Making The Cut: Mowing Site Challenges

Anyone who has mowed grass day in and day out for a season will tell you that there are times where time is lost and efficiency is not maximized.

Many maintenance contractors have found solutions to their problems either through equipment, training, manpower or customer communication.

Jim McColgan, operations manager, Nanak’s Landscaping, said the biggest challenges with the sites his Orlando, Fla.-based company maintains are the different types of turfgrass and the expectations of some of the company’s high-profile customers.

Nanak’s services some important resort properties whose managers oversee special events on the grounds. Keeping in contact with these clients is critical to the customer’s satisfaction, noted McColgan.

In addition, these are very people-oriented sites, requiring the crews to move about the landscape with great discretion. No power equipment can be run before 9:00 a.m., and great care must be taken when operating equipment near windows or where people are congregating.

Nanak’s prefers to use walk-behind mowers in most cases because of the clients’ perceptions. When it comes to riding units, no matter what size the mower is, people tend to think that a riding mower is too big, explained McColgan, adding that the company’s walk-behind fleet includes 62-inch deck mowers down to 30-inch units.

In central Florida, there tends to be a mix of bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass. McColgan noted that bermudagrass tends to be used in the higher profile areas and will typically require two mowings per week. The St. Augustinegrass, on the other hand, will generally get mowed once a week.

FOLLOW THE LEADER. About 80 percent of the customers serviced by Douglas Lawn & Landscape, Westminster, Md., are commercial. Retirement and apartment complexes are among the toughest projects serviced, according to Douglas Zepp, owner.

He has found that an efficient way to handle these projects and keep the crews moving is to use two separate crews. The first crew comes in with 60-inch and 72-inch mid-mount riding mowers and a 48-inch walk-behind to handle the open areas. A trim crew follows and performs all of the trimming, edging and finish work.

CONDO CHALLENGE. The only thing more difficult than trying to please a picky client is trying to please dozens of different wants and tastes within the same project. That’s exactly the dilemma that faces R.B. Stout’s maintenance crews, according to Mike Roberts, production supervisor for the Akron, Ohio-based contractor.

The main problem is that there are many extremely small turf areas that traditional walk-behind equipment can’t reach. And, in larger turf areas, residents often complain vigorously against the use of any riding equipment.

Condo crews are usually three or four crewmen strong, carrying two, 48-inch walk-behinds, five 21-inch push mowers, string trimmers, backpack blowers and a walk-behind blower. On some jobs, the 21-inch mowers are the only options for reaching the tight turf areas, and the same crew is always employed to perform this tedious work. It takes a special kind of worker to have the patience to do the work on these projects, acknowledged Roberts.

Stout also uses blowers and other equipment, but the recent activities of legislators attempting to ban blowers in Los Angeles has caught Roberts’ attention. Even greater emphasis is placed on training the employee to run equipment responsibly so residents are not inconvenienced or disturbed.

In general, Stout has not had the luxury of being able to leave grass clippings, but they do it whenever they can, Roberts said.

With condominium complexes, you basically have 400 owners to answer to, agreed Dave Schumacher, director, sales and marketing, Schumacher Landscaping, Boston, Mass.

To tackle these multi-resident projects, Schumacher sends out the same crew to those sites each time. He uses a six-person crew carrying a 72-inch riding mower, two 51-inch riding mowers, two 51-inch walk-behinds, a 36-inch walk-behind and a pair of 21-inch push mowers. The 36-inch unit serves the crew well in terms of control and reaching tight places.

With a few exceptions, Schumacher crews bag all clippings. To keep clippings disposal from becoming a time consuming problem, the company has multiple sites where crews dispose of green waste without making a long trip.

Shopping malls and business parks are a challenge with parking islands featuring narrow strips of grass. Schumacher noted that these jobs are usually scheduled for a 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. start time, before cars begin to park and obstruct mowing equipment. When cars do get in the way, the turf is left unmowed and a crew person returns later in the day to finish up.

We could reach the grass in many cases, but it isn’t worth the liability if a car should happen to get banged, he explained. As long as the client is called and understands that we’ll be back, it’s never a problem.

DODGING RAINDROPS. It shouldn’t be surprising that Pat Enstrom, landscape maintenance supervisor, Teufel Nursery & Landscape, Portland, Ore., said that his biggest challenge is the frequent rainfall in the area.

To handle its average project about an acre of turf Teufel will send out a three-person crew carrying two or three 36-inch walk-behind mowers, a pair of 21-inch push mowers, trimmers and blowers.

Along with small lot sizes, Enstrom noted that the constant rain precludes using riding mowers to any great extent due to poor drainage and the potential for turf damage. Crew familiarity with the site is also important, because they learn where the drainage trouble spots are and can take greater care in mowing these areas.

One place that Enstrom has not been able to save time, however, is in leaving clippings. The turf, wet as often as it is dry, simply clumps too much to achieve an acceptable appearance when the clippings are left. We pick up about 80 percent of the clippings we generate, Enstrom admitted.

MUCH MULCHING. Rob Solomon is a branch manager at Redwood Landscaping, Santa Rosa, Calif., and the projects he and his crews tackle are among the most difficult sites Redwood services. Client properties range from high-end apartment complexes to median strips for municipalities.

Mowing equipment choices for the sites are based on two factors: the limitations of the site and what equipment will allow crews to leave grass clippings on the turf.

In terms of site limitations, slopes are a big issue, Solomon noted. At one site, the crews must mow a slope with a nearly 2-to-1 ratio. We suggested the client switch over to a low maintenance ground cover, but they like the turf, he explained.

The slopes on this site are too steep to mow with anything other than a 21-inch push mower, so Solomon has tried to purchase mowers that are light and powerful.

We have mowers now with all aluminum decks to reduce weight, and the engines feature 4½ horsepower, Solomon explained.

In general, Solomon said that the smaller deck sizes have provided the best mulching results, so they use 36-inch and smaller decks whenever possible. One branch manager developed a solution for the company’s 11-foot mower to mulch large sites. It’s essentially a chain link screen that is attached at the base of the deck, Solomon said. It breaks up the clumps of grass and vibrates the clippings back into the turf.

Redwood crews won’t mulch every time on every site, Solomon noted. Crews consider the height and type of grass, the client and the time of year.

There’s no secret formula in deciding when and where to mulch, admitted Solomon. It comes down to the experience and training of the crews.