In southeastern Louisiana, weed control is a routine, year-round project for landscape managers. The weed types change with the seasons, but the urgency for consistent control persists. Adding mulch to open bed areas helps reduce some of the weed pressures. Ultimately, the “critical moment” of weed control is frequency — eliminating a weed population before it can set seed to replenish another generation.
Other landscape functions are more seasonal. They come into focus around the same time each year with weather patterns fine tuning the need and opportunity for maintenance. The phenology of insect and disease scouting and control fits into this category, as does fertilizing and pruning ornamentals. Harvesting pine straw is another example of a seasonal opportunity. Transplanting (except tropicals) is most successful in the cool season. The “critical moments” for these landscape tasks are determined by plant and pest responses to weather and season.
Finally, other landscape tasks are scheduled for convenience. Installing new landscapes works best during the cool season and during lulls in the campus calendar. Though re-mulching is helpful to control weeds and refresh landscape beds at any time of the year, the ideal time is shortly after the deciduous trees in the area have shed their leaves. Then, freshly placed pine straw or bark mulches remain neat for months.
The following calendar is a handy reference to some of the “critical moments” characteristic of Southeastern’s campus landscapes, as well as Southeastern Louisiana in general.
January
February
March
April
May
ornamentals / groundcovers
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
