Don’t get caught with your plants down. The 3 most common maintenance items that you as a business owner or facilities manager are paying for but may not actually be receiving.

1. Weed control and fertilization – the next time you have a few minutes, take a walk around your property. (You tend to see things differently walking than you do when you drive to your normal parking spot).

Are there weeds in the turf? Are there thin areas? Does the turf look green as it can be? If you answered no to either of these questions, you might not be getting what you’re paying for. Check your contract and verify with your landscape maintenance contractor that they are indeed providing the proper turf treatment program for your facility. Perhaps you notice other items in the contract that are being skipped also.

2. Edging of beds – Most maintenance contracts call for the mechanical edging of plant beds two times per year. What this means is that your contractor should be cutting new bed lines with a spade or with a machine designed to cut crisp edges along bed lines. Oftentimes, we’ve seen contractors skipping this important maintenance task or using a weed whip to mimic bed lines. If you’re paying for edging of beds, you should be able to identify these crisp edges two times per year. Check it out on your next walk.

3. Mow and go – Does your maintenance contractor’s crew show up and before you know it, they’ve disappeared? If you’re paying for a complete maintenance contract, your Account Manager should be meeting with you from time to time presenting status updates on your site. Your contractors are your eyes and ears and should be informing you of issues or areas that need improvement at your facility. They should be presenting you with ideas on how to enhance your property so that not only does it look good, but you look good also.

Countryside Industries, Inc. Is a family owned Maintenance and Snow Removal company specializing in creating long lasting partnerships with its customers. They have a long list of satisfied partners and have been in business since 1975.