On Wed, 2 Mar 2011 10:35:59 -0800 (PST), harry
wrote:

On Mar 2, 10:46*am, Roger Tonkin wrote:
I have a large brownish patch on the lawn, under the bird feeder. I
assumed that this was due to the seed husk and other detritus left by
the birds. However I found out today that swmbo washes the feeder with
dilute disinfectant every week (on a Sat morning whilst I'm in town
getting the paper).

Is this likely to damage the lawn, or will it recover when I move the
feeder and the grass starts to grow?

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

Disinfectant is innimical to all life. That's what the word means. I
expect the grass will come back in the end. Also poisonous to birds
unless washed off afterwards. You might mention this to SWMBO.

I clean my bird table (and feeders) monthly with a 5% solution of
household disinfectant (not anything like Domestos!) sprayed on from a
trigger bottle. That is followed by a decent hose down. I've never
noticed any problem with the lawn under the bird table. It is
important to clean things occasionally.

Timing's important - I clean in mid to late afternoon - a time when
the table never seems to get visited by birds. It can dry before being
replenished with food in the night.

I'd guess that if the lawn is being damaged then the solution SWMBO's
using is too strong and this could have an adverse effect on the birds
as well.

You can also get bactericidal cleaners specifically for bird tables
and feeders if you fancy the outlay!