A Look At: Winterizing MU

lthough this year's drought conditions are making people draw comparisons to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, the University of Missouri campus is surviving a rainless summer.

A lack of rainfall notwithstanding, as Landscape Services crews continue to fight the drought effects, they are also responsible for "winterizing" the MU campus.

Planting

The most important task Landscape Services crews undertake in the winter is planting. Crews sew grass seed throughout the university grounds, along with planting upwards of 150 trees and 2,000 shrubs.

"Conditions aren't ideal for the plants, but the reality is that we need to get them planted, even if it doesn't meet the horticultural ideal," said Charles Paxton, a landscape supervisor in Landscape Services at CF.

Even so, Landscape Services still loses about five percent of what is planted, due to precarious winter conditions.

Repair

Although the growth of plants may slow in the winter, the pace of construction on campus continues unabated. With all the heavy machinery rumbling about, Landscape Services construction crews must patch project areas torn up from summer construction and work on winter projects, such as the Eckles Hall Addition.

Cleaning

Few people realize that winter is the best time to fertilize. Landscape Services crews take advantage of the winter months to mulch the trees and shrubs, which provide protection against frigid soil conditions.

Landscape Services also works on pruning and cleaning-up the campus' shrub beds. Even with eight people working daily with gasoline hedge trimmers, it takes about three weeks to prune and thin the campus shrubs.

Detailing

Final winterizing touches come with removing leaves shed by the 5,000-plus trees on campus. When piled up around a building entrance, leaves easily create a safety hazard from a discarded cigarette.

Landscape Services personnel also perform diagnostic health checks on the trees. Many trees, in the winter, are in danger of diseases such as iron chlorosis, which is an iron deficiency in trees.