As we get into warmer weather, it’s important to remember responsible care if your outdoor containers have saucers.
This advice applies equally to birdbaths (which is why I have a multipurpose photo showing both, above) and to ponds without fish as well.
Any tiny bit of water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The last thing any of us want to do is to attract those nasty critters to our yards, or to encourage them to breed in any manner.
Ponds and birdbaths can be easily managed with a wildlife friendly product called mosquito dunks (or for smaller areas, mosquito bits). These products are environmentally friendly bacillus thuringensis, so they are safe for birds, fish, pets but they keep mosquito larva from forming.
Generally I try to keep saucers off my plants but this year I do seem to have about a dozen attached saucers on my containers. It isn’t that burdensome to ensure that they are drained after a rain or a watering–not when compared to the consequences.
It will also make these containers easier to clean when I bring them back inside this fall.
Mosquito borne illness is nothing to take lightly. Please make sure that your garden is not contributing to the problem.
Gardendaze 