5 facts about Virginia Tech’s grounds care and maintenance
Have you ever noticed the perfectly striped grass on the Drillfield or wondered how vibrant seasonal flowers seem to appear in the plant bed in front of Torgersen Bridge?
The artists behind the beautiful Blacksburg backdrop are from the Division of Facilities' grounds crew. The team is tasked with the maintenance, care, and beautification of the Blacksburg campus and contributing to the university’s inherent sense of place.
Grounds crew members share their secrets on tactics and methods they use to care for and maintain the physical campus.
How does the crew rehabilitate plant beds?
Plant beds and other areas can sometimes fail from lack of sunlight, drought, or soil chemistry. Crew members have a palette of plants that they know work well in a variety of conditions through testing and observation. Based on the situation in a failing plant bed, the crew will select plants that respond favorably to different conditions such as drier soil, wetter soil, sun, and shade.
Additionally, the crew rehabilitates these areas by conducting soil upgrades using compost.
How does the crew stripe the Drillfield?
The crews uses striping attachments that connect to the lawn mowers that feature a large bar with a roller inside. When mowing, the roller knocks the grass down one way and the crew member will turn and mow back on the opposite side creating a striped look.
What does the mowing process look like throughout the year?
Once grass begins to grow, mowing season begins. During this time, the crew is responsible for a seven-day cycle including mowing, edging, trimming, and blowing off surfaces.
The crew can only mow when conditions allow. At times, drought conditions can occur, causing the crew to pause mowing and focus efforts on other areas. Drought conditions usually happen during late summer when the grass becomes very dry. This presents an opportunity for mulching and plant bed care.
How does the crew collect all the leaves in the fall and where do they go?
Once the ground experiences a hard freeze and temperatures drop significantly below the freezing point - typically between November and February - turf grasses shut down and crews transition into leaf pickup. Leaf pickup is a team effort, and the crew uses leaf vacuums to aid in the task.
At the end of each day, crews place the leaves collected into a landfill, accumulating a large pile throughout leaf collection season. Using a tub grinder, the crew then chops up the leaves to create a rich, nutrient-dense compost. Brush and wood debris are separately ground to create chip mulch.
The composted leaf matter is used as a soil amendment around the Blacksburg campus. The crew is currently experimenting with various methods to spread and aerate the compost in turf areas to improve soil quality.
What are cow paths and how does the crew fix them?
Cow paths are worn down areas of grass resulting from pedestrian travel in high traffic regions across the Blacksburg campus.
The division’s landscape architect and grounds manager assess the cow paths to find the “desire line” of pedestrian travel and determine if a formal temporary or permanent path is necessary.
Temporary paths can be constructed using shredded bark mulch pathways leading into buildings or devised with gravel and other materials to navigate effectively and safely around active construction sites.
