The harvest of juicy strawberries depends not only on timely watering, dressing, plant transplantation. Another important point in the care of a crop is its protection from birds. Some gardeners, when they see sparrows, crows and blackbirds pecking at strawberries, do not know what to do. However, there are several effective methods that can help scare off intruders.

Culture information

Strawberries are one of the most popular garden crops. It is adored by summer residents for its excellent sweet berries. Another name for the culture is garden strawberry or pineapple. The plant represents the Pink family. The height of the bush varies from 10 to 35 cm. The root system is fibrous. It lies shallow in the ground - approximately at a distance of 15-30 cm. Berries appear in the garden in early summer. They are harvested already in June. Each berry contains a whole vitamin complex. There are vitamins C, E, group B, as well as iron, calcium, fiber, folic acid, etc.

Note! Garden strawberries are good for the heart, immune system, and digestion. The calcium present in berries strengthens bones. Thanks to vitamin E, aging stops, tumors do not form.

Breeders have developed many varieties of this plant. Thanks to science, in vegetable gardens you can find not only red, but also white and decorative strawberries.

Famous varieties

  • ü Avis Delight. A variety of red fruitful strawberries. One bush can produce 2-3 kg of berries. This strawberry is not afraid of cold summer, temperature changes. The berries are large, very aromatic. Increased sweetness percentage.
  • ü Pineberry. White variety with raspberry-colored seeds. The berries are quite small. Diameter - about 1-2 cm. The taste is sour-sweet. Usually this variety is used to decorate dessert compositions.
  • ü Cascade. Decorative grade. Unusual bushes. They resemble a vine. Only they do not wrap around the support, but simply hang down, forming a kind of curtain. The fact is that the Cascade puts out a lot of mustache, buds grow right on the mustache, from which berries appear. The variety is planted in pots that are hung on the walls. This strawberry is suitable for indoor cultivation. Also used for garden decoration.
Enroflon: instructions for use for birds

How to protect strawberries from birds

Ripe berries attract a wide variety of birds. Among the birds that love strawberries are the sparrow, magpie, tit, thrush, pigeon, starling. A raven and a raven will not refuse dessert. Birds help fight harmful insects, but in the case of strawberries, they become pests themselves. At the same time, birds prefer to fly into plantings in whole flocks. Such an invasion can peck at all ripe berries in half an hour, and return again in a day, because a new portion of strawberries will ripen. As a result, the bed is left without a crop. Together with berries, birds remove other berry eaters, including a slug.

Strawberry protection from birds (blackbirds, crows, magpies)

Then plant strawberries

Experienced summer residents have come up with many ways to save the harvest. All methods are fairly simple to implement. It will not be difficult to apply one of them or the whole complex, even for a novice gardener. Popular methods of protecting plantings from birds include:

  • Mesh cover;
  • Shiny items;
  • Loud rattles, bells;
  • The garden scarecrow;
  • Electronics;
  • Distracting culture birds.

Mesh shelter

The strawberry bird net is the perfect protection for your garden. You can buy mesh material at any garden or hardware store. A plastic, metal or polypropylene net is suitable. The cells should not be too large, but not too small. It is important that the plants receive adequate sunlight and moisture. In addition, pollinating insects should easily fly through the cells. If all these conditions are met, then the farmer has chosen the right shelter.

Council.You can arrange a garden for them with several techniques. For example, make a mini greenhouse. Metal arcs are placed at different ends of the garden bed and in the middle. You need to pull a mesh shelter over them. The ends of the net are pressed to the ground with heavy objects. Usually bricks or heavy metal structures are taken.

Alternatively, you can drive stakes around the strawberry planting and cover them with a net. You will get a shelter from birds. In this case, the garden itself can be watered and fertilized without any problems. The berries are picked after the net is lifted. After collecting it, you need to close it again.

Shiny objects

To the question "Birds peck strawberries what to do?" you can offer to decorate the decoration with objects that shine. For example, take unnecessary discs, Christmas tree decorations, foil, plastic bottles, video tape.

The decoration begins with driving stakes in the corners of the garden. They should not be too high. A tape or strong thread is pulled over them. It is necessary to position the thread so that it is cross to cross over the garden bed. Next, a disc is tied to this tape, a magnetic cassette tape, then a disc again. It is possible to occupy the entire space only with shiny discs or only with a dark iridescent tape. Christmas tree decorations and foil balls are added upon request.

Gluing blades

A soda bottle can turn into a spinner. This item can be made in 20 minutes. So, the plastic frame is cut into strips. Then they are bent in different directions. Such an object will rotate from the wind. Such decorations will not only keep the harvest from annoying birds, but also revive the garden.

