If you’re considering bi-weekly mowing and landscape maintenance for your commercial property instead of weekly mowing, Chris Pierce is here with some good advice.
Don’t do it.
Unless you don’t care if your potential customers and tenants see overgrown grass with seed heads; weeds; and messy flower beds, says Pierce, operations manager for commercial maintenance at Michael Hatcher & Associates.
“What are your expectations?” he asks.
Ours are high. Pierce explains why Hatcher crews mow commercial properties every week.
Why Weekly Mowing? Your Curb Appeal is at Stake
“Curb appeal is huge for retail properties,” Pierce says.
Potential customers and tenants can show up at any time, right? Not just during the few days after your landscaping company visits.
“We recommend weekly service for consistency,” Pierce says, “so you get great quality through the summer.”
Here in the mid-South, things grow fast.
”In the spring, when there’s loads of rain, the temperatures warm up, and we fertilize, plants flush with new growth,” Pierce says.
Grass sprouts unsightly seed heads, he says. Weeds appear out of nowhere.
“You see a lot of sucker growth on crape myrtles and ornamental trees like cherries,” he says.
None of that looks very impressive to prospective customers and potential tenants.
“It’s good to catch those things while they’re still small.“
Weekly landscaping maintenance means crews stay on top of things before they embarrass you.
Just One Third, Please
Weekly mowing of commercial properties helps crews follow the one-third rule: cutting off no more than one-third of the grass blades with each mowing.
Cutting more than a third can stress the grass and make it more susceptible to common turf problems.
Mowing tall and often means grass roots are able to grow deeper, too, which helps your lawn survive periods of drought.
After two weeks, grass is pretty long. Cutting just a third likely won’t be enough to make it look tidy.
When Bi-Weekly Mowing Makes Sense
One exception to weekly mowing is big warehouse distribution properties, Pierce says.
“We mow weekly by their main buildings and entrances and the areas the public sees, but on the back side where they load trucks, we may hit those every other week,” he says.
“Usually there’s no irrigation back there, and when the weather gets hot, grass growth really slows down.”
Weekly Landscaping: There’s A Lot Going On Out There
Remember, we’re not just mowing. Your weekly landscaping maintenance includes a lot of other services that keep your commercial property competitive and looking great, from blowing debris to edging curbs and bed lines to pruning wayward branches.
It all adds up to a commercial property that looks appealing and well tended — all the time. The kind of place where people want to live, shop, dine, or set up business.
Trust Your Weekly Mowing and Landscape Maintenance to Hatcher
Sure, it’s tempting to try to cut corners and go easier on the mowing and maintenance.
But you’ll pay more in the long run — when tenants choose the other guys. You know, the ones who get weekly landscaping maintenance.
Are you ready to boost the appeal of your commercial property with weekly mowing and landscape maintenance so your property always looks great?
Talk to one of our commercial landscaping experts today! We’ll meet at your property, create a custom plan, and get you on your way to enjoying a beautiful, worry-free property.
