A garden without birds is a sad and lifeless garden. That said, at certain times of the year it is better to keep some away from your vegetable garden and/or orchard if you want to enjoy your cherries, tomatoes or strawberries to the fullest. How do you ? To help you out, here are some effective and risk-free solutions for birds.
The birds you are most afraid of are large songbirds such as blackbirds, magpies and starlings, as well as doves and doves. If you’re not careful, they can wreak havoc in a short amount of time.
On his website, Truffaut explains:
“Probably in the orchard, the birds are most unwanted, able to rob the cherry trees in record time, pillaging the currants, raspberries and blackcurrants in the process. So plums, apples, pears are not scorned.”
And the risks your orchard faces, so does your vegetable garden:
“In the vegetable garden, seedlings and young shoots can be pecked by birds. Ripe tomatoes and strawberries are a juicy treat for thirsty songbirds, who sometimes just want to quench their thirst.”
To satisfy the birds’ need for refreshment without giving them your fruit as an offering, make a water point available to them first. So, instead of sticking their beaks in your tomatoes, they can quench their thirst without worrying about you (remember to change this water regularly to keep it clean and pure).
The other options are to have visual or noisy elements that deter birds from approaching your plantations.
For example, you can hang the magnetic tapes on a damaged video cassette. The sun will reflect in them, they will move in the wind and startle the birds.
Same principle with scratched and unusable CDs. Hang them with rope from trees or fences. Their movement and the reflections of the light should be enough to discourage the birds.
Truffaut also proposes his readers to improvise “scarecrows with youthful balloons on which you will paint big black eyes.”
You can also get scarer tapes, scarer kites, reels that produce vibrations, sheets that glow, move and make sound, and ultrasonic devices.
In any case, to prevent the birds from getting used to the presence of your visual and sound effects, consider varying, alternating and moving them from time to time. And if that remains insufficient, you can also opt for insect repellents.
Some of these products may be homemade. An example: ground cayenne pepper and dissolved in water. The resulting mixture, which is sprayed on your plants, should deter birds from continuing to taste.
On the market you can also find insect repellents in spray or granules, the smell of which repels birds. In the same vein, you can also bet on mothballs and cade oil.
Another option is often offered on the market: the anti-bird net. But it is better not to use it, because it is not without risk. “This method, points out, for example, the Easy Gardening site, asks that we check every day that a bird does not get caught in the meshes of the net. If you see a bird, free it as soon as possible, otherwise it will die of exhaustion.”
Since there are solutions to protect your plantations without harming the birds, let’s take advantage of them!