Gardeners/landscapers - winter work?

[MFCGMFC]

hey all

what do the professional gardeners/landscapers/self employed greenkeepers do on here during the winter?

i know few landscapers who having gritting contracts during the winter in the likes of industrial estates etc

but what about everyone else?

surely guys can sit all winter without work?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[stewartthemole]

to name but a few

Winter pruning of shrub beds etc
Raising the crowns on tree's so ride on mowers can fit under without maiming the operator
Tree planting
Hard landscaping (weather permitting)
Drainage work
Fencing

 

[MFCGMFC]

At college we are getting taught that the planting season is well finished especially for trees?

I didn't think paving etc would be doable in these months? Due to the unpredictability in ground movements caused by hard frost

slabs at my grandas house have lifted due to theftost causeing the concrete underneathto crack?

I thought that would have been the same for fenceing? Penetrating frosts causeing postcrete to crack or not set correctly?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[K]

We had some work done at our old house a few year ago (in winter).. part of this involved someone to remove wallpaper before skimming could be done.. The lad who came and stripped the walls for us was a gardener. He had no work so did dogs body work for the company who he did landscaping for..

 

[stewartthemole]

At college we are getting taught that the planting season is well finished especially for trees?

I didn't think paving etc would be doable in these months? Due to the unpredictability in ground movements caused by hard frost

slabs at my grandas house have lifted due to theftost causeing the concrete underneathto crack?

I thought that would have been the same for fenceing? Penetrating frosts causeing postcrete to crack or not set correctly?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

When does the college recommend planting trees ? When I went to horti college we were taught that bare rooted and root balled trees were planted during the winter months when they were dormant this is why all the big wholesale nurseries sell them during this time.

As for slabbing and block paving, yes the summer months are better but with a bit of common sense, a long range weather forecast and proper preparation you can normally find suitabe days to do this type of work without any frost.
The ground will still move under your paving whether they are laid in January or June. I assume grandad had his slabs laid in the summer yet the ground still moved, this was due to extreme cold not when they were laid.

Fencing is much the same as slabbing in regard to the weather, as long as you have a tight hole made with a post hole borer and use postcrete etc at a time there is no heavy frost expected for a few days it will set just as well as during the summer.

As I origionally said it has to be weather permitting and you tend to find in the winter you will have several jobs half done as you jump between pruning when it is cold and fencing and paving on the milder days or gritting and ball scratching when it is as severe as this year.

If I got a pound for every time my apprentices told me " This isn't the way they told us to do it at the college" I would be a rich man lol. They teach you the text book way not the way you will do it in the workplace.

If your course includes plant propagation they teach you to hold the seedlings by their seed leaves and use a dibber to loosen the plants and insert them, but I bet in the workplace you will use you finger and hold them with any leave and they will grow just the same

 

[MFCGMFC]

i wasnt having a go at you mate sorry if it came across that way

college says that tree planting is, in the main, march to october but due to unpredictibility in weather conditions winter planting is not reccomended

for the slabbing i was just asking, i thought because of the ever changing weather concreteing would not take place due to it cracking with frost

we checked the weather forecast yesterday, printed it out and then got todays compared them and they were predicting different things for the same days

both forecasts were from the same source

i was just being inquisitive mate cause i'm only starting out in this trade (2nd year apprentice greenkeeper)

i'll probably move into landscaping cause it seems to have more jobs related to it.

i may have more questions lol if thats ok? studying for greenkeeping at college/work but got my head buried in books about landscaping

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[stewartthemole]

That is the optimum time for planting containerised trees, most of the trees we plant are bare rooted and as such have to be done when dormant.

We try not to plant trees / shrubs in the height of summer as it is high maintenance watering them to establishment and if you dont water they end up dead lol

Try BBC Weather as I usually find it to be the most accurate especially for day and night temperatures.

