If you are like many West Fargo rental property owners, you make it a point to develop your rental to be more environmentally friendly. Creating a pollinator-friendly yard is one small thing you can do to make a difference. Making attractive yards that are easy to maintain is a good practice for rental property landscaping. However, you or your tenant might want to consider making your property’s yard pollinator-friendly. It’s worth taking this project into consideration for many reasons. It’s not only a beneficial investment in the environment, but it may add value to your property as well. When done accurately, creating a pollinator-friendly yard may even be an awesome way to entice environmentally conscious tenants.
Even if you’re not necessarily an avid gardener, you may have heard that pollinators like butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other flying insects are rapidly declining. These pollinators are a crucial part of our ecosystem. Without them, we would not have various fruits, nuts, and seeds that most of us eat and enjoy. But with just small changes to your rental’s landscaping, you can definitely influence the pollinator populations in your land.
Plant With Variety
Having a wide variety of plants in your landscaping is one of the first things you can do to encourage pollinators to visit your rental yard. You should choose plants that will bloom from early spring to late fall at different times. In most locations, you should be able to get native plant varieties that are both easy to care for and quick to attract pollinators.
Add a Feeder
Hanging a nectar feeder in your rental home’s yard is another easy approach to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Aside from giving many benefits to your landscaping plants, many people also enjoy watching these pollinators feed. You could also place a dish of ripe fruit or water mixed with sea salt to attract even more pollinators to your yard. Butterflies are specifically drawn to these items.
Rethink the Lawn
For many rental homes, a blooming green lawn is a key part of the landscaping. By doing some simple changes, you can also support pollinators with your lawn. To state an example, if you allow the grass to grow a bit taller (about 3 inches) and develop seed heads, it will not only retain moisture in the soil but also entice pollinators to your yard. You could also consider integrating some low-growing plants with your grass, such as white clover or violets. These non-invasive plants can boost local pollinator populations without damaging the health of your lawn.
Use Alternatives to Pesticides
Spraying the lawn or other plants with pesticides is an ordinary practice for a lot of property owners. But no matter what kind of insect you intend to kill, you could also be affecting beneficial pollinators. If you must use a spray to manage harmful insects or other issues, consider choosing the ones that are more environmentally friendly. A couple of oils and soaps can attack pests without killing off pollinators. Cornmeal will at times fend off troublesome ant colonies, while garlic, pepper, and even beer can keep certain biting insects at bay.
If your tenant wants to add pollinator-friendly components to your rental home’s yard, you might consider allowing them to do it. Of course, you would want to make sure that you and your tenant know what updates will be made, who will do the work, and who will pay for the improvements. In the event that your tenant wants you to cover the expenses of the plants and other elements, it still may be a good investment and worth saying yes to since it could add value to your property or make it extra attractive to future tenants.
Designing a pollinator-friendly yard for your rental that will also boost your property values is certainly doable. But it may be a challenge to know what particular updates will add to your property’s appeal. For answers and advice about this and any other queries you may have about managing your property, you may want to think of turning to expert West Fargo property managers. To learn about all of the great services that Real Property Management Optimum has to offer – including landscaping advice – contact us online today!
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