PhotoSimply having a yard isn’t enough to be environmentally friendly. It’s true that you are using an outside space and that there will be plants and trees and perhaps even animals and insects there, but that doesn’t always go deep enough. Sometimes more is needed to be done. If you want to use your backyard to ensure that you are doing your best for the environment, here are some great ideas for you.
Change Your Mowing Habits
When you mow your lawn, it’s likely that you’ll cut it as short as possible. That’s because it looks much neater that way, plus it means you won’t have to do that task again for a little while yet. However, letting your grass grow longer and not cutting it as short can be a lot better for the planet. If you can keep your lawn at the three to four inches level, you will find that it becomes a lot thicker, and the roots are stronger. As well as this, there will be fewer pests and more insects that are good for the plants around you.
Welcome The Pollinators
We need pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees because they help crops and plants to grow. Unfortunately, many of these essential creatures are in decline, so yards must be welcoming to these insects and birds. This is easy to do; it simply consists of planting a range of plants that flower at different times of the year, thus giving pollinators somewhere to come in any season.
Don’t forget that trees, and especially fruit trees, are also excellent for pollinators, and having trees in your yard will also give larger animals a place to live and be safe. Of course, sometimes trees will need to be pruned or even removed for the safety of the people around, and when that’s the case, hiring a professional tree service company is the best option.
Take Care When Watering
Watering is watering, isn’t it? Well, not if you want to be environmentally friendly, it’s not. If you want to be environmentally friendly, you will need to water between six and ten in the morning. That’s because the air is much cooler then, so you will save water – when the air is warmer, you will lose a lot of what you think you are putting on your plants due to evaporation.
When watering, don’t spray or pour water over the top of your plants as again you will lose a lot, and not enough will get to the roots where it is most needed. Instead, you should water directly onto the soil to give the roots the best chance of soaking up the water they need to thrive.
Start Composting
If you want to start composting, have a dedicated area of the garden to keep your compost and invest in a compost bin to keep things neat and tidy. You can put all of your kitchen scraps and leftovers into this bin (including eggs shells, dry leaves, coffee grounds, shredded newspaper, and fruit peelings) and allow nature to decompose them into a compost that you can use to enhance the growth of your plants. If you’re using all-natural compost, you won’t need to add any chemical fertilizers to your yard either – another good thing for the environment. Compost improves water retention and drainage and is perfect for growing anything, including vegetables.
