Garden strawberries are a widespread crop grown around the world. Long years of selection (strawberries have been growing since about 1300) have led to the fact that the crop can be obtained even in the most adverse climates. Different varieties of garden strawberries differ in color, size and shape of the fruit, aroma, degree of fertility, the period of flowering and ripening of berries, the degree of susceptibility to disease. However, even inexperienced gardeners can grow this crop.
This is not to say that garden strawberries are unpretentious plants, but subject to certain rules, it will delight you with a high yield. True, the question arises: "How to save crops from birds?" All birds with great pleasure eat ripe and sweet fruits, and sometimes they are content with unripe ones. In any case, almost nothing remains on the man’s share. Therefore, protecting strawberries from birds is becoming a priority. There are quite a few ways, it remains to determine which one will be the most effective.
How to protect strawberries from birds using a special net
Mechanical protection is the most radical and perhaps the most effective method. A strawberry net for birds is sold at any agricultural store. They make it from plastic, most often polypropylene, with square or diamond-shaped small cells. Such a network provides protection of the crop from birds, while not interfering with the penetration of water and sunlight to plants. In addition, such protection does not interfere with the pollination of plants, the mesh does not need to be removed during spraying.
How to protect strawberries from birds with a scarecrow
The scarecrow garden, which is a straw bag in a hat and with panicle hands, is practically not used today. Birds get used to it very quickly and soon stop responding to it. Thin cellophane ribbons swaying from the slightest wind blow will be a much more effective method of scaring away. For the same purpose, you can use old tapes from cassettes, which not only sway, but also shimmer in the sun.
How to protect strawberries from birds by noise
Garden rattles or carbide guns firing at regular intervals work well for the first time, but with time the birds become accustomed to loud and sharp sounds. You can periodically change the frequency of sound effects, but this technique requires constant monitoring by the person.
How to protect strawberries from birds with distracting crops
This method of protection is the most humane with respect to birds, and it should be appreciated by all nature lovers. In order to distract the birds from the garden strawberries, you can plant several fruit trees on your plot: bird cherry, sea buckthorn, and wild cherry. The disadvantage of this method is that there is no guarantee that the birds will prefer to eat only the berries intended for them.
The most unsuccessful method was recognized as total destruction when birds are poisoned or shot. The effect is either zero or leads to the exact opposite result - many insect pests appear on the beds, which destroy all the fruits with even greater speed.