Loud rattles, bells

Loud sound can also scare birds away. Birds react negatively to crackling, ringing, rattling, because they have a very sensitive ear. The gardener places bells and loud rattles at the garden bed. Such an original item as metal pendants for Feng Shui will reliably protect the garden.

Additional Information. The simplest and cheapest noisy remedy is empty beer cans. They are tied to strings that are tied together. As a result, the banks will hit each other and rattle from the wind. For a while (as long as there is wind), this method will help protect the strawberries from the invasion of hungry birds.

Garden scarecrow

The Scarecrow is an ancient and effective bird defense. You can do it without any problems. Two beams or boards are taken. One should be slightly smaller. A frame in the form of a cross is being prepared from them. After the frame is dressed up in clothes. A hat or panama hat is put on the top of the stick. For more human resemblance, clothes are stuffed with straw. Thus, the birds will be scared away by a stuffed animal, which will seem to them to be the owner of the site. It's a good idea to tie things that make loud noises to the stuffed animal. These can be beer cans, rattles, bells.

Electronics

Recently, a large number of unusual garden accessories have appeared on the market. Among them are electronic bird repellents. For example, you can find the following models:

  • ü Ultrasonic scarer;
  • ü Bioacoustic repeller;
  • ü Thunder cannon;
  • ü Dynamic repeller.

The ultrasonic repeller makes sounds that do not disturb the peace of people, but which birds can hear perfectly. There are models that do not care about the scale of the garden, they work at high power and are able to fight both birds and mice, moles. If such a device appears in the garden, not a single rodent or bird will linger there anymore.

The bioacoustic repeller suggests rescuing landings with different noises. The device emits sounds and voices of forest predators, birds, feared by birds.

Thunder Cannon

The thunder cannon will easily scare away all crows, sparrows, blackbirds, starlings that have flown into the garden. This device beeps suddenly and loudly enough.

The dynamic repeller will come to the rescue both during the day and in the evening. It is an object that actively rotates, and lights flash on it. There are options, both electronic and not requiring a network connection. In this case, the device is powered by the wind, and the lights are reflective elements.

Important! A dynamic repeller is a good answer to the question: "How to protect strawberries from blackbirds?" Since these birds come to the garden from the forest and are rather shy.

Distracting birds culture

You can save strawberries if you plant plants in your garden that distract the attention of birds. Among such cultures:

  1. Rowan;
  2. Wild Cherry;
  3. Bird cherry;
  4. Sea buckthorn;
  5. Irga, etc.

Which way is the most reliable

How to feed strawberries during flowering for a good harvest

It's hard to say which is the best way. They are all fairly reliable. However, each has its drawbacks:

  • Some gardeners do not use the method with a grid, since they do not see the point in it. Birds can get used to the net and eventually try to open it. In this case, they will either get stuck tightly or make their way to the berries. In addition, the aesthetic appearance of the garden will be spoiled by the thrown cover. Another disadvantage of this method is that you can buy the net in the store, spending money on it.
  • Minus decorations with shiny objects - the birds quickly guess which hand has made such a repeller. They quickly get used to the shine and begin to attack plantings again.
  • Rattles protect the planting for a short time. As soon as the wind dies down, the rattles will not make a single sound. Accordingly, they will not be able to drive away berry thieves.
  • As in the case of rattles, shiny objects, birds quickly get used to the garden stuffed animal.
  • The downside to planting distracting crops is that there is no guarantee that the event will be effective. Perhaps the birds will feast on bird cherry, mountain ash, and then fly to strawberries.
  • Electronics is, one might say, the most effective way to protect the territory from birds. But he also has disadvantages. For example, the high cost. Also, such devices can ward off birds from the garden for a long time, and this will be wrong. After all, birds destroy pests (caterpillars, beetles, moths, aphids, etc.).

Additional protection methods

A popular way to protect strawberries from birds is with a cat. The pet actively runs around the garden and scares pests. There are many examples when a cat has saved strawberries and other crops from birds and rodents.

Some people practice keeping birds of prey in their garden house. Falcons and hawks will protect the planting better than any cats, rattles and stuffed animals. With them, you can refuse the offer to cover the bed with a net. However, keeping such animals is very expensive and laborious.

Council. Experienced gardeners suggest organizing an impromptu pond, waterfall or stream in the garden. Then the birds will come to drink. They will satisfy the need for berries in other garden plots.

An eerie and original way of protection is a dead bird that tethers to a stick stuck in the middle of a strawberry patch.

There are quite a few methods for protecting strawberries from birds. Each gardener decides for himself which one to choose. Several events can be organized at once. For example, put a scarecrow, cover the ridge with a net, get a cat. Then no one will get to the juicy berries for sure.