If you found this video helpful, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 How To Keep Birds Away From Fruit Trees 1:27 Tip #1 2:27 Tip #2 4:35 Tip #3 5:40 Tip #4 7:30 Adventures With Dale
Best advice I have gotten !!! I have 20 cherry trees ( yes went a little crazy as a young gardener) now the trees are 12 years old which equals lots of Cherries & lots of birds . Bird bath & feeder was the trick . Appreciate the intel Ty
THIS WORKS! We planted a VDB after the late frost. It loved the spot and flourished. After watching this video I bought the organza bags, so cheap. I bagged up 30 (!) figs on that one tree (It’s not even 2, bought off Fig Bid as a tiny seedling) and now have been harvesting about 5 each day. That, plus keeping the bird baths full (and clean) has worked! My best harvest EVER. Thank you!
I had this idea and everybody I talked to online said its a bad idea. I think I agree I"m going to try to feed them at the same time use some metal tape to keep them away from the trees... makes sense to feed the birds easy food so I can keep my yummy figs lol.. thanks love your channel !
Thanks for posting. Last year my five year old apple tree was finally getting ready to yield but then the crows ate every last one (I caught several doing it so I knew it was them) I was not a happy camper. I have just one tree as it will be just for me and some will go to the local food bank. The water tower and bird feeders are relatively small investments and worth it.
Thank you, will try this, but the big birds already have water and food very close by... So I wonder why they ate so many the tiny avocados starting to grow 😅 Planting more trees, and will keep them pruned low to the ground, as it makes absolute sense... Thank you! And I love Dale & the beautiful bunny!
Another suggestion is to plant some native shrubs that produce berries and/or foods that birds like. Here in Florida birds love Beauty berry and some Nightshade. I actually like to keep taller trees by my bird feeders to provide covered habitat for the birds. I totally agree with keeping a fresh water source. I work in a garden center and when we have a dry spell I find many more customers come in complaining that that birds/critters are eating their fruit trees. First thing I suggest is a water source. Maybe even more than one. I have a bird bath and several glass pie dishes on the ground I purchased for cheap at my local goodwill. I place them in several areas around the yard. One more thing. I keep many of my fruiting plants in pots so I can move them into my screened in porch just before fruit starts to ripen. Works great for my blueberries, smaller figs, mulberry and pineapple if you have that option. One added benefit to feeding the birds to keep them off your fruit trees are you can enjoy watching your birds that have severely taken a hit in population in the last 20 years.
This is a good suggestion. Native birds have evolved to prefer the native foods, so planting native plants make great distraction crops. "Distraction cropping" is underutilized. I surmise people that don't have much luck using bird feeders as using seed blends that the native birds do not care for. You may have to experiment with different seed mixes until you find one the birds like more than your plants!
Thanks to you sharing your knowledge I am getting so much valuable information regarding my Chicago fig trees. Today, I’ve gotten 14 beautiful figs from my trees. Thank you
I weighed them and their combined weight was 1.09 lbs! I have a friend who has an overgrown patch of several different types of figs and I got a cutting from two of them. I don’t know if I’m doing it right but I cut off the leaves and got three sections each stick;wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator crisper until about March 1. Then the experiment to try to get them to root in a light potting mix. I couldn’t find the method on your channel so I’m guessing.
Glad you enjoyed it! Dale was, literally, shaking at the sight of the bunny. He looked like he was about to explode. I can't believe he didn't drag the umbrella stand through the yard.
African countries moved to small mango trees. They noticed most mangoes were going to waste in large trees. Smaller trees reduced waste and increased production.
The other problem with mangoes is the production declines after about a decade. You wind up with enormous trees that don't produce a lot of fruit. You're best growing dwarf mangoes that can be easily pulled and replaced every 15-20 years. Mangoes are one of the few fruit trees that don't produce better with maturity.
I love having the birds around but i use sunflower plants to sidetrack them. I do have a bird feeder around. Right now I'm dreading espalier my brown turkey. My Olympian is cute and growing in a nice painterly way but it's tiny. The Chicago Hardy is also very lovely and graceful, like a painting. But the Brown Turkey has four stems, pointing in all four directions and has leaves and starks growing from every part of the stem. Thanks for all your info. I'm definitely going to look at your pruning video again.
