Schexnider offers landscaping tips to his fellow Rotarians

Rotarians at their wits end with their lawn and landscapes were in luck Tuesday as Kirk Schexnider provided several tips as part of his program at the club’s weekly meeting.
Speaking on rainy weather, flowers and weeds specifically before fielding questions, Schexnider offered much insight into the world of landscaping.
This year has been an interesting one so far for Schexnider and anyone who works with lawns, particularly with the amount of rain experienced in the past two months.
“I think we normally get about 4 inches of rain (in April), this year we got about 16 or 17 inches,” he said. “And, we’ve already gotten another 8 or 9 inches in May, so we’re already right about 40 inches and we’re only supposed to get about 60 (annually) in Louisiana, so we’re going to be way above that.”
So, with rainy conditions and Louisiana’s famous heat, weeds have been a great big problem.
For that, Schexnider recommends ridding your area of winter weeds and look to keeping landscaping areas as loose as possible with the soil to make sure it is as drainable as possible.
Schexnider also recommended to Rotarians that they not give into temptation to water plants during dry spells right now.
“I’d prefer you lose a few because it dries out than everything because you put too much water,” he said.
Schexnider joked that he had to stop himself from watering plants and within two days of his temptation it was raining again.
As for current weeds popping up, Schexnider and his workers are cutting down the weeds to about 1-2 inches before applying the appropriate weed killer and using mulch to start a new bed. He reminded Rotarians that even if you go pluck the weed from the landscape, odds are that it’s still in the ground and within a few days it will sprout once more.
The best course of action for lawns and landscapes alike, according to Schexnider, is to just keep up with anti-weed applications.
Finally, before fielding questions, he reminded that those with rose bushes may want to look at cutting them back, evenly, by about 3-4 inches to prepare the bushes for a second flush of blooms.
Schexnider then turned the floor over to his fellow Rotarians and fielded questions on all kinds of plant life. There were questions regarding birds of paradise and pineapple plants as well as pepper plants.
Schexnider also explained that citronella plants as well as any smelly herb plants (i.e. rosemary) can help ward off mosquitoes, though there may be nothing powerful enough to help rid the house area completely of the pest.
“I’m not saying it’s going to work in at 6 o’clock at night in Louisiana, but...,” he said with a laugh.
Rotary International District 6200 Gov. Ezora Proctor also made a special presentation at Tuesday’s meeting. Proctor was able to bestow international honors on fellow Crowley Rotarian Mary Zaunbrecher as she nominated Zaunbrecher for the District Service Award.
Proctor made the presentation at the recent District Assembly and again Tuesday in front of her home club.