In this article I will talk about “how can you make your garden much more pollinator friendly” and thus improve efficiency in yielding crops.
So lets start with:
What is pollination and who are the pollinators?
Pollination is a process of moving pollens from one flower to another flower of the same species and thus producing fertile seeds. It is a compulsory process for
flowering plants.
The pollinators who help in pollination can be inanimate like wind, water or it can be living species like Bees, Butterflies, Wasp or smaller birds (like Hummingbird).
Why they need our help?
A pollinator like bee feeds on the pollen from flowering plants and in turn pollinate it to grow fruits. These fruits are not only consumed by humans but also by various species living in this planet. They are vital to the ecosystem and their are hardly any alternative available to humans to pollinate such a wide range of flowering plants.
Several species of bees and butterflies have lost their habitat due to excessive deforestation and use of pesticides. We can at least do a bit from our side to increase their population or it will hurt ourselves in the long run.
How can we help them?
Here are some of steps you can take to make a Garden much more Pollinator friendly:
1. Plant native plants: Pollinators are most comfortable with native plants. Most of them have a particular choice of plant for their feeding. A foreign plant might not provide the pollinator their required pollen. Plant different varieties of plants so you would get a diverse mix of different pollinators.
Here are some Plant preference for different pollinators:
a. Bees: They prefer blue, yellow and purple coloured flowers with sweet fragrances. Ensure your garden have enough native plants of these features; you don't wanna miss “The most active pollinators”, do you?
b.Butterflies: Though they normally feed on any nectar rich flower; their preference is always platform shaped sunflowers. Keep them in your garden and you will never miss those beautiful creatures.
c. Moths: Plants that are white in colour and have strong sweet smell are most preferred by moths.
d. Others: There may be other types of pollinators in your locality. Study their habitat and behaviour and try to match these in your garden.
2. Plant quite a few plants together for creating a better attraction to the pollinators: it will increase their foraging efficiency.
3. Plant in such a way so that you get blooming flowers through out the year. It would give the pollinators enough motivation to come to your garden though out the year and not in a particular season.
4. Provide nesting opportunity: There can be different types of pollinators in your garden so their needs for building nests would be different. Keep small piles of branches, wooden logs etc for bees and wasps to build their nests. Plant some of the plants which are conducive for butterflies to lay eggs.
5. Stop using pesticides all together you definitely don't want to kill your visitors after inviting them to your garden.
6. Have patience: It takes time for plants to grow and bear flowers. Pollinators will eventually find your garden. It might take some time for them to locate your garden in case it is far from their nests. So have patience.
7. Help others to create pollinator friendly gardens: Share information about pollinator friendly gardens. Help others around your locality to build such garden. It will attract pollinators to their gardens as well as yours.
Use these information and other valuable resource available on internet to educate yourself and apply the knowledge in your garden.
Did you like the article? Share your thoughts below:
So lets start with:
What is pollination and who are the pollinators?
Pollination is a process of moving pollens from one flower to another flower of the same species and thus producing fertile seeds. It is a compulsory process for
flowering plants.
The pollinators who help in pollination can be inanimate like wind, water or it can be living species like Bees, Butterflies, Wasp or smaller birds (like Hummingbird).Why they need our help?
A pollinator like bee feeds on the pollen from flowering plants and in turn pollinate it to grow fruits. These fruits are not only consumed by humans but also by various species living in this planet. They are vital to the ecosystem and their are hardly any alternative available to humans to pollinate such a wide range of flowering plants.
Several species of bees and butterflies have lost their habitat due to excessive deforestation and use of pesticides. We can at least do a bit from our side to increase their population or it will hurt ourselves in the long run.
How can we help them?
Here are some of steps you can take to make a Garden much more Pollinator friendly:
1. Plant native plants: Pollinators are most comfortable with native plants. Most of them have a particular choice of plant for their feeding. A foreign plant might not provide the pollinator their required pollen. Plant different varieties of plants so you would get a diverse mix of different pollinators.
Here are some Plant preference for different pollinators:
a. Bees: They prefer blue, yellow and purple coloured flowers with sweet fragrances. Ensure your garden have enough native plants of these features; you don't wanna miss “The most active pollinators”, do you?
b.Butterflies: Though they normally feed on any nectar rich flower; their preference is always platform shaped sunflowers. Keep them in your garden and you will never miss those beautiful creatures.
c. Moths: Plants that are white in colour and have strong sweet smell are most preferred by moths.
d. Others: There may be other types of pollinators in your locality. Study their habitat and behaviour and try to match these in your garden.
2. Plant quite a few plants together for creating a better attraction to the pollinators: it will increase their foraging efficiency.
3. Plant in such a way so that you get blooming flowers through out the year. It would give the pollinators enough motivation to come to your garden though out the year and not in a particular season.
4. Provide nesting opportunity: There can be different types of pollinators in your garden so their needs for building nests would be different. Keep small piles of branches, wooden logs etc for bees and wasps to build their nests. Plant some of the plants which are conducive for butterflies to lay eggs.
5. Stop using pesticides all together you definitely don't want to kill your visitors after inviting them to your garden.
6. Have patience: It takes time for plants to grow and bear flowers. Pollinators will eventually find your garden. It might take some time for them to locate your garden in case it is far from their nests. So have patience.
7. Help others to create pollinator friendly gardens: Share information about pollinator friendly gardens. Help others around your locality to build such garden. It will attract pollinators to their gardens as well as yours.
Use these information and other valuable resource available on internet to educate yourself and apply the knowledge in your garden.
Did you like the article? Share your thoughts below:
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