Hanging baskets are lovely and add to the overall beauty of your home. They are used as a decoration and hold up flowery and vine plants. Hanging baskets are often seen in buildings and condo units where an actual garden is not present. People are attracted to hanging baskets because of their beauty and elegance. However, birds are attracted to them too. A lot of times, you may have seen that birds are nesting on a hanging basket, or a hanging basket destroyed because birds are slowing pecking through the material. Well, that is just a common occurrence. But if you are sick and tired of waking up to hear baby birds chirping while you had your coffee in the morning, you need to take action. Here are some tips to stop birds from destroying hanging baskets.
Quick Overview
- Why are birds attracted to hanging baskets?
- Hanging Basket Liner
- Provide alternative accommodations
- Toothpicks
- Mesh wires
- Hang an old CD
- Windchimes
- Toy Snakes
- Owl Statue
- Check for nesting materials in your hanging basket
- Strong scents
Why are birds attracted to hanging baskets?
To effectively stop birds from destroying hanging baskets, we need to learn first why they are attracted to it in the first place. The answer is pretty straightforward: They are looking for a nest. Birds are attracted to hanging baskets since they are high enough for them to reside. There are also instances wherein birds will not use the hanging baskets as nests but use the material in them to create one. Whatever the case may be, it is best to make sure you take preventive measures so that birds do not destroy your hanging basket.
Hanging Basket Liner
Hanging baskets are vulnerable to birds. Aside from using the basket as a nest, they also peck the basket liner and use it as a building material of their own, destroying it in the process. One way to stop birds from destroying your hanging basket is by using a hanging basket liner that birds do not find attractive.
There are many different kinds of hanging basket liners out there, and wool and sphagnum moss are attractive to birds, especially coco basket liners, as they can easily pull the liner apart. If you have these materials as your hanging basket liner, you can replant your blooms into a different hanging basket that is not attractive to birds.
Provide alternative accommodations
Since birds are attracted to your hanging baskets because they require shelter or a nest, you can have birdhouses built for them. This way, you are diverting their attention to a more suitable living space for your feathered friends. Not only that, but it will also keep your hanging basket and your blooms untouched.
Toothpicks and wooden skewers
Another way to discourage birds from building a nest in your hanging basket is by inserting toothpicks or wooden skewers into the basket, making sure not to leave any spaces for the birds to build a nest. Once they figured out that they cannot make the nest there, they will leave it alone.
Mesh wires
You can also install a mesh wire over the basket when you plant. By doing this, birds cannot get inside the basket to build a nest.
Hang an old CD
Birds don’t like sudden movements and flashing lights. If you hang an old CD next to your hanging basket, it will discourage a visit from your feathered friends. The CD will sway back and forth with the wind causing it to move and flash colored lights. Birds hate them and will not go anywhere near them.
Windchimes
Just like how the old CD will work, wind chimes near your hanging baskets will keep birds from destroying it. The birds are not fond of sudden movement and sounds. They will think a predator is upon them and will leave as quickly as possible. Aside from scaring the birds away from your hanging baskets, wind chimes also relax and provide a homier feeling in your living space.
Toy Snakes
Another way to stop birds from destroying hanging baskets is by installing a fake predator. Toy snakes can be used not just to scare little children but birds as well. However, you need to move them around after a few days or so. If you do not change the position of your toy from time to time, birds will notice that the snake is not moving and will think that the snake is dead. If that happens, your hanging basket is no longer safe from them.
Owl Statue
Just like with the toy snakes, owl statues or toys can also scare the birds away. However, since birds are also intelligent creatures, they will notice that the owl is only fake and will eventually try to get near them and will get used to it.
Check for nesting materials in your hanging basket
You also need to check for nesting materials inside your hanging basket. Birds will gradually move their nest to your hanging basket. If you see straws inside it, clean them. Removing the nesting materials from to time will discourage birds from building their nest there. You can check for nesting materials every time you water them.
Strong scents
Birds are not fond of strong scents. Another trick to stop birds from destroying hanging baskets is to place something with a strong odor inside. Some use cotton balls soaked in citrus oil to repel birds. But a lot of people use peppermint oil instead. Saturate cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them inside the hanging basket. You may need to use about three to four cotton balls per basket, depending on the size.
Peppermint oils are not only bird repellent, but it also acts as a repellent to some bugs. You are not only keeping the birds away; you are also keeping bugs and other insects from infiltrating your hanging baskets.
There are also other ways to stop birds from destroying hanging baskets, but it involves inhumane practices. Birds are a nuisance to your hanging baskets and blooms, but they are also part of our environment, and their lives also matter.
