While the saying might theorize that April showers lead to May flowers, this year it looks like May showers will be leading to June flowers! May was the wettest month in 3 years in Maryland, and over 8 inches of rain fell over the course of the month at BWI Airport. What does the downpour mean for your lawn, landscaping and maintenance projects?

How Does Rain Delay Landscaping and Maintenance Projects?

Rain saturates the ground and makes it both difficult and dangerous to tackle landscaping and lawn maintenance. Thunderstorms and downpours lead to safety concerns whenever our workers are around trees and the ground is saturated. Simple maintenance tasks like mowing the lawn should be avoided if possible during or immediately after the rain. If lawns are still saturated, JFC Grounds Maintenance may need to reschedule the routine mowing until the lawn has dried out more. Wet grass is much slipperier than you think, and countless homeowners and landscapers suffer injuries every year from slipping, tripping and falling.

How Can You Care for Your Landscape During Rainy Months?

In between visits from the landscaping professionals at JFC Grounds Maintenance, there are ways you can care for your yard when it’s rainy outside:

  • Never walk through your yard or garden when the ground is saturated, or you will compress the soil
  • Take dead leaves and branches off of trees and plants as soon as you spot them
  • Stake any new, young or delicate plants so that the rain will not force them to flop over
  • Take a walk through your yard after every thunderstorm to check for tree or plant damage
  • If you have drainage issues or flooding and erosion in your yard, consult with your landscaping professional at the next time of service about how that can be corrected
  • Prepare to re-fertilize plants once the rain ends, as there’s a good chance that most of your fertilizer was washed away in May

Rescheduling Your Lawn Care and Landscaping Maintenance

During rainy periods, maintain a flexible schedule. Your JFC Grounds Maintenance professional will always contact you if your landscaping project needs to be rescheduled due to rain. Ready to get started on your lawn project now that the clouds are parting? Give JFC Grounds Maintenance a call at (410) 655-2887.