I Have Five Flower Pots With Coco Liners On My…
Cheri Asked
I have five flower pots with coco liners on my deck. Do you have suggestions as to how I can keep the birds from picking out the fibers to use for building their nests?
The Gardener’s Answer
Hi, Cheri: Good question! Unfortunately I do not have a great answer for you. Really the only substitute for coco liner would be moss and I think they actually prefer the moss. Replacing your liners each year with ones that are tightly woven as opposed to more loosely used ones will make it more difficult for the birds to get at them. Another thought would be to use clear bird netting with very small openings and cut it to fit over the coco liner. You would know it was there but it would not be visible unless you were right up on it. You could do the same with burlap, or any outdoor fabric for that matter, but the burlap is very close to the same color and inexpensive. Birds can be difficult to deter and you often hear about people using objects that move or make noise, but for your situation this may not be feasible unless you wanted to stick a pinwheel in each basket. Choosing plants like sweet potato vine that really trail over the baskets will also make it more difficult for the birds to peck. Of course it would still take the better part of the summer for these plants to get that big. Sorry I do not have better advice.
