GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Storing Cotoneaster berries for bird food

Jake · 18-09-2012, 09:15 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:26:23 +0100, wrote:

Not quite gardening but some on here may have an answer.
We have a couple of large Cotoneaster bushes which are popular with
the local bird population who are tucking in well,however a large
number of berries are falling and just lying on a path and flower
beds. It seems a shame to see them rot when in the depths of winter
the berries that don't drop will have all been eaten.
Has anyone any suggestions as the best way to store those I could pick
up so they could be used as bird food in a few months time.

G.Harman

It's unusual for birds to drop berries like this. More usually, the
birds ingest the berries and poop out the seeds (cotoneaster is one of
those shrubs listed as invasive for this reason). If you have ground
feeders such as thrushes and blackbirds, the berries may be scooped up
once other food sources diminish.

Otherwise, they will rot down and cannot really be stored. OTOH, the
seeds within the berries could well germinate and you will have lots
of little cotoneaster seedlings developing. So you may nevertheless
want to try to collect the berries, at least from the beds and
borders!

Alternatively, set up a cotoneaster nursery!

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes
it's raining and sometimes it's not.