Growing a garden means spending time and effort to keep it healthy. Some people like it and others a little less. However, most people love spending time outdoors among thriving plants.
If you are familiar with gardening, you should know what taking care of your green friends entail. And you must be aware that it is much more than watering them once or twice a week.
Besides adjusting your schedule and actions to the species you are growing, you must also ensure you can recreate the ideal conditions for your plants’ growth. And that might involve the application of mulch sometimes. After all, such a solution will keep your plants moist, increase drainage, improve nutrient content, and suppress weeds. Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, not everything is so easy about mulching. Besides choosing the proper type for your plants and learning how to apply it, you must also know how to keep birds out of mulch beds.
Yes, you have read that right! Birds might attack mulch since it creates the ideal environment for worms and other bugs. If you want to learn more on the subject, keep reading! Here, we collected all the information you must know on the topic!
What’s The Issue With Mulch and Birds?
You may have never thought of this, but the mulch you apply to your plants can involve some drawbacks. While it will create the ideal environment for most plant species, it will also attract insects. Birds, who feed on them, will start visiting your mulch beds, which can cause problems in your garden.
If you are growing crops, they might ruin them. And because you cannot take action to trap them as US law doesn’t allow it, you need to find other strategies to keep birds out of mulch beds. You can find more information about it in the following sections.
How To Keep Birds Out Of Mulch Beds
The steps you’ll have to take to keep birds out of mulch beds depend on the severity of the situation. You’ll need to assess what’s attracting the birds to your garden.
Indeed, it is not only the insects that might make your garden the favorite spot for sparrows, starlings, and pigeons. If you have fruit trees, ensure you remove fallen fruits regularly. Doing so will also keep rodents, raccoons, and even wasps away from your property.
Also, if you notice birds attacking some plants more than others, you should consider protecting them from attacks. Use poultry wire mesh or move your plants to a sheltered location. Be creative with your solutions!
But if birds seem to get to your garden because of the mulch, we recommend you change it! As you may expect, inorganic mulch is usually a better deterrent than organic solutions. Indeed, they don’t attract bugs or other pests, reducing any attacks from birds. But let’s look more closely at some strategies you can apply!
Putting Up A Scarecrow
You may think of scarecrows as “stupid” solutions, but there is a reason why so many gardeners use them! They can effectively keep birds out of your garden, even with organic mulch.
Make it with anything you have at hand but ensure its shape resembles a person. Consider decorating your scarecrow with some colors to make it more eye-catching!
Also, ensure you build one that is easy to move around: birds will get used to it if you leave it in the same position for long periods! Instead, you’ll get much better results moving it around at least once a week.
Garden Netting
If you are growing a vegetable garden, one of the best things you can do to keep birds away is to apply garden netting. Doing so will allow you to protect sown seeds, tubers, or even mature plants that might attract birds.
Shiny Materials and Garden Spinners
Birds don’t like shiny objects: they will discourage them from getting into your garden. Use cans, metals, CDs, or metallic wrapping papers around the mulch that birds seem to visit more often. Additionally, you can try to get a garden spinner. After all, birds don’t like movements, which scare them and keep them away.
Apply Natural Sprays
While using repellents is not allowed, applying natural sprays (including garlic, cayenne, vinegar, and other ingredients with scents) may help keep birds at bay.
Related Article: How to Protect Tomato Plants From Birds