Pests are naturally on the hunt for the three things that they need to survive: food, water, and shelter. If you want to keep pests from getting on your property, you must eliminate the sources that attract pests. This article focuses on how to eliminate excessive water. To get rid of pests, you must be willing to follow a variety of landscaping tips that will keep water from being an issue.

Grow Plants to Soak Up Downspout Water

The first thing that you will want to do is take care of water that comes from downspouts. When it rains, the water is going to go somewhere, and you can direct the water to areas where plants are located. These plants can then absorb all of the water in a short period of time, which prevents water puddles. Picking a few flood-tolerant evergreen shrubs such as devilwood, inkberry, or winterberry is a good idea. These plants will last throughout the year, and they will be able to handle large amounts of water.

Pick Drip Irrigation or Hand Watering

Another problem is if you are inefficiently watering your plants. An automatic sprinkler system only waters at an efficient level when a rain sensor is installed. However, both drip irrigation and hand watering are efficient, highly targeted forms of watering your landscape. If you want to keep costs to a minimum, hand watering is the way to go. But drip irrigation is perfect for its passive results. By using less water to keep your plants healthy, your yard will have less water for pests to enjoy.

Absorb Water Throughout the Yard

While you can take care of rainwater that comes from your downspouts with targeted planting, you will also want to have a method for getting rid of water throughout the yard. It is best to look at groundcover that does a great job of absorbing water, which you can accomplish with a variety of grasses. Some of these grasses include ribbon grass, creeping bentgrass, and tussock sedge. When you have groundcover that absorbs water in the yard well, you do not have to worry about pests after it rains.

Investing in preventive pest control is a great way to keep your pest problem at bay, but creating a landscape that does not let water puddle for a long time will provide you with long-term results. Talk with a landscape designer about other water management services you could try.