Maintenance Practical – October 24th-26th, 2014

Carly K.

Jeff gave a short orientation the morning of our first day of practical. The purpose of the orientation was to familiarize and supply the practical students with all the necessary the information needed over the weekend. This included, our daily duties, available equipment, contact information, emergency information, required personal protective equipment, etc. After Jeff gave the appropriate instructions, Sara and I were instructed to prep the garden beds at the front of Fanshawe. We were told to clear the beds of all the annuals as they are affected by the frost and cold weather. Sara and I preformed a circle check on both the Kubota and trailer before we went and gathered the appropriate tools for the job. After we collected our things, we drove the RTV to the front of the school where we would completely dismantle the garden bed for the plants that will be planted there in the future. We dug out all the plants, weeded the bed, cultivated and raked the soil. We did this for 2 beds. Our third bed contained daylilies that needed to be deadheaded and cleaned up. We collected all the scraps in a pile on the trailer. Once we finished, we made our way back to the Woodland Gardens where we would deadhead more daylilies and prune hostas to aid their growth in the spring and make the landscape look more visually appealing. After those duties were complete, we took the scraps to the compost, we cleaned the tools we used throughout the day and put them back in the tool room in their designated spots. Cleaning the tools daily prevent future damage such as rust and cracks. I then returned the Kubota and trailer to the tractor bay, signed in the keys and called it a day.



The second day I worked alone in the Woodland Gardens. Just like my first day, I signed out my radio and keys, preformed a circle check on the Kubota and trailer and collected the appropriate tools for the day. I was asked to maintain, edit, weed, deadhead, prune and change anything that required it. I spent the majority of my day weeding and deadheading day lilies and taking trips to the compost pile. I cleaned the tools and put them away in the tool room for an easy find for my third day.



The third day was much like my second day with a few differences. As required at the start of every day here at Fanshawe, I signed my radio and keys out, performed circle checks and collected the necessary things I was going to need. I did more weeding and editing throughout the Woodland Gardens. I pruned grass, cultivated, raked, and collected the scraps to transport them to the compost. Added, all while having my personal protective equipment on. This includes, my hardhat, safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a reflective vest, steel toe work boots and the appropriate uniform. The faculty and students here at Fanshawe are aware that safety is extremely important. To prevent any problems from arising, the personal protective equipment is mandatory at all times while working on school grounds.