It's pretty easy to espalier. Fig wood is very soft, so it's pretty easy to bend. Just tie it down slowly a bit at a time. Have you seen my tutorial? I'll link to it here just in case: ua-cam.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFlbg2ri_7gCJPhXaZ_nOvy.html
Great tips and very logical explanations. I had 4 high-yielding fruit trees like pears, peaches, and apples in NJ but hardly ever got enough fruits as the squirrels and birds got them. I failed in any attempts to sway them using repellants including the predator decoys. I am sure your method would have done a better job than any other deterrent I tried
@@TheMillennialGardener, We have moved to NC now and have a young veggie&fruit garden and I will definitely incorporate your idea at least to get the birds out. Not sure about the squirrels though
Thanks for the idea. Hopefully the starlings swarm will go for the feeder and the water soon..so far they still find my cherries the most desirable, even with the cherries not completely ripe.
...and almost 2 weeks later they are now swarming my ripe Montmorency cherries... It was a good thought though; those starlings are a real nuisance bird... I'll keep the feeder and water out, and get mesh bags for next year...
Hi, im about 20 minutes from Conshohocken. Its my 2nd year trying to harvest elderberries from about 40 plants. Last season i got cleaned out by the cat birds. I tried holographic streamers, pie pans, they didnt work. I was told to try the fake snow or spider webb stuff and put that around my berries. The cat birds ate almost all of them right after flowering when they are tiny and green. I will put out food and water for them this yr. Hope it helps!
I like your videos. I used nylon socks for apples, to prevent squirels to eat the fruit. When it was harvest time, the apples had no color. Only in places where the sock didn't cover the fruit, there was a little slice of color. Instead, the SOCKS became pink. Do you have a comment of when we should remove the bags to let the apples receive sunshine?
I would recommend you try organza bags that I described in this video as Tip #4 as shown here: ua-cam.com/video/OdAlScEu238/v-deo.html The bags are very effective against birds and insects. Squirrels are iffy, since they are more persistent. Another product you can try is SURROUND, which is a micronized kaolin clay. You mix it with water and spray it, and it forms a protective clay barrier around your fruits. You have to apply regularly to keep the layer going, but it's a common organic solution for growers that grow apples, peaches and plums since they're so pest prone.
I have issues with blight on my tomato plants every year, it's been that way for a while, but I planted some determinate tomato plants this year and I was able to beat some of that blight.😥
To keep blight at bay, I find the best way to do it is to spray 2-3 times a week with a hydrogen peroxide solution. It, literally, kills blight. I have a how-to on it here: ua-cam.com/video/PdFe4KHPKl4/v-deo.html
This is a great post, thanks a lot. Non seed eating mocking birds eating my figs is my problem. I have a feeder & bath. They start pecking them when they first start to ripen. I just go out early in the morning with a cup of coffee and eat all the fresh ones ripening that I want. Any they start on, I just leave and they usually eat on it until its gone. The mocking birds won't eat the seeds I buy for the other birds, so I figure them eating some of my figs are OK & planted more trees. I tried noise makers & nets and gave up on them.
You may need to experiment with various seed blends. Since bird populations vary so much by region, some seed blends may be more effective than others.
I have lived in this area three years and did a regular ground garden and this is the first time I am INVADED with birds in my garden and in my yard, they fly through the carport and make nest. They are here every day, ALL DAY….all sorts of variety of birds this year…and I have a two acres pond!!!! They take my seeds and seedlings. These lil suckers will sometimes just uproot it!!! There has been a field cat lurking well now I have cat paws in my garden too so maybe after hearing this video that cat is after all these birds walking through and tearing up my raised beds. I have been gardening for about 18 years and I have never had this issue. I am beyond frustrated, we do all sorts of tips and tricks that we see online and UA-cam but I never heard of any of these tips. Thank you I will try THESE NOW. I pray something works. I subscribed to continue following further more tips. God Bless
Great hint! And Conshohocken is the next town over from me so I know the type of row homes you are talking about. My container fig tree is going into the ground this spring so a bird bath and bird feeder will go in with it.
That's great! Try to provide some spacing to encourage the birds to not perch right next to the fig. If you can get the feeder and bird bath 15-20 feet away, that may be helpful to distract them.
I had 2 clean, twice-daily cleaned and filled bird baths, and two bird feeders in my back yard, and the birds decimated my only fruit tree - an apricot - AND at least half my tomatoes. The apricot tree had both a bird bath and feeder right under it. This year I declared war and covered the tree with netting. So sorry birds! Also eliminated the feeders and have only a birdbath on the other side of the yard. So far, so good. And so far, no birds caught in the netting.
