Grounds maintenance refers to activities undertaken to keep outdoor areas clean, beautiful, and orderly. It includes activities such as pruning, landscaping, and mowing. The term can also be extended to indoor gardens, nurseries, and potted plants.
The goal of grounds maintenance is to improve the appearance of landscaped features. Landscaping is the practice of building aesthetically pleasing extensions of indoor living into the outdoors. Property owners prioritize grounds maintenance to boost occupant morale, attract and maintain business, and preserve property investments.
As reported in Virginia Tech’s The Effect of Landscape Plants on Perceived Home Value, landscaping can increase property value by up to 12 percent. One referenced study found non-landscaped homes valued at $150,000 to be worth as much as $19,000 more with “sophisticated landscapes with color and large plants.”
Similarly, both residential and commercial property owners use grounds maintenance to increase perceived property values, resulting in higher selling prices.
Key Takeaways
- Grounds maintenance encompasses outdoor area upkeep activities like lawn mowing, pruning, and landscaping to preserve property aesthetics and safety, with landscaping potentially increasing property values by up to 12 percent.
- Four types of grounds maintenance workers handle specialized tasks: groundskeepers perform general maintenance, landscapers implement design visions, arborists care for trees, and pesticide handlers require EPA safety certifications for chemical treatments.
- Organizations typically combine four maintenance approaches: corrective maintenance fixes equipment after failure, preventive maintenance follows scheduled tasks, condition-based maintenance uses diagnostic measurements, and predictive maintenance employs real-time sensors with algorithms.
- Most grounds maintenance positions require no formal training except for pesticide handlers, though professional certifications from organizations like the Professional Grounds Management Society can advance careers.
Types of grounds maintenance workers
In addition to general lawn maintenance, grounds maintenance workers maintain the visual appearance of properties by pulling weeds, mulching around trees, mowing lawns, and preserving plant life. The four types of grounds maintenance workers are:
- Groundskeepers: They fulfill general maintenance duties such as removing snow, trimming hedges, mowing grass, and aerating soil.
- Landscapers: Landscape workers bring the visions of landscape design to life by planting flowers, flower bed maintenance, planting trees, and building elements.
- Arborists: Arborists care for trees by pruning branches, applying treatments, shaping floral forms for visual appeal, and ensuring small trees get proper care.
- Pesticide Handlers: They inspect grounds and apply chemical treatments to kill weeds and pests. Important: Pesticide handlers must possess safety certifications as required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
4 Best types of ground maintenance
Most organizations practice a combination of several different types of maintenance. While there are several distinct methodologies, the four most commonly discussed are:
1. Corrective maintenance
Corrective maintenance involves taking planned or unplanned corrective actions after equipment issues occur. The goal is to return broken assets to operational capacity.
2. Preventive maintenance (PM)
Preventive maintenance is a strategy that involves completing scheduled maintenance tasks to keep assets in optimal working condition, curb unplanned downtime, extend life cycles, and reduce costs associated with equipment failure.
3. Condition-based maintenance (CBM)
Condition-based maintenance is an advanced form of PM revolving around using condition-based diagnostic measurements (e.g., vibrations, temperature, ultrasounds) to predict equipment failure. Grounds managers use CBM intervals to make more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective decisions about when to perform grounds maintenance tasks.
4. Predictive maintenance (PdM)
An advanced form of PM, and an even more advanced form of CBM, predictive maintenance relies on sensors to relay real-time data in combination with predictive algorithms to precisely predict future breakdown times. Though many resources use the terms PdM and CBM interchangeably, they are not the same. While CBM often includes the same sensor-based technology as PdM, it doesn’t utilize predictive technology.
Examples of grounds maintenance
Facilities that rely on grounds maintenance include:
- Residential properties: Ground maintenance workers water, prune, and weed plants that provide privacy, shade, and visual appeal, as well as making sure accessibility to and from facilities is always open and safe.
- Commercial properties: Shopping centers, malls, and office complexes need landscape maintenance to retain their aesthetic value and to ensure the safety of visitors and occupants.
- Sports facilities: Grounds maintenance keeps turfs safe for athletes. Poorly maintained athletic fields can lead to slips, falls, and injuries such as grass burns.
- Learning institutions: Schools rely on grounds maintenance–such as snow removal from walkways–to ensure the safety of students, faculty, and visitors. In some institutions, horticulture students partake in beautifying campuses as part of their coursework.
Other facilities that commonly rely on grounds maintenance include commercial parking lots, cemeteries, and golf courses. Maintenance workers who work on golf courses are referred to as greenskeepers. Groundskeepers are often members of facilities management teams and departments.
Ground maintenance certifications and training
Besides pesticide handlers, most grounds maintenance roles require no formal training or licensing. However, certifications and training are available to help grounds maintenance workers enhance their grounds maintenance job skills and advance their careers.
The most notable certifications include those from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS), the oldest membership society of grounds professionals, representing over 1,000 industry professionals in the United States, with members in Canada and overseas. The organization’s most popular grounds maintenance certification programs include:
- Certified Grounds Technician (CGT): This certification includes both coursework and exams. The program is available to grounds workers with a minimum of two years of experience in grounds maintenance, a high school diploma (or GED), and verification of employment.
