Winter can really take a toll on your Greater Chicago commercial landscape.
Whether you manage an office park, multifamily housing complex, industrial facility, retail hub, hospital, warehouse, or HOA, your commercial landscape will likely experience some of Old Man Winter’s wrath.
That can mean being left with a bit of a mess by the time spring rolls around.
Jump to Section
- When Should I Schedule a Spring Cleanup for My Chicago Commercial Property?
- How Do I Fix Grass Damaged by Road Salt and Snow Plows?
- How Can Winter-Damaged Grass Be Repaired?
- What Is Included in a Professional Commercial Spring Cleanup?
- Why Is Spring Pre-Emergent Important for Commercial Flower Beds?
- Does a Spring Cleanup Reduce Summer Maintenance Costs?
- Scheduling Your Commercial Spring Cleanup in Chicago with KD Landscape
For instance, cold winds can snap twigs off trees, scattering them about the property. Leftover fall leaves can linger in every nook and cranny and look sloppy.
The constant precipitation, mountains of snow and melting ice give way to slush and mud, and the turf becomes matted at best - and may be killed if conditions persist for too long.
Once Mother Nature decides winter is officially over, a recovery of the winter landscape will be imperative. But when should you begin that early-season landscape maintenance, and what will need to be done?
When Should I Schedule a Spring Cleanup for My Chicago Commercial Property?
There are a few signals that you can watch for that will indicate it’s time to schedule your commercial spring cleanup in Chicago.
- The snow is fully melted.
- The soil is no longer frozen or overly saturated.
- The daytime temperatures are consistently above 50 degrees.
These are all signs that it’s time to begin winter landscape recovery efforts. It’s important to be able to see all of the turf (and have access to it). And it’s also optimal for the ground to no longer be squishy.
Getting the timing right is important as scheduling too early can compact wet soil and damage turf. But scheduling too late can mean more weeds and turf issues that you could have gotten ahead of with a head start.
Talk to your commercial landscape provider if you’re unsure about timing.
How Do I Fix Grass Damaged by Road Salt and Snow Plows?
Turf can really take a beating during a heavy snow season due to snow removal efforts. Ideally, your commercial snow removal provider took steps to prevent snow removal damage to your property.
But even if they did, your property might have turf near roadways that weren’t handled by your snow removal provider. And sometimes damage happens, even when precautions are taken. Keeping your property up, running, and safe in the winter is likely a top priority, and residual damage may have occurred.
Here are some post-winter turf repair steps that you can take if your grass was impacted by snow removal efforts.
- Flush the soil with water: If drainage allows, you should flush the soil to dilute salt concentration.
- Apply gypsum: This will help displace sodium and improve overall soil structure.
- Rake out dead patches: You can also overseed with salt-tolerant turf blends
- Add a thin layer of compost: This can help encourage recovery.
How Can Winter-Damaged Grass Be Repaired?
Winter landscape recovery is also about repairing winter-damaged grass. Snow mold, salt damage, and compacted turf can weaken it, leading to patchy, dead areas. Identifying these problems before they worsen is a key part of this task. Encouraging healthy growth improves your curb appeal, making your business look more attractive and inviting.
The process starts by removing plow stakes that are no longer necessary to mark your turf and landscape areas. Then, it continues by raking and/or blowing away old leaves and any sticks or debris on the turf left over from the fall.
This is also a good time to look for areas of the turf that might need a little extra tender loving care. For instance, if salt has damaged the turf or a snow plow has grazed a section of your lawn, we can flag these areas for repair with replacement sod or even seeding.
Finally, a commercial landscape professional will freshen the turf by raking and aerating it to allow it to receive the air, sunlight, and nutrients it needs to grow. Sometimes, depending on the time of year, this is also a good time for the lawn’s first fertilizer application as part of spring cleanup services.
What Is Included in a Professional Commercial Spring Cleanup?
Spring cleanup is the general cleaning and polishing of areas in your Greater Chicago commercial property to prepare it for spring and the first round of maintenance services.
While it sounds like a simple prep, it’s anything but simple.
These commercial landscape cleanup services improve your landscape’s appearance, creating a positive first impression for customers, tenants, visitors, and guests. They also give your facility a professional image, showing your business’s commitment to professionalism and quality. It’s important that these tasks are performed properly and that you don’t miss anything.
Some of the key tasks that should be included in a commercial spring cleanup in Chicagoland include:
- Commercial landscape debris removal (Removal of leaves, branches and other winter debris)
- Spring bed edging and pre-emergent (plus walkway edging for clean lines)
- Cutting back perennials and ornamental grasses
- Lawn dethatching or light aeration if needed
- Weed removal and bed preparation
- Mulch installation or refresh
- Inspection of irrigation systems for damage or leaks
Why Is Spring Pre-Emergent Important for Commercial Flower Beds?
Letting weeds take over your commercial flower beds can be a problem that’s hard to get a hold of once it starts. That’s why we urge the importance of pre-emergent applications.
Dandelions and crabgrass are two of the primary weeds that we see quickly take over beds. But pre-emergents stop these weeds from germinating in the first place. This proactive approach is an important step in early-season landscape maintenance.
By investing in proactive care, you’re investing in your property's aesthetic value. Letting your plant beds get overrun with weeds can really detract from the overall look of your commercial landscape. Plus, it can be more work (and costly) to catch up later.
Does a Spring Cleanup Reduce Summer Maintenance Costs?
Yes, a spring cleanup can reduce summer maintenance costs.
- Fewer weeds means less labor and herbicide use: When it comes to weed control, a proactive approach is always optimal. You can prevent many weeds from germinating in the first place by applying pre-emergents in early spring. This will mean less work and fewer weed-control products down the road, resulting in cost savings.
- Healthier turf means reduced reseeding and patching: Getting ahead of turf problems in the early spring can also be cost-effective by reducing the need for repair efforts.
- Proper pruning means less emergency trimming later: Early pruning produces a stronger structural framework and also prevents potential problems down the road. Dead, dying, and diseased branches should be pruned out before they can become emergency hazards.
- Mulching application means better moisture retention and fewer watering cycles: While people tend to think of mulch for its aesthetic benefits (and that’s definitely important), it also plays a vital role in helping plant beds to retain more moisture. This can reduce the need for supplemental watering.
- Early issue detection means cheaper fixes before problems escalate. Early-season landscape maintenance is also about finding problems now, while they’re still manageable, before they become serious. That can play a big role in keeping costs down.
Schedule Your Commercial Spring Cleanup in Chicago with KD Landscape
Spring is here! You might already be looking around your commercial property and seeing the debris and leftovers scattered about from winter. With everything on your property management plate, the last thing you want to add to your list is to go out there and start cleaning things up.
We completely understand.
Turning to a pro for your commercial spring clean-up is a wise choice. But you don’t want to wait until the last minute. With commercial landscape cleanup services, KD Landscape can help you prepare for a successful spring and protect your landscape from Mother Nature’s winter wrath.
Want to learn more about our commercial spring cleanup services in Greater Chicago? Get started today with an on-site consultation. We’ll review your options together so you can feel confident and make a great choice.