Release the hound! Dale was more than a little interested in that bunny. Very good video on preventing bird damage. I have to use bird netting to keep the mocking birds off grapes, cherries and plums. They seem to like those fruits the best. That said they do a good job keeping the insect population in check especially tomato horn worms.
I love birds - just not on my fruits. I really do notice a significant reduction when you give them a food and water source. It rains a lot here, so birds aren't as bad as out your way with dry summers, probably, but every little bit of a reduction in damage helps. Some bunnies got into my sweet potato bed and Dale is still going nuts patrolling the garden perimeter. He must do 10 sweeps every time he goes outside.
Bird feeder attracks birds, especially pigeons who would not otherwise be hanging around. I use tinsel garland and move it around and shiny whirly birds and a couple of plastic owls.
I have some trouble with some of this. First. We have a bird bath and a large pond with good access points for birds. Yet many of them peck at our peaches, mil series, and so forth. Second, we have several bird feeders located outside our food forest. Initially they attracted lots of squirrels, who carried off or chewed half of our pea h crop. We changed the bird food to saflower seed and the squirrels left, leaving just the birds. This has helped. However. Our blueberries and blackberries are low to the ground and that doesn't stop the birds from eating them. I don't mind sharing our crops with them, but I've yet to find anyway to stop the birds. And by the way, a common and frequent predator around here does not live on the ground. Hawks.
Most ponds are full of toxic algae and bacteria and are not a good water source, particularly for birds. Bird baths only work if there are enough of them for the property and the bird population, and you must keep them full and clean. I'm talking changing the water multiple times a week. If you allow them to dry out, let the water get stagnant, or you don't have enough of them placed in enough places depending on your land size and bird population, they won't be effective. For the low bushes, you may need to resort to bird netting. The good thing about blueberry bushes is they're very easy to cover. I have plant jackets linked in my Amazon Storefront, and Agfabric sells a ton of different shapes and sizes. You can place a jacket over them and zip them up or tie them up no problem for a few dollars a piece. If you have many bushes, you'll probably need some kind of row cover. Floating row covers and insect netting or bird netting may be what you need if you have many bushes.
All that and get a w"working cat" from a shelter, is a feral cat that has been rescued but won't live indoors. The cat will keep all sorts of pests away.
Here in southeastern Tennessee, I have lots of critters. Squirrels, birds, chipmunks, etc. I have three bird feeders. All of them will gather on the ground and eat spilled seed from the feeders. I will add a bird bath. I still need to find critter safe netting as I also have cats from next door and occasionally deer in my backyard . what do you suggest for netting?
Hmm. I'm going to give this a try this summer. I tend to use scare tape, but not sure how effective that is. I've never put out bird feeders because I thought it would just attract birds to my area and my fruit trees. Ok, bird feeder and bird bath.
I live in eastern SoCal, very dry, and there is always water for birds. It could be neighbors sprinkler run off or a kiddie pool. But, I am going to put a bird bath and feeder next to my fig tree. I have faith in you- haha. Now about the green beetles that love figs. They are a problem. Look like a scarab. Are you familiar with them? Do you or anyone you know grow cherimoyas in NC? Thank you
If you are having problems with beetles, you basically have two things you need to do: 1. Bag your figs with organza bags to protect the fruits (ua-cam.com/video/XNNtWwaFYCU/v-deo.html) 2. Spray every 7 days with natural pyrethrin until the population is under control. Pyrethrin is a natural extract from the chrysanthemum that will kill beetles. Spray until the population is under control. I have pyrethrin linked in my Amazon Storefront if you need some. As for cherimoya, it's far too cold here to grow that since it can't tolerate frost. I am growing the pawpaw, which is in the same family as the Ccherimoya, so it will have some similarities. The pawpaw is native to my location, so they're a good low-maintenance fruit to grow here.
I wonder if the seeds draw the birds and then you have a mass of birds and a few will peck your fruit? If 10% of the birds peck your berries, then 100 birds is not as bad as 1000 birds visiting per month? What do you think of that?
