Summer priorities for effective outdoor FM

Summer is the prime season for outdoor FM teams to ramp up grounds care, tackle maintenance, and plan to keep estates thriving year-round.

Understanding the specific demands of the season is key to optimising the many and varied demands on grounds maintenance and outdoor FM teams. Invariably a key focus is on grounds care and addressing increased lawn and turf management needs, keeping shrubs and hedges in check, and keeping flourishing blooms and weeds under control. However, drier months are also ideal for proactively spotting issues and preparing for future seasons. Less rainfall and longer daylight make it the best time for site inspections and essential maintenance.

Before this busy period, it’s vital to work with staff and contractors to draft a work programme, create a seasonal schedule, agree on objectives, and set KPIs. Every estate has its own priorities, but this article covers some key areas to consider.

Inspections and troubleshooting – from drainage to surfacing, line marking and pothole repairs

Although the British summer doesn’t guarantee dry conditions, this relatively dry period is ideal to maintain drainage systems, address flooding issues and to inspect and maintain car parks to catch issues before the onset of heavier rains and colder weather.

Drainage issues can arise from the temperatures affecting piping, while summer growth can see increased root damage and debris in pipes that causes blockages or cracking. Hot, arid weather can also dry up drains to produce nuisance odours. All of these factors can increase the need for reactive investigations and repairs. To get ahead of these issues, proactively schedule drain surveys to identify any hidden problems and give you the insight needed to better manage maintenance costs. Early action can also help to prevent issues later in the year such as water damage or flooding in car parks.

Summer is also a good time to take action on surfacing repairs, e.g identifying and fixing cracks before they develop into potholes during the colder months. During the summer holidays when traffic levels are reduced, consider other repair tasks, such as refreshing line marking in car parks that can help to improve safety and visibility during the darker nights of autumn and winter.

Growing grounds maintenance demands

During summer much of the grounds care budget may be focused on maintaining the status quo (with more grass cutting and pruning demanding more contractor visits to keep lawns and shrubs in check). In addition, early summer is also ideal for improvements such as new bedding plants and hanging baskets to increase the aesthetic appeal of sites. Alternatively, this can be a good time to make changes that encourage biodiversity or improve environmental impacts – for example, wildflower meadows that add visual interest while also supporting pollinators. In this way, effective grounds care planning can proactively support organisations’ environmental (ESG) commitments. It’s also worth looking at how different approaches can help to control budgets – for example, setting aside areas as wildflower meadows can also help to reduce the increased overhead of keeping lawns tidy.

Catching risks early

Proactive works aim to “fix the roof while the sun is shining” – well-timed interventions help avoid greater maintenance costs down the line. They also help prevent serious risks and liabilities.

Summer is an important time to keep an eye out for reportable invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed. Japanese Knotweed starts its rapid growth in spring and flourishes vigorously during the summer. Making sure grounds staff are trained to identify species can be vital to ensure early intervention and control measures are applied by specialist contractors.

Tree surgery and arboriculture activity in autumn is key to keep sites safe ahead of strong winds and winter storms. Prepare during summer by scheduling a professional tree to identify risks and prioritise tree works.

Weather heating up? Time to plan your winter gritting

Counter-intuitively, late summer is the best time in the calendar to start planning for frosts and snowfall. Prudent organisations work to lock in contracts for winter gritting and snow clearance at this stage to ensure budget certainty and guarantee of service provision. This is also a good time to engage new contractors as it will provide plenty of time for them to survey your sites to identify high-risk areas.  

Helping you take on every seasonal challenge

At OUTCO we provide year-round support to help our clients maintain the safety, functionality, and longevity of their external estate. During the summer this involves striking the right balance between managing the increased grounds care pressures of the peak growing season but also maintaining a forward view of challenges and risks ahead. Despite the budget pressures of this busy time, proactive planning and professional surveying is critical to identifying risks before they escalate and helping to plan essential maintenance with confidence.

For more information on how OUTCO can support your organisation make the most of its outside spaces this summer, contact us on 0800 0432 911 email enquiries@outco.co.uk or visit www.outco.co.uk