What is Ground Maintenance?

What is Ground Maintenance?

Ground maintenance is the process of maintaining outdoor grounds and gardens. The overall aim is to keep a space working for its purpose, whether pleasant or functional.

Before it is planned, surveys and environmental monitoring may be needed to assess moisture levels or ground types. For larger-scale projects or anything starting from scratch, a full GPS assessment using a Total Station could be required.

These will allow maintenance workers to assess what is needed, what should be avoided, and the ground they are working with.

Then, ongoing tasks can be varied. Landscape gardening can help a space look nicer and more welcoming but can also boost ecological credentials and local wildlife.

Clearing and cleaning paths or sidewalks using a pressure washer helps with health and safety, and with the look of the area.

Planting trees can look nice for local communities and can help achieve carbon offset aims, but can also help to reduce flood, erosion, and subsidence risks.

So, there are different types of grounds maintenance depending on the purpose of the area and overall aims.

We will go into more detail below.

What are the different types of grounds maintenance?

Ground maintenance can be practical or visual and can also be seasonal/ad-hoc or year-round contracts.

Examples include:

Practical maintenance

• Planting trees to benefit ground structure
• Removing trees to improve light
• Tree surgery
• Repairing potholes and road/path structures
• Gritting paths/clearing snow
• Grass cutting on a football field/golf course
• Ecological wildlife area maintenance

Visual maintenance

• Litter picking
• Hedge trimming
• Flowerbed designing/planting
• Weed control
• Leaf blowing
• Mowing grass for visual purposes

Some of the general tools required may be:

• Pole saw/pruner
• Lawnmowers, turf cutters and scarifiers
• Hedge trimmer
• Wacker plates

This all shows that ground maintenance is a very varied, adaptable field. It also requires the work of various qualified, specialised grounds workers.

The benefits of ground maintenance

Benefits can depend on the use of the area and where it is.

It can help the appearance of an area, as well as increase its practicality and also helping boost ecological and structural values.

Maintenance of a residential or shopping district will mainly improve areas visually, improving resident and customer morale and attitudes.

Maintenance in a wildlife area, such as a nature park, can help improve ecological diversity.

Businesses may want to consider how their external ground maintenance can help them hit eco targets (such as offsetting their carbon footprint), improve the first impressions of visitors, or improve worker morale.

CAN I HIRE GROUNDS MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS?

Yes. Speedy Hire, the UK's leading tool hire company, have a range of grounds maintenance tools for hire nationwide.

Hiring products as and when they are needed means you don’t have to consider storage and the maintenance of tools. We also have all of the equipment you need available.

Speedy has more than 200 service centres across the nation, hire counters in selected B&Qs and nationwide 4-hour delivery. Ground maintenance equipment hire has never been easier.

You’ll find all the tools you need right here. Why not start planning your next DIY project and open a Speedy account today online and instore.