Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker is Also Know as
In different settings, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker is titled as
- Gardener
- Greenskeeper
- Grounds Maintenance Worker
- Grounds Person
- Grounds Specialist
- Grounds Worker
- Groundskeeper
- Landscape Specialist
- Landscape Technician
- Outside Maintenance Worker
Education and Training of Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker is categorized in Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.
Education Required for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Degrees Related to Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
- Bachelor in Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, Gene
- Associate Degree Courses in Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, Gene
- Masters Degree Courses in Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, Gene
- Bachelor in Ornamental Horticulture
- Associate Degree Courses in Ornamental Horticulture
- Masters Degree Courses in Ornamental Horticulture
- Bachelor in Greenhouse Operations and Management
- Associate Degree Courses in Greenhouse Operations and Management
- Masters Degree Courses in Greenhouse Operations and Management
- Bachelor in Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Associate Degree Courses in Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Masters Degree Courses in Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Bachelor in Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- Associate Degree Courses in Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- Masters Degree Courses in Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- Bachelor in Turf and Turfgrass Management
- Associate Degree Courses in Turf and Turfgrass Management
- Masters Degree Courses in Turf and Turfgrass Management
Training Required for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker in different industries are
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
- Agricultural Equipment Operators
- Highway Maintenance Workers
- Fallers
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
- Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians
- Construction Laborers
- Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
- Soil and Plant Scientists
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
What Do Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker do?
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Shovel snow from walks, driveways, or parking lots, and spread salt in those areas.
- Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Maintain or repair tools, equipment, or structures, such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, or benches, using hand or power tools.
- Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders.
- Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, or other grounds features.
- Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.
- Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
- Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
- Decorate gardens with stones or plants.
- Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring.
- Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses.
- Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste.
- Haul or spread topsoil, or spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place.
- Advise customers on plant selection or care.
- Care for artificial turf fields, periodically removing the turf and replacing cushioning pads or vacuuming and disinfecting the turf after use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
- Plan or cultivate lawns or gardens.
- Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.
- Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment.
- Mark design boundaries, and paint natural or artificial turf fields with team logos or names before events.
- Build forms and mix and pour cement to form garden borders.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
Qualities of Good Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
Tools Used by Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
- Adjustable widemouth pliers
- Adjustable wrenches
- Aerial lift trucks
- Arena rakes
- Artificial turf groomers
- Axes
- Backhoes
- Backpack blowers
- Backpack pump sprayers
- Box blades
- Brush trimmers
- Bucket loaders
- Bunker rakes
- Cargo trucks
- Chain saws
- Concrete mixers
- Cultivators
- Digital soil thermometers
- Dirt shovels
- Drag brooms
- Drag leveling bars
- Drag mats
- Drag spikers
- Drawn box scrapers
- Dump trucks
- Electrical cord reels
- Extension ladders
- Fertilizer spreaders
- Field layout systems
- Field painting stencils
- Flail mowers
- Flexible chain-link harrows
- Forklifts
- Front end loaders
- Gas generators
- Gas welders
- Greens mowers
- Ground picks
- Ground tarps
- Hammer drills
- Hammers
- Hand spreaders
- Handheld power drills
- Handsaws
- Hedge shears
- Hedge trimmers
- Hex pluggers
- Hoes
- Hydraulic booms
- Hydrostatic mowers
- Infield grooming rakes
- Iron rakes
- Knife sharpeners
- Ladders
- Land levelers
- Land planes
- Landscape rakes
- Leaf blowers
- Leaf rakes
- Leaf-grinding machines
- Line trimmers
- Loppers
- Manual mowers
- Measuring tapes
- Measuring wheels
- Mound slope gauges
- Mulching forks
- Nail drags
- Oetiker clamps
- Overseed enhancing tools
- Paint sprayguns
- Pallet trucks
- Pick axes
- Pipe cutters
- Plow pan spikers
- Pole saws
- Power drills
- Power rakes
- Power saws
- Power sweepers
- Precision files
- Pressurized sprayers
- Protective ear plugs
- Pruners
- Pruning saws
- Puddle pumps
- Push mowers
- Rakes
- Reversible spike harrows
- Riding mowers
- Roller squeegees
- Rubber mallets
- Safety gloves
- Safety goggles
- Salt spreaders
- Saws
- Screwdrivers
- Scuffle hoes
- Shielded arc welding tools
- Shovels
- Snow blowers
- Snow shovels
- Snowplow attachments
- Socket wrenches
- Sod lifters
- Soil probes
- Soil profilers
- Soil pulverizers
- Spades
- Sprinklers
- String trimmers
- Tillers
- Tractor broom attachments
- Tractors
- Trowels
- Truck-mounted chemical sprayers
- Turf rollers
- Turf striping rollers
- Turf sweepers
- Utility vehicles
- Wheeled paint sprayers
- Wood chippers
- X-drags
Technology Skills required for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word