CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QC Life) - Are you a gardener or someone who enjoys looking at flowers? Or are you someone who plants or eats fruits or vegetables? Regardless of what you said yes to, pollinators are responsible for keeping your plants alive and for putting the majority of plant-based foods and products in your home.
National Pollinator Week is June 17-23, and in honor of the bees, insects, birds and other pollinators that keep humans and our ecosystem alive, Regional Manager for Pike Nurseries NC Stores Jordan Seals shared some tips on how we can help the pollinators that help us daily. Pike Nurseries is a garden center that provides garden and plant needs.
Seals shared that more visits from bees and other pollinators can result in more flavorful and larger fruit as well as higher crop earnings.
One way to attract pollinators and to help them is by making habitats for them at your home. There are three things needed for them to survive: food, water and shelter.
To help them with food, consider planting plants that are rich in nectar and pollen. Some examples include bee balm, butterfly bush, rudbeckia and salvia. Also consider planning the time you plant your garden to allow for blooms in early spring to late fall, which could provide as much food as possible. Also plant native plants in your garden because pollinators will be familiar with them.
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Having host plants in your garden such as parsley and asclepias, which are plants that butterflies lay their eggs on, could also increase the amount of pollinators you have.
In addition to plants, provide some additional food sources such as feeders for butterflies and hummingbirds as well as nectar.
For water, although a bird bath may work for birds, most pollinators need a shallower water source. Seals shared that something such as a saucer with pebbles or sand with water gives the smaller pollinators something they can land on while they drink.
To avoid mosquitos, be sure to keep your water sources clean because mosquitos are attracted to stagnant water.
Finally for shelter, consider featuring a variety of different things to your landscape such as shrubs, grasses or trees because many pollinators nest in trees. For native bees, Seals said leaving a fallen branch and a bare patch of grass can help. To protect your pollinators from the rain and predators, leave a little bug hotel for them to take shelter in.
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For more information, view the segment above or visit Pike Nurseries’ website or social media accounts @PikeNurseries.
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