Many Conroe rental property owners like you want to do their job well by making the rental more environmentally friendly. Creating a pollinator-friendly yard is one small thing you can do to make a difference. Having attractive yards that are easy to maintain is a best practice for rental property landscaping. However, you or your tenant also should 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 right, creating a pollinator-friendly yard may even be a nice way to draw in environmentally conscious tenants.
Although you may not necessarily be a passionate gardener, you may have heard that pollinators like butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other flying insects are quickly declining. These pollinators are beneficial to our ecosystem. Without them, we would not have various fruits, nuts, and seeds that most of us eat and enjoy. But with just small updates to your rental’s landscaping, you can definitely impact pollinator populations in your area.
Plant With Variety
One thing you can do first to encourage pollinators to visit your rental home’s yard is to use a wide variety of plants in your landscaping. You should pick out plants that will bloom from early spring to late fall at separate times. In most places, you should be able to obtain 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 simple strategy to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Apart from providing many benefits to your landscaping plants, a lot of people also enjoy watching these pollinators feed. You may also place a dish of ripe fruit or water mixed with sea salt to get even more pollinators to your yard. Butterflies are particularly attracted to these items.
Rethink the Lawn
For a lot of rental homes, a healthy green lawn is a vital part of the landscaping. By doing some simple changes, you can also support pollinators with your lawn. To state an example, allowing the grass to grow a bit taller (about 3 inches) and develop seed heads will not only retain moisture in the soil but also entice pollinators to your yard. You could also consider blending some low-growing plants with your grass, such as white clover or violets. These non-invasive plants may be able to boost local pollinator populations without damaging the health of your lawn.
Use Alternatives to Pesticides
Spraying the lawn or other plants with pesticides is a well-known practice for a lot of property owners. But no matter what kind of insect you intend to kill, you could also be wiping out beneficial pollinators. If you must use a spray to manage harmful insects or other issues, consider using the more environmentally friendly ones. A couple of oils and soaps can fight off pests without killing off pollinators. Cornmeal will sometimes kill 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 you and your tenant to 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 pay for 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 more 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. You may want to consider consulting expert Conroe property managers for answers and advice about this and any other queries you may have about managing your property. To know about all of the excellent services that Real Property Management Republic has to offer – including landscaping advice – contact us online today!
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