My mother used to lose all her cherries to the woodpigeons - and her cherry tree grew next to two good-sized ponds with circulating fresh water, so I don't think the idea of them being thirsty is correct - at least not in UK where there is almost always plenty of water. 😄
Awesome ideas. Great vid as always. Thx. Can you post thoughts on del sen juame gran. Is it still your favorite? Does it do ok in the rain? Still slightly better than white Madeira? I know there’s lots of questions and comments on your vids. No sweat if you dont have time to respond.
Thanks. I’ve only had one ripen this season, and it was one of the best figs I’ve had to date. Problem with DSJG is the hang time is off the charts. It takes forever to ripen, and it seems to split easily, so the chances of me getting that many dry days in a row is unlikely. It is a late fig, too. It is not as early or as quick to ripen as White Madeira #1. WM#1 ripens quickly once it begins swelling and is pretty good in rain. DSJG’s ripening problems make it harder to really get a harvest and really test it.
I woke up this morning and all of my blooming peaches were gone from my baby tree. I didn’t see damage peaches they were just missing. The peaches were the size of a golf ball
Well, ok I did 2 out if 4 except I used white organza bags and my fig tree is 6' at least. Squirrels said, lol they covered the figs in baggies! LoL, easy to take home!!! Fast food!!! But, they didn't get allll of them!!! I sttill have a freezer full!
Do the organza bags go on when fruit is small in size? Or just when fruit is turning its colors and getting larger and juicy. Like our peaches, plums, pears, apples. Thx. First time by your channel.
The birds decimated my figs this year! My dog found and barked at a possum in the fig tree one night as well. I just haven’t been able to get out as much this year. It sucks to go out and find all of the figs full of peck marks and insects buzzing around damaged, rotten fruit!
Green organza bags will really help your case. I've never had a bird peck a bagged fig. Opossums, raccoons and rodents can still pull the figs off, but they're very effective against birds.
Nature is so mysterious. I have a Fig tree and a plethora of pigeons living on a pine close to my land and I have never seen more than 3 figs eaten per day.
Thanks for the post Sir, the video is very informative but what about banana trees how do I protect the bananas from the birds, squirrel, monkey and etc. We have three types of banana trees, guava, sour plum , star fruits, jackfruits and etc. Medical student Malaysia God bless 🙏👍
I have a question that is slightly off topic. What about squirrels? Will bees still go in to a cage that’s been constructed to keep the squirrels out of crops like cucumbers & melons? I was afraid to use a cage as that was my thinking that it would also keep pollinators away then I’d get zero fruits. 🤔. Thanks.
Good tips if you have tree hugging neighbors that will rat on you for shooting the birds. Seem easier to make 2 bird box trap/roach motels in the fruit tree you have a problem with, that way you can't hear the birds making any noise and just swap out the boxes in the evening after dark. Birds that don't eat my fruit get a free pass in my yard.
When the new farmers of today do not understand the bird but keep them away, forgetting that the bird seeded the trees they see today, as well as yesturday. A bird who is gifted with homes shall also give gift to trees not seen, also fruits of trees that one does not have. for giving a gift to the bird for a habitation to rest. instead this age and time they rather keep the gift givers away due to lost of fruits when that bird eats and then would give the gift of the seed to someone who had gifted the bird a place to lay rest and for the eggs. amazing how no one thinks of these things due to them going so far astray, worry so much of the currencies, that they forget it was the living animals that helped expanded there trees and fruits they are able to even have. one day there will be a time after all have prevented even the birds to eat that then there growing would also be rejected too. and heavily reduced. if someone near who gave one of the birds a place to lay eggs and tree near, was there taking a seed to then cast it to the ground near the individual who had provided and you deny that process. of gift being return then so shall your trees all for free and water that is free be taken from your lands also. i know someone so humble, who did not take a nest away when the bird built it, in his garage, did not remove it for many years, at all. and many birds had been mulitply due to this man who allowed the nest to be in. heavily blessed that man was to recieve many gifts from the bird that gifted the bird the blessing to reproduce and no removing that nest for many years as the day it was first made. the bird bless the man i know with many seeds in the yard he dwells and they are fruit trees now. trees you currently would have to pay up to 50 dollars just for one. but the man recieved many due to the birds taking some fruits off another full grown tree lay the seed for the man to have many fruit trees. without him even needing to plant. his land recieves the most rain then other lands around him. all due for the man for not taking down the home in his garage so that the birds can multiply and allowing them rest. many generations of birds muiltiply just in a few years. a blessing for them so they also blessed him. and now the man who is also been blessed and now giving away the fruits trees allowing me to multiply them for use. cause i also help the elderly man and his wife, around the house while no one else does. as in lifting heavy things, picking up, cutting the grass without asking for a penny. blessings comes in many forms. the man bless the birds, the birds bless him, the rain falls heavy only around his yard while farmers like you only recieve barely any. and i bless the two elders with helping and not asking for nothing in return and now the man blesses me with the trees to take without asking for anything so i can multiply them to many.
