must focus on revitalising their outdoor spaces.
At Rejus, we have over two decades looking after the building and grounds of a wide range of commercial clients. In this post, we give some tips for you to think about regarding your commercial grounds maintenance across the summer in Yorkshire, covering everything from lawn care to pest control. Click to learn more about our Grounds Maintenance services.
The following is general advice that applies to many commercial grounds. Every property is different so some or all tips may not apply. Don't make any large changes without consulting a professional service.
Read on for 6 tips that will help your grounds over the summer:
Remove Weeds on a Regular Basis
As we head into the warmest time of the year, you'll notice weeds becoming more and more of an issue. It is true that weeds can sometimes be a positive for your grounds, for the most part they're detrimental to your other plant life and are an ugly sight for your outdoor areas. Weeds take up space and vital nutrients that can stop more desirable plants from growing, so a regular maintenance plan to keep weeds down is the right way forward.
The heat makes it easier for weeds to grow, even more so when visited by that all too expected rain. There are preventative actions that can be taken, alongside services to remove weeds as they grow. When you know this is going to be an issue anyway over the summer months, getting ahead of the issue is the right way forward.
A professional grounds maintenance service can offer you treatment with a "pre-emergent" and "post-emergent" herbicide solution. Depending on the size of your grounds, you can apply this treatment yourself. If there's too much space to cover, or you just want to focus on your business, that professional service to prevent growth and spread is the right way forward.
Keeping Your Grounds Watered
It's important to keep a regular schedule for watering to keep your outdoor spaces green. Set a routine for watering that keeps optimal moisture levels but remember not to over-water. When heatwaves are predicted, it may be worth watering every day or every other day depending on how dry it is outside. Remember to water deeply at a more infrequent rate to encourage deep root growth. During the warmer periods this can help make your plants more resilient.
When it comes to methods of watering, it all depends on the size of your grounds, Consider drip irrigation or soaker hoses. These more efficient ways of watering systems deliver moisture directly to the plant roots. minimising evaporation and ensuring efficient water usage. If you're unsure of the correct methods or frequency of watering, consult a professional grounds service to find the right schedule to work for you.
Adjust Your Grass Cutting Schedule
Over the summer it's common that your grass cutting schedule needs to change. Your grass may need cutting as much as twice a week over spring, but over summer this may only need to be 7 - 10 days. This is due to less moisture meaning your grass is going to gross slower.
Type of grass is important aswell. Your chosen grounds maintenance aesthetic may include a long-grass design, which only needs to be cut a couple of times over the summer.
What’s also important over the summer is that mowing is done using proper technique. You want to ensure your commercial grass is mowed to no more than a 4-inch height. The height will help block weeds, encourage your lawn roots to grow deeper, and it will help stop your grass from burning. Since over the summer there be much more limited water and higher heat, both your schedule and technique need to be adjusted.
Pruning and Tree Surgey is still important over Summer
Across the summer, don't lose sight of tree and shrub pruning as part of your commercial property maintenance.
During your bespoke maintenance works, Rejus will cut away dead, weak, or broken branches from your trees and shrubs to maintain a clean, fresh look. Not only does this keep your shrubs and trees looking their best, but it also prepares them to look better the following year and may reduce the amount of maintenance they need in the near future.
Arboriculture and other tree services are a key part of grounds maintenance, making it an important part of facilities upkeep that shouldn't be ignored. Making sure your trees are pruned multiple times can only benefit your grounds in the long run.
Dealing with Extreme Weather Changes
Severe weather conditions and extreme changes pose a threat to your grounds. During heatwaves you should provide shade to sensitive plants to prevent them from drying out. You can use temporary covers to shield delicate plants from the extreme sunlight.
The opposite is also true over the winter. Cover delicate plants when there's a risk of overnight temperature drops or frost occurring. We recommend using frost blankets or burlap to protect delicate plants from freezing temperatures.
During the spring and summer, strong winds pose a risk of damage to plants, tall trees and the branches of your trees. Larger commercial properties can Install windbreaks and many places can use trellises to protect the plant-life on their grounds from the harsh conditions. Remember to stake young trees at all times of year if you believe a risk of extreme weather is likely.
Arrange Regular Professional Maintenance
As we enter the spring and summer months, nature begins to thrive a lot more than it does in the winter. This means that things will start to grow at a much faster rate. Leaving things a few weeks could result in the same kind of growth that might have taken months over the winter period.
Because of this, it is good to arrange regular maintenance for these months, so you aren’t suddenly left with unruly grounds that you need to panic arrange emergency maintenance for.
W're proud to have served the businesses of Yorkshire and beyond for over two decades. Get in touch and speak with a member of our friendly team ASAP to organise your expert grounds care package.