How Technology Is Reshaping Landscape Maintenance
How Technology Is Reshaping Landscape Maintenance
Publish Date: 2026-04-02 01:03:00
Source Domain: www.facilitiesnet.com
From autonomous mowers to GPS tracking and hybrid equipment, grounds managers are blending traditional tools with emerging technologies to boost efficiency, precision and sustainability across large-scale landscapes.
As sustainability goals grow more ambitious and technology more complex, grounds and landscape managers have discovered there is truth in this phrase: It isn’t easy being green.
Maintaining landscapes around institutional and commercial buildings in sports facilities and in parks has become increasingly complex. Grounds managers must deliver pristine fields and landscapes while navigating labor shortages, budget constraints, sustainability goals and rapid technological change.
As a result, they are reshaping large-scale landscape maintenance. Their operations blend traditional equipment with data-driven technology, robotics and automation to create smarter, more efficient grounds programs.
The foundation of grounds management
Even at institutions that experiment with innovative technology, traditional mower fleets are still the backbone of day-to-day operations.
Nick McKenna, Texas A&M’s assistant athletics director for sports fields, describes his mower setup as reasonably traditional, adding it features large, commercial-grade triplex units designed for sports turf and landscape areas, as well as zero-turn mowers and traditional push mowers.
“We have added a couple of hybrid units,” he says. “The engines are still diesel-powered, but the cutting units are electric. This has allowed us to eliminate some of the hydraulics, which reduces the risk of a blown hydraulic line on the field killing the grass.”
Reliability and precision guide Texas A&M’s mower selections.
“Reel mowers are necessary for that ultra-low cut and smooth playing surface,” McKenna says. “We can’t compromise quality, and that means traditional equipment stays front and center.”
Lance Johnson, who…
