Occupation Details
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
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.
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Interests
Realistic
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values
Working Conditions
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$31,070.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$39,750.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$48,590.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
58,500
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
73,610
+1,511 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
10,016
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.3%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
Quick Start - High school or less
Experience Requirements
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 Requirements
Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.
Training Details
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.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include food preparation workers, dishwashers, floor sanders and finishers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, logging equipment operators, and baristas.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Apprenticeship
Contact your regional representative to learn more about apprenticeships available in your area by visiting Apprenticeship Contacts.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Chemistry
Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
Mechanical
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Biology
Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Mathematics
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Achievement/Effort
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Concern for Others
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Adjustable widemouth pliers
- Adjustable wrenches
- Aerial lift trucks
- 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 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
Technology
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- advise clients or customers
- drive truck with capacity greater than 3 tons
- operate tractor with accessories or attachments
- use truck-mounted hydraulic lifts or other accessories
- repair and maintain grounds keeping equipment and tools
- resolve landscaping problems
- follow horticulture irrigation techniques
- use plant or crop transplant techniques
- use plant disease control techniques
- move or fit heavy objects
- prepare site or surfaces for concrete or masonry work
- plant, cultivate, or harvest crops, including aquaculture
- construct, erect, or repair wooden frameworks or structures
- maintain physical building or grounds of property
- use chain saws
- use hand or power tools
- use power mower
- use herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or related products
- finish concrete surfaces
- mix paint, ingredients, or chemicals, according to specifications
- use portable hand spray equipment
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders.
- Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste.
- Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, or other grounds features.
- Shovel snow from walks, driveways, or parking lots, and spread salt in those areas.
- Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring.
- Plan or cultivate lawns or gardens.
- Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.
- Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.
- Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.
- Maintain or repair tools, equipment, or structures, such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, or benches, using hand or power tools.
- Decorate gardens with stones or plants.
- 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.
- Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment.
- Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses.
- Advise customers on plant selection or care.
- Haul or spread topsoil, or spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place.
- 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.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Grounds maintenance workers
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
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