SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – It’s that time of year when landscaping businesses are trying to decide whether it’s time to put the salt and snowblades away to make room for the mowers.

Right now, employees at Arctic Winter Management and DNK Lawn Care are seeing a lot of shop days.

“We’re doing oil changes and maintenance on our Z Spears and fertilizing equipment, getting our motors ready to go for the season just so we’re ready. You know, when the grass starts going, we can get going,” Mike Bucknell, a shop mechanic said.

“We’re kind of at a tween level, we’re in between snow and summer/spring cleanups. So we’re getting fertilizer delivered next week, but I don’t really want to buy anymore salt because I feel like we’re on the downhill slide of it. But it could go either way, I mean, April, we’ve had snow in May, so you really can’t count anything out,” Dan Pyle, owner of arctic winter management and DNK lawn care, said.

Seeing a late start to Spring is something Dan Pyle, owner of the landscaping businesses, is getting used to.

“Years ago, we would be behind. I would say we’re average the last three years. Everything has shifted a month. So, our April weather is really now May but our October weather is really now November. So we’re not losing anything, we’re just shifting a month,” Pyle said.

He says once everything melts and thaws, we’ll really see how much damage this long winter has done.

“You’re going to see a lot of rabbit damage. A lot of the bushes have gotten gnawed down,” Pyle said. “I think there’ll be a lot of plant replacement,” Pyle said.

“I’m ready for Spring and Summer. You know, get out on the lakes and boats. But being we’re still not over that hump yet, we still could see some snow and ice. But we still like to get ahead and be prepared for everything,” Bucknell said.

Pyle has compared this winter to the one in 1997 when he was starting Spring work during the last week of March. This year, he thinks they’ll start cleaning up from winter towards the last half of April.