Landcare

Site and landscape design services that include cost estimating, project management and project installation.

Services provided on landscape design projects and in partnership with campus construction projects to stage and restore beautiful landscapes. Includes landscape material recovery for reuse and compost.

Landscape maintenance includes seasonal attention to natural plantings listed below.

Landcare operates a centrally controlled, evapotranspiration (ET) based campus irrigation system. Naturalistic area irrigation is used primarily during plant establishment or extreme drought conditions.

All landscape materials are recovered. Herbaceous plant waste is collected and composted for use as soil amendment. Woody plant waste is collected and processed for use as mulch.

Lawns: mow, weed, water, edge, aerate, seed and spring/fall cleanup.

Turf alternatives, meadows and prairies: mow where applicable, control weeds, promote growth, water, and spring/fall cleanup.

Shrubs: plant, control weeds, mulch where applicable, water, prune, monitor for insect and disease, cut and fertilize.

Perennials: plant, fertilize/apply herbicide where applicable, water, weed, deadhead and divide as needed, and remove excess organic material after killing frost.

Bulbs: plant, fertilize, water and allow foliage die back to encourage long-term vigor.

Annual flowers: plant, fertilize, water, weed and remove after killing frost.

Winter interest planting maintenance: allow spent foliage of designated plant materials to remain in place throughout winter.

Prune, treat, protect, water, remove/replace in accordance with the campus tree plan (see below), and monitor for disease, insects and structural problems.

Check out the Twin Cities Campus Tree Management Plan to learn more about the amazing trees on campus including a comprehensive tree inventory map, how they are maintained and protected, and future goals for the tree population.

Remove snow prioritizing high traffic and vehicular and pedestrian ways first. Prep surfaces with anti-icing brine before storms when conditions warrant.

Snow removal - please contact landcare@umn.edu 

Clean walks, plazas and loading docks. Sweep campus streets. Sweep permeable paver surfaces.

Maintain a litter free landscape. Remove postings from kiosks at the end of each semester.

Landcare works with event planners to arrange event waste collection, turf maintenance and restoration, furniture and general review of all outdoor events.

Visit the Outdoor Events Office to learn more about holding outdoor events on campus and how to begin the process.

Install, repair, move and store outdoor furniture including: benches, tables and chairs, litter receptacles and free standing planters.

Landcare subscribes to an Integrated Pest Management philosophy to improve management, lower costs, and reduce risks to people and the environment. We reinforce this philosophy by requiring all of our gardeners to become licensed pesticide applicators through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. This ensures that our staff have the knowledge and skills to safely apply chemicals if we determine that chemicals are the best option.

Landcare has taken several other steps to reduce the use of chemicals on campus, including:

• Converting more than 40 acres of traditional lawn areas to prairie, wildflower meadows, or lower input turf varieties.
• Mapping service expectations for remaining turf areas, and refining service standards & tolerances to target additional areas for reduced chemical applications.
• Testing turf area soils prior to fertilizing in order to better understand what kind and how much (if any) fertilizer to apply.
• Exploring the use of organic amendments as an alternative to chemical fertilizer. 

All plants need water to survive, but overwatering can harm plants and wastes a precious resource. Landcare works to conserve water while meeting the needs of campus plantings. Our 120 automatic irrigation installations are networked through a computerized, centrally controlled system. This system uses real-time climate data collected on campus to deliver evapotranspiration (ET) based watering to campus lawns and plantings. Flow sensing components allow us to create water usage reports and maximize system efficiency.

Landcare systems typically run early in the morning to minimize evaporative loss and avoid pedestrian conflicts. Occasionally, our staff will run a system in the daytime during routine maintenance or to provide newly planted areas a boost during establishment.

Landcare is the primary snow removal service provider for the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. We are responsible for clearing nearly 100 miles of streets and walkways, and 106 acres of parking surfaces. We respond with available resources to present a safe, reliable and welcoming campus following winter storm events. Snow removal priorities are based on opening high traffic pedestrian and vehicular ways first, and lower use areas as time allows. Landcare monitors evolving weather conditions and adjusts snow removal plans to accommodate current and planned campus activities.

Landcare contractors provide snow removal services to campus parking facilities. Landcare employees open campus streets, loading docks, walkways and plazas using a fleet of specialized snow removal equipment, from large plow trucks to skid steer loaders to converted lawn mowers. Our staff shovel hundreds of steps and ramps across campus, and we partner with other Facilities Management custodial crews to facilitate snow removal at building entrances.

To reinforce our commitment to sustainability and water quality, Landcare staff complete Smart Salting training through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. We work hard to balance public safety with stewardship of natural and constructed resources. We encourage campus visitors to practice safe winter habits.

Landcare’s snow removal process and service goals are outlined below. Completion times vary by storm type, timing and severity:

1. Prep - Before a storm, when conditions warrant, apply anti-icing brine to high traffic areas, slopes, curves and intersections.
2. Open - During or immediately after a storm event, plow to open priority paths single width minimum.
3. Clear - Within 12 hours, plow to full width and stage for cleanup.
4. Clean - Within 24 hours:
   1. Broom pavement to remove residual snow.
   2. Widen edges for future snow storage, windrow, move designated piles.
   3. Detail curb cuts, hydrants, signal buttons, etc.
   4. Apply de-icing chemicals at a rate of approximately 1 pound per 300 square feet.

Typical snow depth activation triggers are:

• Standard parking lots – 2 inches
• Enhanced parking lots – 1 inch: 103 (Bell Museum), 104 (CEC), and C73 (CSC)
• All parking ramp tops – 1 inch
• Priority walkways – visible snow cover