The Missouri Way: Keeping Grounds in Zone 5B

By Melissa D. Keeney, landscape designer, University of Missouri, Rolla

The University of Missouri, Rolla (UMR) was established in 1870 as the Missouri School of Mines. The school is one of the four campuses within the University of Missouri System, and has grown from modest beginnings to 55 buildings and over 280 acres. The campus has a student population of more than 4,900, including some 1,210 graduate students.

Mary Ann Robinson, a seasoned groundskeeper, tackles a high-maintenance turf area with an Excel 2500 riding mower. Note the lack of grass catcher: the team mows more than once a week to eliminate the chore of handling clippings.

Keith Geisler carefully trims the spiraea to encourage a second bloom on the shrub. Note his use of eye and ear protection.

UMR is located in the south-central part of Missouri, along I-44 midway between St. Louis and Springfield. This puts the university in climate zone 5b. It can be a serious challenge to grow plants adaptable to the extremes in temperature and humidity that commonly occur in this area of the country.

Careful planning and a team of more than two-dozen crewmembers add up to a crisply-maintained campus that stays that way throughout the year.

Dividing the Labor

The university's Custodial and Landscape Services departments maintain buildings and grounds on the campus. The landscape services division sustains natural areas including lawns, athletic fields, landscape beds and trees, as well as hardscape areas including all sidewalks, steps and parking lots. Landscape Services divides the campus into high, medium-high, medium and low maintenance areas. Within these, responsibilities are shared between the grounds manager and landscape designer.

 

Wendell Hendrix operates the backhoe in the composting area. Turning and mixing green waste is a key to producing high-quality mulch and reducing trash volume.

The plant palette of the campus includes turf, annual and perennial plantings, ground covers, as well as ornamental shrubs and trees with a variety of deciduous and evergreen plantings.

A clear and adaptable maintenance program has been the approach for the campus grounds. The campus is divided into four distinct management zones with specific standards addressing turf, shrub, tree, perennial and annual bed maintenance. Specific maintenance tasks for hardscape and natural areas are clearly outlined in each standard. These standards or modes of care have been developed with consideration for type of use, frequency of use, visual impact, existing landscape quality, pedestrian corridors, tour routes, funding sources and manageability. Listed below are the current management zones identified:

HIGH: 15 acres total. Intensive use and high visibility, landscape renovation in these zones are priority.

MEDIUM-HIGH: 30 acres total. High use and medium visibility, landscape should provide interest in all seasons.

MEDIUM: 75 acres total. Medium to low use and medium visibility, landscape renovation is dependent upon a funding source or as appropriate for the landscape design.

LOW: More than 112 acres. Low use and out-lying areas; medium to low visibility, minimal pest and weed control, irrigation and renovations to these areas.

Each of these management zones have detailed objectives that define levels of care that are within the divisions current level of resources including financial, personnel and equipment.

The grounds manager, Charles "Jim" Duncan utilizes groundskeepers to maintain turf and hard-surface areas. Groundskeepers are assigned specific areas to maintain on campus that may include any combination of the four distinct management zones.

In addition to traditional grounds maintenance duties, the grounds crew is also responsible for providing maintenance support to campus-wide special events. These functions range from one-time, single occurrence occasions, such as the annual St. Patrick's celebration, to the various campus tours that occur periodically throughout the year. The grounds crew provides extra trash removal, set-up, fencing and final clean-up for these events.

Precise spacing of bulbs in the fall ensures beautiful beds in the spring. Close to 12,000 tulip bulbs are planted each autumn. Annuals go in for summer color.

The Maintenance Routine

The team uses a combination of automatic and manual irrigation on the campus. Just 10 years ago, irrigation was a luxury at the university. Today, irrigation is installed with all new and renovated landscaping projects. The designated High Maintenance areas are all irrigated, as well as the majority of the Medium-High areas. Because of the amount of irrigation on campus, in April Jerry Slates was hired to maintain campus irrigation systems. This new position is responsible for maintenance of all irrigation systems on campus, which include pop-up heads in turf and drip irrigation in ornamental beds.

Climbing trees for corrective pruning keeps Jennifer Kleeschulte busy throughout the year. She has completed an ArborMaster workshop in tree climbing, limbing and chainsaw use.