- Certified Grounds Manager (CGM): This is an exam-based certification, without coursework, available to workers with one of the following: a minimum of eight years experience in grounds maintenance, a bachelor’s of science in a recognized greenfield industry, or a two-year degree from a college or university plus six years relevant work experience.
Additionally, several other independent organizations and colleges provide grounds maintenance training opportunities. Penn State University has a well-known turf science degree program. The school’s alumni can be found working in leadership roles at top golf courses, stadiums, and landscape companies around the world.
Most training programs cover educational areas such as plant pathology, nursery operation, landscape design, fertilization, plant selection, pruning, and more.
Maintain your grounds with MaintainX
Grounds maintenance is important for maintaining the visual appeal of a facility’s outdoor environment. It should be performed consistently to prevent outdoor areas from becoming untidy or unsafe. While ground maintenance work requires minimal formal qualifications, there is professional training that workers can leverage to grow their careers.
If you want to better manage your grounds maintenance, try MaintainX for free.
Grounds maintenance FAQs
How does grounds maintenance differ from landscaping in terms of scope and objectives?
Grounds maintenance focuses on the ongoing upkeep and preservation of existing outdoor spaces to ensure they remain safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. This includes routine tasks like mowing, pruning, irrigation system checks, and seasonal cleanups.
Landscaping, in contrast, involves the initial design and installation of outdoor features such as planting new gardens, installing hardscapes, or creating entirely new outdoor environments. While landscaping is typically a one-time or project-based service, grounds maintenance is a continuous, recurring responsibility that keeps those installed features in optimal condition over time.
What are the key components that should be included in a comprehensive grounds maintenance checklist?
A comprehensive grounds maintenance checklist should cover several critical areas: lawn care (mowing, edging, fertilizing, and weed control), tree and shrub care (pruning, disease monitoring, and mulching), irrigation system maintenance (inspecting sprinklers, checking for leaks, and adjusting watering schedules), hardscape upkeep (cleaning walkways, repairing pavement, and maintaining fences), seasonal tasks (leaf removal, snow clearing, and winterization), and safety inspections (identifying trip hazards, ensuring proper lighting, and checking drainage). This systematic approach ensures no aspect of the property is overlooked and helps maintain both aesthetic appeal and safety standards.
Why is preventive maintenance particularly important for grounds maintenance operations?
Preventive maintenance in grounds maintenance helps identify and address small issues before they escalate into costly problems. For example, regularly inspecting irrigation systems can catch minor leaks that, if left unattended, could lead to water waste, higher utility bills, and damage to turf or landscaping.
Similarly, routine tree inspections can identify diseased or damaged branches that pose safety risks before they fall. This proactive approach reduces emergency repair costs, extends the lifespan of equipment and landscape features, minimizes downtime, and ensures the property remains safe and attractive year-round rather than dealing with reactive, expensive fixes.
How can computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) improve grounds maintenance efficiency?
CMMS platforms streamline grounds maintenance by centralizing work order management, scheduling, and asset tracking in one digital system. These systems allow maintenance teams to create and assign tasks, track completion status in real-time, and maintain detailed records of all maintenance activities. They can automate recurring tasks like seasonal fertilization or irrigation system checks, send reminders for preventive maintenance, and generate reports on labor hours, material costs, and equipment performance.
This digital approach eliminates paper-based processes, reduces the risk of missed tasks, improves communication between team members, and provides data-driven insights that help optimize resource allocation and budget planning.
What role does seasonal planning play in effective grounds maintenance programs?
Seasonal planning is essential because grounds maintenance requirements change dramatically throughout the year, and different tasks must be prioritized based on climate and weather patterns. Spring typically requires aeration, fertilization, and irrigation system startup; summer focuses on intensive lawn mowing, watering, and pest control; fall demands leaf removal, overseeding, and preparing plants for dormancy; winter involves snow removal, ice management, protecting sensitive plants, and equipment maintenance.
By planning these seasonal activities in advance, maintenance teams can allocate resources appropriately, order necessary materials ahead of time, schedule labor efficiently, and ensure the property receives the right care at the right time to maintain health and appearance year-round.
What are the duties of a groundskeeper?
Groundskeepers mow grass, trim hedges and shrubs, remove dead plants, landscape gardens, and monitor the health of plants. They also ensure outdoor areas are safe, functional, and appealing. Groundskeepers are required to be physically fit as they sometimes work with heavy equipment, stand for prolonged periods, and lift heavy supplies.
What does it mean to maintain the grounds of a park?
Performing maintenance activities, such as mowing grass, pruning trees, applying pesticides, and keeping parks clean, safe, and operating efficiently. Equipment used in maintaining parks includes sprinklers, tree trimmers, lawnmowers, shears, rakes, clippers, and chainsaws.
What skills do you need to be a landscaper?
Good physical health, attention to detail, organizational skills, basic lawn maintenance skills, pest management skills, and the ability to operate equipment such as lawnmowers and hedge trimmers. Additionally, landscapers must know how to work with trees, flowers, rocks, gazebos, benches, and outdoor tables.
.webp)
