Why Pollinators Are Essential For Your Garden
Did you know that without pollinators like bees in our garden, we would not have fruiting crops such as tomatoes, peppers, apples and pears? You see, these amazing little insects help to move pollen from flower to flower and this initiates fruiting. Find out how.
Did you know that without pollinators in your garden, many of the vegetables that you grow would not produce fruit or seeds that you can save and use for the next crop? This is because pollinators, such as bees, help to fertilize the flowers that will eventually produce the fruit.
We grow a large variety of vegetables in our home gardens that actually produce fruit that we can consume. These include tomatoes, eggplants, zucchinis or summer squash, cucumbers, sweet corn, peppers, pumpkins, peas and beans. Many fruits such as apples, pears, peaches and melons also require pollination.
In fact, there are many fruit trees that need to be pollinated by a different variety of the same fruit. For example, apples and avocados need to be cross-pollinated from flowers of a tree that produces a different variety of the same fruit.
But, for these plants to produce fruit, the flowers have to be fertilized. This involves transferring pollen from one flower to another. Or, it can mean just the transfer of pollen from the anthers to the stigma on the same flower. Each grain of pollen will produce a fine tendril that will grow down the style and into the ovary of the flower. This is where fertilization then occurs.
Therefore, without pollination, most fruit producing plants cannot be fertilized and, hence, they won’t produce any fruit.
What Are the Most Common Pollinators?
You guessed it! Bees are the most common and efficient pollinators that we all know. They fly from flower to flower to gather nectar to make honey. As they visit each flower, their tiny legs inadvertently collect the pollen. This pollen is then deposited on the next flower that the bee visits. Isn’t nature wonderful?
Besides bees, there are many other insects that help to pollinate our plants.
Hoverflies
Hoverflies are small flies with yellow bands on their black bodies. You may have noticed these hovering above your plants before quickly darting off to another flower.
Like bees, hoverflies collect the nectar from flowers and the pollen sticks to their bodies. This pollen is then deposited on the next flower that they visit.
Butterflies
Butterflies are also nectar feeders. Like bees and hoverflies, they collect the pollen on their bodies and then drop it onto another flower as they move around.
Moths
Some moths are also nectar gatherers and will spread pollen from one flower to an adjacent one.
Hummingbirds
As you may be aware, hummingbirds love nectar and they consume copious amounts of it on a daily basis. So, if you’re lucky enough to have hummingbirds visit your garden, you can be assured that they’re busy pollinating many of your plants.
How Pollination Works
Some plants have both male and female flowers. These include pumpkins and summer squash. To produce fruit, the pollen from the male flowers must be deposited onto the stigma on the female flower.
Once this occurs, fertilization begins. Generally, the ovary of the female flower will start to swell and eventually develop into a full grown fruit. This fruit contains the seeds that can be collected to plant the next crop.
Other plants have flowers that are self-fertile. This means that the anthers containing the pollen and the stigma are produced on the same flower. However, the pollen still needs to be moved from the anther to the stigma for fertilization to occur.
There are other factors that can contribute to pollination such as the wind or people and animals brushing past the plants which aids in the transfer of pollen. Additionally, bats and birds can also help with the pollinating process.
However, the most common method of pollination is through the aid of nectar-gathering insects.
How to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden
The best way to attract pollinators to your garden is to plant the flowers that commonly attract them. This is one of the reasons that many gardeners also plant flowers in their veggie patch.
So, what flowers are pollinators attracted to? Different pollinators are attracted to specific colors. But, most importantly, the flowers that you plant should be rich in nectar.
Here are a few suggestions.
Flowers to Attract Bees
Most bees are attracted to blue, white and yellow flowers. Therefore, you should consider planting lavender, daisies, calendulas, basil and mint. Allow some of the basil and mint plants to flower so that they will attract the bees.
Flowers to Attract Hoverflies
Hoverflies don’t have tongues to collect nectar with. Therefore, they need flowers that are open and easily accessible. Popular flowers to attract hoverflies include fennel, dahlias, autumn asters, marigolds, apple blossoms, calendulas and sweet alyssum.
Flowers to Attract Butterflies
Butterflies are attracted to many different nectar-rich flowers. These include marigolds, nasturtiums, calendulas, sage, daisies, oregano, phlox and buddleia (butterfly bush).
Practices to Avoid
If you want to attract pollinators to your garden, and you should, avoid using insecticides. Most insecticides will not only kill the harmful insects but they’ll also kill beneficial ones.
It’s far better to attract beneficial insects to your garden and create an ecosystem where nature helps you to produce a lovely crop. Consider hoverflies, for instance. They’re not only useful pollinators but their larva also feeds on aphids.
Final Thoughts
Attracting pollinators to your garden is vitally important if you want your fruits and vegetables to produce a healthy harvest. Bees, butterflies, hoverflies and hummingbirds help to spread pollen from one flower to another to stimulate the fertilization process.
Without pollinators, your plants would not produce any fruits. Plus, as fruits also contain seeds, there will be no seeds to plant another crop. In fact, if there were no pollinators left on the planet, all the plants would eventually die out.
So, now you understand why it’s so important to attract and protect the pollinators that visit your garden. Most importantly, avoid using insecticides if you can, so that these beneficial insects are protected.
It’s also important to plant lots of nectar-rich flowers around your garden to attract these beneficial insects. You can plant flowers within your veggie patch or as a border around the edge.
This way, you’ll be assured of a bumper crop of deliciously fresh vegetables and fruits.