Eco-friendly Yard Practices

Plenty of homeowners take pride in beautifying their yards with plants. However, most miss the mark as they use maintenance practices that are not eco-friendly. Not only do these practices harm the environment, but they also increase expenses and damage the landscape.

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Here are some eco-friendly practices that homeowners should use in their yards:

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Choose plants native to an area

When choosing yard plants, most people choose those with attractive foliage. They fail to pay attention to whether a plant is exotic or native, which is a big oversight.

Maintaining an eco-friendly yard begins by choosing native plants. These plants will easily adapt to the local climate and soil. As such, they require no watering since they can do fine with the local rainfall patterns. Also, there will be no need to add fertilizers because the nutrients in the soil are enough to support them.

Furthermore, the plants will not require pesticides because they can withstand local pests and diseases. Finally, they help to sustain the lives of local pollinators.

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Conserve the soil through mulching

Healthy soil goes a long way to ensuring that plants get the necessary nutrients. One effective way of conserving soil is mulching. Instead of burning or disposing of shredded plant matter and normal garden waste, a homeowner should apply it to the top layer of soil.

Doing so has many benefits. First, mulch adds a protective barrier that prevents water evaporation from the soil. This way, the soil can retain moisture for longer, minimizing the need for watering plants. The barrier also blocks sunlight from penetrating the soil, preventing weeds from growing. As such, a homeowner won’t have to use herbicides.

Secondly, mulching reduces surface water runoff that can cause erosion and expose the plants’ roots. As the plant matter in the mulch decomposes, it enriches the soil by recycling the nutrients.