GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

08-05-2005, 12:36 PM

said:

I have four three year old blueberry bushes in my backyard. All four
are about three-foot tall. This year it looks like I'm going to get a
decent yield from all of the bushes. However, I have a lot of blue
jays, cardinals, mocking birds, squirrels, and of course, sparrows
visiting my yard every day.

First question: Do you think I stand a chance of retrieving the
berries before these guys take their cut?

I've noticed that birds like to eat some types of berries *before* they
are ripe enough for me. I've also seen 12+ robins in one large bush.
So the answer might be... no.

Second question: Which one of these guys are going to be the biggest
thief?

Does that really matter? As for watching birds feed on the fruit of
my amelanchier, robins and starlings are the most consistant, but if
a flock of cedar waxwings shows up, they can really start stripping
fruit.

And you might want to consider other four-footed fruit eaters, too (the
night shift: raccoons, rats, and possums).

Third question: Is there anything I can do to keep them from stealing
all the berries?

Rig up a light framework out of pvc pipe and use it to support plastic
bird netting over each bush. This won't stop determined four-footed
critters. But adding a radio at night, tuned to a talk station, helps with
the night shift. Use something to weight it down to the ground.
Sometimes birds will manage to worm their way in somehow. And
on other problem: sometimes snake will get themselves tangled in
the netting. This can be fatal to the snake. (This is not good. Even
if you don't like snakes.)

If you are the sort to think seriously about the long run, you might
want to consider constructing some panels out of 1x1 or 2x2 wood and
1-inch hex netting (chicken wire). These could be put up when the fruit
begins to color (tie or wire them together to box in each bush) and
knocked down for storage most of the year.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)