Subject: Re: Bird feeder without weeds?

From: [email-masked] (John Woodworth)
Date: Wed, 8 Mar 1995 12:49:45

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Pat Nash) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Pat Nash)
>Subject: Bird feeder without weeds?
>Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 16:29:21 GMT

>I have a bird feeder in my back yard (currently over grass, but I will 
>soon have a garden area for it).  The birds are VERY sloppy eaters and 
>throw half of the seed overboard while they are eating!  Any suggestions 
>on keeping these seeds from germinating - mulch, brick base, etc.?

I'd let it fall into the grass and germinate. A quick pass or two with the 
lawnmower once a week will keep any weeds down. Putting a feeder near a garden 
bed is another matter. You will have weeds everwhere.

I found the best way to fertilize a tree is to hang a bird feeder under it. 
The mulch from the seed hulls along with the birds dropping do wonders for 
tree growth and improving the soil.

John

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Imitation is the sincerest form of parody."

                         Richard Corliss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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From: [email-masked] (Chenaya Strutton)
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 17:17:00 GMT

PN>From: [email-masked] (Pat Nash)
  >on keeping these seeds from germinating - mulch, brick base, etc.?

PN>Patrick Nash
  >[email-masked]
    Well, it depends on how energetic you feel. We feed only black oily
  sunflower seeds in our feeders with a few hand fulls of chick scratch
  scattered around. The chick scratch is very small pieces of corn that
  can't germinate, and the sunflower seeds don,t go far from the feeder.
  Every so often, I go out with a scoop shovel or spading fork and
  remove the shells along with the seeds that do sprout (the stuff seems
  to form a soft mat and handles about like manure) and toss the mess
  into my compost pile (if you do this, make sure your pile is hot
  enough or you'll have seeds sprouting everywhere).
    If you don't want to fool around that much, Check with your local
  bird shop or feed store and ask them for shelled broken sunflower
  seeds. I've never used them myself, but I understand they don't
  sprout.
    We've set up our garden with the idea of attracting birds and other
  wildlife and so a lot of the joy we get from our garden in the winter
  comes from watching them roam through it.
    Hope that helps you. Enjoy.

        Cheryl "Turning The Compost Pile Is My Life" Kuhnert

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 * OLX 2.1 TD * Someone, please, stop me before I plant again!

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 21:22:01 -0800

> on keeping these seeds from germinating - mulch, brick base, etc.?

I've starting letting the seeds have at it.  Not that many sprout and
survive, and of those that do: millet will give you a nice crop of more
millet in about 6 to 8 weeks (I've had a few with more than 200 seeds on a
one foot tall plant!), and the oil sunflowers, being hybrids, won't turn
into giant sunflowers, but cute little ones, ranging in size from about 6
inches tall to a foot, with nice bright yellow flowers (no seeds that I've
seen).  Nothing has escaped more than a few feet from the feeder.  Every
now and then I rake across the pile of empty shells and spilled ones to
spread them out and give the squirrels a shot at the leftovers and to keep
the pile from growing into a mound.  Makes a nice mulch.
-- 
Allyn Weaks
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] ()
Date: 14 Mar 1995 06:37:45 GMT

If you don't want the seeds to germinate, try what's known as a 
"pre-seeder weeder."  It comes in a granulated form that you sprinkle 
onto the soil, work in, and it prevents seeds from germinating.  It's 
great, but if you're vegetable gardening, don't plant any seeds directly 
where you scattered the pre-emergent or you'll get nothing!  It will not 
harm existing plants, however.  A good brand to get is Eptan 
Pre-Emergent.  Good luck.

--

                 _______________________________________________
                |                                               |
                |    Steven A. Reynolds    Santa Barbara, CA    | 
                |    [email-masked]       Amateur Radio: AA6OT |
                |_______________________________________________|

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From: [email-masked] (Christine Owens)
Date: 15 Mar 1995 12:21:18 GMT

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Jim Davis) writes: 

>
>I have heard from one local Wild Birds Unltd. bird store that
>roasting the bird seed keeps it from germinating.  I go through
>about 30lbs a week of birdseed in spring/summer so this has never 
>been very feasible for me.  Can someone out in netland confirm/
>deny this methode?
>

Works just fine.  Put all that seed in your large turkey roaster, 
and bake at 160 - 200 degrees for an hour.

Chris Owens