As said in PM any questions just ask, I cant guarantee the answers as it was long time ago I did my my time and have since picked up a lot of bad habits lol

 

[MFCGMFC]

We use positive weather solutions or the met office

so if you plant a tree during winter, does it just sit there till spring before the roots start to establish?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[stewartthemole]

so if you plant a tree during winter, does it just sit there till spring before the roots start to establish?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

More or less yes, but u need to use a bit of common sense regarding timing ie you wouldn't plant a bare rooted tree in clay soil in hard frost in november / december.

But you probably would in a decent soil structure if it wasn't too wet and frosty and was well staked so the wind wouldn't loosen it too much. Some times in early spring you may find you need to re firm around the roots of winter planted trees if it has been really windy or frosty as this can loosen them off.

Winter is not the best time to do this but most landscapers / local authorities do because they are so busy in the spring / summer and there is fook all to do in the winter if you don't take the chance.

Stu

 

[stewartthemole]

Gav found a copy of the J.A.Jones guide at work today, it can be downloaded here using the link on the page

J A Jones

It has a good list of trees and shrubs and give a description / use for most of them.

At the back there are lists of trees/ shrubs for different situations ie clay soil, acid soil, shade, rabbit/deer tolerent etc and a bit on grading trees to work out girth - height etc.

A good freebie lol with loads of info

Stu

 

[stihl260]

As already mentioned, winter pruning, raising crowns on trees etc.
Most tree work is best done when they are dormant as Stewart has already said.

I used to do alot of work on Building sites (new build) and we always planted trees in Winter (bare root).

Mainly because it was cheaper, easier to plant and you dont have to water them.

Dont get me wrong, not all lived and sometimes you may only get 50% take on the trees.

The diffrence in price between buying bare root and containerised is alot, so the risk of some not taking is outweighed in the cost diffrence.

Years ago when i worked for a Landscape for on the Maintenance side, we always helped out the Landscapers and Tree boys in the winter.

Theses days im too tied up in Management, planning for next years program, Doing audits of written off kit , so i can buy new kit ready for next year.

Organising Sub contractors for Tree works.

Pricing up tenders for Extra works, new build Landscape works, Tree works, Fencing.

Soon i will start to advertise for temp. staff for next year (about Jan/Feb), interviews etc .

At the moment im picking up a Winter gritting round of about 17 sites for another Manager.

This can take up to 6hrs to get round, very Lucrative for the company and me.

So its People like me that during the Winter keep the NHS sites clear of ice and snow, retail parks, offices, banks, Railway stations etc.

About 3000 sites Nationwide as a company.

So thats what i do during the winter.

In some ways busier than i am during the summer.

Hence why recently i have not contributed much on here, simply because im so busy with Work.

Hope Everyone had a Great Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year and All the best for 2011.

 

[stewartthemole]

Another source of winter work especially round here, could be fixing gutters lol

everyone I speak to are complaining about the snow snapping off the plastic clips when it is sliding off the roof

 

[MFCGMFC]

so a landscaper turns into a handyman aswell then? all weather dependant work!!

a guy on another forum said he builds and sells garden furniture and ornaments!

so the idea is learn as much as possible so in harsh winters like this you can turn yer hand to anything?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

 

[stewartthemole]

so a landscaper turns into a handyman aswell then? all weather dependant work!!

a guy on another forum said he builds and sells garden furniture and ornaments!

so the idea is learn as much as possible so in harsh winters like this you can turn yer hand to anything?

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC

To be honest Gav my origional list is the main stay of what you usually do in a "Normal" winter but years like this you try to find anything that pays to keep the staff productive.

Even things like painting the canteen etc means you don't have to get a painter in.

We kept some of our temps on over the winter this year because we had extra hard landscaping to do and so far none of the jobs have been started, they have been either salting or tidying sheds etc none of which pays their wages.

 

[MFCGMFC]

ive managed to get onto a wee part time course to learn about brickwork in the home and garden

its at my local college but due to work commitments, thanks to the bloody snow, i'm gonna miss 2 nights out of the 10 of this course thanks to the new fixtures

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC