This was before the cold weather hit in Oklahoma.....
AAAHHH Just when I went to save some seed from the last of my Sweet 100 Cherry Tomaters ....I see a BlueJay decided they would make a good lunch.... I like birds but I like having my garden too... How can I keep them away from my maters without harming them ?
Samantha, Oklahoma
Bird netting is probably the easiest. You MIGHT not even need enough netting to cover everything. I say this because of what I find with my plum tree. Blue Jays will destroy the crop if not covered. My net barely covers the top of the tree. The sides are all open with plenty of plums in reach. They land on the top and seem to get spooked when they encounter the net. (I use a black plastic net that is very hard to see when mixed in with the leaves.) I've even seen Blue Jays land on a lower branch and look up into the tree. They look for a while and decide to give up and leave. I'm sure others could report birds being MUCH more determined.
Steve
Samantha D Covey wrote:
Last year, I had a bird problem with my scuppernong vine. I tried the aluminum pie tins, as well as a purchased dummy owl; these did not help. I tried a net over the top; our local mockingbird would land on the ground, then hop up under the net and have a feast. Guess I will get a bigger net and tie up the bottom, for this coming season.
another reason the birds may be hitting your fruit is for water, put out a bird bath or some sort of water source that is easier for them to get at than your maters
I had the same problem with Blue Jays pecking my tomatoes.
What I did is that I strung a line of twine, just above the tomato plants and suspended, on a short piece of twine, CD-ROMs between the tomato plants. The breeze makes them rotate and reflect sunlight. All this glittering and flashing seems to disturb the birds.
You can reuse old CD-ROMs by first placing them in the microwave for just a moment to destroy any information that is on them. good luck.
Jerry Long Island New York.
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