The outside of your home also consumes energy—and often has the potential to harbor harmful chemicals. Here are some ways you can keep the outside of your home as healthy as the inside:

Be water wise: Many people overwater their lawn and garden. An irrigation controller can read the weather and adjust the water level accordingly. Harvesting rain water with a rain barrel and then reusing it in the lawn is a great way to conserve water and get your plants the nutrients they need.

Plant native vegetation: They have evolved within the local weather and soil conditions, so they require less water once established, and generally are more disease-resistant than hybridized plants.

Mowing: If you have a lawn, get some exercise and save the air quality (and your neighbor’s sanity!) by using a push mower. Leave the cuttings on the lawn to naturally compost and add nutrients.

Homemade pest control: Instead of using pest control products that can contain an abundance of harmful chemicals, repel bugs and weeds with simple, homemade repellants, such as hot peppers and water. Sprinkling extra grass seed on a bare spot of lawn can get rid of unwanted plants.

Organic compost: Using organic compost instead of fertilizer means you won’t be overexposing your plants to all their nutrients at once—over-fertilizing, especially with synthetic fertilizer, can contribute to algae bloom. A worm bin also is a great way to break down organic matter that later can be used for compost; local and city governments often sponsor or provide these at low cost.

For more green real-estate-related tips see Going Green on our web site.

Visit our web site: Apple Valley CA Homes for all your real estate needs

Going Green is a weekly publication brought to you by the Crown Team.  Check with us each week for continuing articles on how to save money in and around your home and in the process reduce your footprint on the environment.  If you have thoughts, comments or ideas with a broad application be sure and let us know so we can reproduce them with credit to you.

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