A Day In The Life of a Lawn Technician

We have a special guest blogger to share his wisdom today in non other than our lead technician, Stan Wallis! Stan has been with us since early 2021 and would be fair to say has an unrivalled passion for all things grass. He looks after many of our Lichfield, Burton and Ashby customers with amazing feedback and results. This post shares what a typical day looks like for Stan along with his top tips for a great lawn this year.

Stan's Insight - a Day At Kingsbury Lawn Care

Hello lawnies!

As lead technician for Kingsbury, I have created this post to give an insight into what we do during a typical day out on the tools, treating the many shapes and sizes of lawns we look after in our gardens. I write this on a snowy March (yes March!) morning, in freezing temperatures!

We get high levels of job satisfaction doing what we do, and are forever motivated to help you achieve and maintain the lush, healthy green lawns that we desire.

Kingsbury Lawn Care - Stan Wallis Senior Lawn Care Technician

A Typical Day a as Lawn Technician

So what do our days look like?

The key thing before any day begins is to plan ahead, whether it be travel time, finding the right route, and making sure the van is fully equipped with the products and equipment we need. I like to plan my week in advance so that I can be as efficient as possible. Typically we aim to be treating our first lawns of the day by 8am, which can sometimes be earlier or later depending on extreme weather forecasts (heatwaves or frosty mornings). We have to be prepared for all weathers!

A typical treatment day varies on a number of factors. The quantity of treatments we carry out per day will depend on the size of each lawn, the distance between calls, and whether the treatment is a single, double, or sometimes triple application.

From there, we make our way through our daily routes, visiting lovely gardens and properties along the way. I generally cover the northern half of our operating area, and have stumbled across quaint villages and landscapes that I wouldn't have otherwise known were there. There's nothing like working in the great outdoors, which is another reason I enjoy what I do so much.

My personal favourite treatment in our yearly cycle of 5 visits is the early spring fertiliser and moss control. Winter has been and gone, daffodils and snowdrops are appearing in our gardens, the daylight hours are improving and sunnier skies are upon us! It's time to start soaking up the vitamin D!

Lawn Treatment Service In Progress | Jobs in Lawn Care

The most important thing to remember when treating lawns is the amount of product being applied. This is so we can gain the best possible results from the programme. We are providing the food source that will keep them in ship shape for the year, but it is equally as important they are well looked after between our visits, which is why you can play your part! I have seen first hand how lawns in the spring are transformed from tired, weedy, mossy and thatchy spaces, to deep green striped works of art in the space of a few months! Of course, the hard work put in by you, the homeowner, will ultimately maximise the effects of this transformation.

I am talking about crucial factors such as correct mowing height, mowing frequency, leaf clearance if your lawn is exposed to lots of leaf fall, and general tidiness. Seeing these kinds of results gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. There is nothing we can't achieve with our partnership and correspondence.

Stan's Four Top Tips:

1) Mower Choice

Choosing the right type of mower for the size and situation can be a topic of conversation. Having been a football, golf and tennis groundsman, I will always favour a rotary mower with a rear roller. These give the best finish if you like a stripe, and are also consistent, with many cutting height variations. Rotary mowers don't have to cost the earth to be really effective. If your lawn is on the smaller scale, there are lithium ion battery powered rotary roller mowers available which will often come with several settings, a spare battery and good warranty.

Mowers which do not have a roller can also give a nice finish, however 4 wheels gliding over the surface means the central section of the mower will not be consolidating the ground, which can allow moss and thatch start to develop underneath.

Cylinder mowers are a good option if you like to keep your lawn short and tidy. These are pricier than their rotary counterparts and will require more preventative maintenance.

Hover mowers often mow lawns too short for good plant health, and don't have the ability to adjust in height or collect clippings.

Robot mowers are becoming more of a trend. I have seen several lawns looking very tidy as in some circumstances they are being mown several times a day automatically. I would advise to consider reducing the mowing frequency in periods of slow growth, for example in hot prolonged dry conditions. Note that the underground cables required for the boundaries will reduce our chances of being able to aerate and scarify the lawn to how we would like.

Stan's mobile lawn care unit of a long wheel base Ford Transit Custom - kept very clean to start a new week!

2) Frequency of Mowing

If you enjoy mowing your lawn, then the frequency in which you mow will keep it tidy and looking good. I would strongly recommend alternating the direction of the cut every so often (Every 4 cuts). Think of hands on a clock face, can you mow 11 to 5, 1 to 7, or perhaps 2 to 8? By doing this, you will be reducing the chance of the grass plant becoming straggly and thatchy, and also minimise unnecessary compaction from wheel ruts.

3) Collect Your Clippings ("Boxing Off")

This image shows a beautiful lawn freshly striped which Stan visits regularly

Always try to box off your grass clippings. Although these clippings will be full of nutrients, leaving them on the surface will increase the thatch layer in your lawn, leading to the need for more regular scarification.

Robotic mowers can get away with mulching the clippings back into the surface due to them cutting the lawn on such a frequent basis. These tiny clippings quickly decompose and are a great way of recycling nutrients. However, as above larger clippings from weekly mowing should be removed for the best standard of lawn and aesthetics following a cut.

A lawn 6 months on from repair and renovation from Stan looking fantastic

4) Leaf Collection

I can't stress enough how important it is for your lawn to be kept clear of leaves. Our autumns make this a challenge, but a few extra "hoovers" on a high mower setting can make all the difference come Spring. With our weather becoming milder, there may be noticeably more growth through the winter months. If conditions are right, mowing should be considered.

Regular leaf clearance in the autumn / winter months and mowing as required brings your lawn into spring weeks' ahead of a lawn not given enough attention through the cooler months. It's pretty heart-breaking for us when lawns die back due to excessive shade aided by leaves left to smother the grass for too long. Not forgetting about your lawn could save the need for renovation work and will mean you gain best value from our service.

I hope this blog has been of interest, and I am always on hand to answer any questions during treatment visits and beyond!

Stan

Work with Stan and the Team!

Due to business growth, we are excited to be currently hiring for an additional lawn technician to join our team.

We are equally interested in speaking to ground staff / greenkeepers (as was Stan) and those with limited experience in the lawn care sector. Between the team, we have a method of successfully training new lawn technicians with a combination of in-house and off-site training.

Aligning with our core values, such as a strong customer focus and drive to succeed while working independently are crucial to the role.

View our Indeed profile to learn more about this role along with wider information about our small business. We look forward to working with you soon!

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