Prep Your Yard for Winter - the River-Friendly Way!
Is your yard ready for winter? Here in Northern Nevada, it can feel like there’s a lot to think about in taking care of our homes and yards. This season, we invite you to prep for the cold season with the Truckee River in mind. From pest prevention to tree planting, adding natives to our gardens to protecting our homes from fire, this is the perfect time of year to take a closer look at your yard. While some of our River-Friendly winterization tips might already be in your repertoire, a couple might feel like brand new ways to care for your property, protect our local environment, and prepare for the months ahead.
Keep reading for our 4 top tips for making your yard River-Friendly this season:
Remove Unwanted Pests
Every fall, our local wildlife seeks shelter for the winter. Wouldn’t you? Unfortunately, they often see our homes as safe and cozy options. This season, we invite you to manage those pesky mice, spiders, box elder bugs, and other critters in a River-Friendly way.
What does that look like?
Keep Them Out - Your first line of defense is to seal up your home, reducing easy entry points for problematic insects and rodents and preventing the future need for chemical solutions.
Create Habitat in the Right Places - Remove leaves and vegetation from your gutter and the 1-foot border around your house. But, leave some vegetation and mulch farther from your house to provide essential overwintering habitats for local wildlife.
Use Physical Pest Controls - Pesticides and poison baits can be dangerous to pets and children. Learn about alternatives.
Check out our pest control blog for more details.
2. Plant a Tree
The best time of year to plant a tree? You’ve guessed it - fall! Take advantage of still-warm soil temperatures, cooler air, and the wet season to come by adding new shade to your yard. Fall conditions are great for encouraging trees to grow robust root systems, preparing them for the summer ahead.
Trees protect the Truckee River by providing shade, reducing air pollution, and creating key wildlife habitats. Trees are natural filters, decreasing runoff - or the water that flows into our stormdrains and eventually our river - bringing fertilizers and pesticides along with them. Just as importantly, trees make our cities nicer places to live, reducing human stress, improving mood, and lowering blood pressure. To learn more about tree planting efforts in our region, visit ReLeaf Reno or learn more about how One Truckee River is improving the canopy along the river’s urban corridor.
3. Refresh your Garden with Native Plants
Looking to refresh your garden this fall? Choose native alternatives to common landscaping plants. For example, in the pictures above, these snapdragons (left) and Palmer's penstemon (right) look a lot alike, but the native plant is better suited to our climate and will save you time and money in caring for your yard.
The native Palmer’s Penstemon requires less water, less fertilizers and pesticides, and helps support local wildlife - making it a great addition to any River-Friendly home! For more examples of native alternatives to common landscaping plants in the Truckee Meadows, check out Native Plant Alternatives for 5 Common Landscaping Plants. The Water-Efficient Landscape Guide from Truckee Meadows Water Authority is another great resource to learn more about native plant landscaping.
4. Create Defensible Space
Fall is an ideal time to perform maintenance and create a defensible space around your home, especially if you reside in the Wildland-Urban Interface. Create defensible space, and be sure to trim overhanging tree branches above your home and prune out dead wood from shrubs. When adding new plants, consider varieties that hold more water and are less likely to ignite - including some of our favorite native plants!
Being fire-smart will not only protect your home, but guard the Truckee River from the devastating effects of wildfire. Check out our River-Friendly Firescaping blog to learn more!