Fertilization, pest management, aeration and top-dressing the turf areas are the responsibility of the groundskeepers. During the mowing season, mowing typically occurs two to four times per week depending on turf growth and weather conditions. Lawnmower blades are set so no more than 1/3 of the height of the turf is cut per mowing. Groundskeepers mow often enough so they do not have to collect the clippings, saving on labor. This practice also returns beneficial organic matter to the turf. Paved areas including parking lots, sidewalks and roadways are also maintained by groundskeepers. They are responsible for snow and ice removal during the winter months and trash and litter removal all year.

Trees, shrubs and groundcover maintenance are shared between the groundskeepers and landscape gardeners. While groundskeepers are responsible for general maintenance (hazard pruning, trash clean-up, weed control), the landscape gardeners are responsible for all other aspects of tree, shrub and groundcover care. This includes corrective pruning, trimming, proper fertilization, pest control and planting new trees. Corrective pruning on shrubs and trees is primarily done from late fall to early spring on most plants on campus. Jennifer Kleeschulte, the team's landscape gardener, was trained at an ArborMaster workshop in the techniques of tree climbing, limbing, and chainsaw usage and maintenance. The landscape designer and gardeners have worked together to establish a maintenance calendar for the trees, shrubs, groundcovers, perennials and annual beds on campus.

Aaron Parker and Mary Ann Robinson mulch tree rings in a designated High-Maintenance area. The team makes extensive use of mulch as fertilizer and to limit waste products.

With the title landscape designer, the author supervises the landscape gardeners and seasonal workers for installation and maintenance of the ornamental landscaping. Through the maintenance and installation of the annual and perennial flower beds, adding color to campus is her priority. Each fall, there are over 12,000 tulip bulbs planted for spring color. After the beauty of the spring tulip blooms have faded, annuals are installed and maintained in over 7,000 square feet of beds throughout campus.

Chrysanthemums and ornamental cabbage are supplemented for autumn color. The irrigation in the ornamental beds are the landscape designer, and, through supervision, the landscape gardeners, responsibilities. Each annual change-out bed is checked daily and may require daily watering during drought periods, which typically occur in July and August. Perennials, ground covers, shrubs and trees are irrigated on an as needed basis. Watering is determined through observation, record keeping, and close monitoring of weather conditions.

Luke Hodge mows the outskirts of the athletic complex with a high-volume Hustler 4600. The small trash can attached to the front end gives crew members a spot to stuff cans, bottles and other debris.

Scheduling and task detailing for the landscape gardeners, temporary workers and work-study students is done weekly. A white board with daily tasks recorded is located in a common area for workers to see. Tasks are prioritized and individuals or teams work on task according to difficulty and time required.

Composting on a large scale is an important part of Landscape Services' job. Utilizing leaves and other plant debris on campus has allowed for the production of usable compost for the ornamental beds on campus. Currently the department is further developing their composting area to better utilize plant waste and enrich the soil in the landscaped areas.

Aerating the athletic fields is a job that Neil Walters handles with a towed extraction-core aerator. Regular maintenance keeps older equipment like this Kubota tractor running for the long haul.

Additional services are available to the campus community at charge-out rates and fees. These services and programs include: interior plant design and maintenance, Adopt-A-Pot program, and the Memorial Tree program. Student Affairs relies on the department's interior plant design for the new Havener student center. The Adopt-A-Pot program allows the faculty and staff to get involved in campus beautification efforts and to showcase their garden talents, while adding additional color to the landscape. The Memorial Tree program was established in 1999 in remembrance of a former faculty member. For a fee, Landscape Services establishes a tree, provides a plaque, and perpetual care for the memorial. Periodically, the department is contacted by students, faculty, and staff to establish a memorial on campus grounds.

Landscape Services personnel includes an assistant director, grounds manager, landscape designer, landscape gardeners, groundskeepers, temporary (seasonal) groundskeepers and student workers. The team includes memberships in the following organizations: Professional Grounds Management Society, International Society of Arboriculture, Missouri Valley Turf Association, National Parks and Grounds Management, American Horticulture Society, American Nurserymen, and The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers. The grounds manager, landscape designer, and one groundskeeper are all certified Master Gardeners. Five personnel are licensed pesticide applicators. Landscape Services is currently involved in cooperative projects with Missouri Department of Transportation, ACORN (Rolla's community beautification group), Beautify St. James, and Phelps County Master Gardeners.

Adjusting the irrigation heads helps ensure even coverage on the turf areas. A flat-head screwdriver and a trained eye are the only tools needed to accomplish the task.

For more information about UMR Landscape Services contact Charles "Jim" Duncan, grounds manager, or Melissa Keeney, landscape designer at (573) 341-4247.