Okay. This is good and has me look at it from a different perspective other than plain annoying. Thank you. It is bothersome to have bird poo all over my front and back porch and furniture though:) I'll think about all that you've said when I want to be angry. It is very calming to go outside, read my Bible and hear them all singing. Yahweh did make them and He says He cares about every sparrow that falls. Maybe if I stop grumbling about all the poop I'll be able to only see the good:) like Pollyanna. Yahweh bless you for sharing this and being courageous to "go against the grain" on this one.
Great tips for birds, any tips to deal with SWD? they have almost wiped out all 20 varieties of my ripe or semi ripe fruit. I use organza bags before the figs start swelling and they still manage to get in the bags and spoil my figs. There is no fruit on the ground to attract them so I’m struggling trying to eat a decent fig bit without having to throw them out. This year SWD had been bad in GA
The best way I've been able to manage SWD is to clean up all the fallen fruit and bag everything the very moment they begin to swell. The key is tying the bags very tightly so they can't get in around the branch. If you don't tie them, they loosen and they can fly in. I've been pretty diligent with bagging this season, and I've had much more luck because of it. I got killed with SWD last year, but this year it's been minimal despite more rain. You can try using a fogger to spray pyrethrin every 7 days to keep the population down..
@@TheMillennialGardener sounds good, I’m going to get one of the foggers you have used in your vids, I’ll also try tying the bags tighter, last year I was able to fight them off but this year, they have been horrible. Thanks for the info 👍🏽
Squirrels are a lot harder. Thankfully, I don’t have many squirrels here. The best defense again squirrels is a hound dog like Dale! But other than that, I think you need to experiment with fencing, unfortunately. Unless you can distract them with seed somehow.
Our area is overwhelmed by English sparrows, which chase away or kill native birds and nestlings. I have tried feeding and providing water but the sparrows mass and dominate at these resources. Meanwhile, my cherries, apples, plums, apricots, pears, currents, service berries, elderberries, and raspberries get ravaged. Netting appears to be my only answer (expensive and a lot of time and labor), and I have a sparrow trap, but it's like putting a trap out amongst a flock of African quelea birds; I catch only a drop in the bucket.
I am still learning alot about figs myself. I have one question that I have not been able to find on the fig forum or on YT. One of my fig shoots jumped ship somehow. It is growing in a pot where I never planted a fig, my lime tree is actually in the pot. There are at least 7 other fig varieties surrounding my lime tree, so I have no clue what variety jumped to a whole other pot. I guess it's possible if a seed was released and tossed over. But I hear growing from seed can be difficult. And hard to tell if it is the (inedible) male or (edible) female plant. Of course curiosity has gotten the better of me and I have just been obsessed with watching it grow. Its small, thin, but surprisingly strong. Anyway lol, my question is, have you heard of a fig tree doing this? Any advice on how to proceed with a random baby fig tree?
I'm a bit confused. Fig seed is generally infertile, because the only way for figs to be pollinated naturally is by a tiny wasp called the Blastophaga psenes. The problem is, they don't exist in the United States - except in California, where commercial farmers established colonies back in the late 1800's. There are still fig wasps in California in key climates: around Modesto, Visalia, Sacramento, San Diego, and other dry, warm Zone 9/10 areas. The only way you'd have fig seeds growing naturally in a pot is if you live in these areas of California - is this where you live? If so, chances are, it's a result of bird droppings. If you don't live in these areas of California, I can't explain how they've grown, unless you somehow tossed a dried Turkish fig that somehow had a viable seed.
@@TheMillennialGardener hmmmm wasp are usually all over my figs, not sure if they are the right kind of wasp but they make it hard to work in my little orchard because I am scared of wasp. The bumblebees I can mind, love them actually they are pretty cute. I am not sure I will post a pic on the fig forum, I am on there a lot just never post. But I see you there, so hopefully you will see the post. But I am not in Cali, I am in GA. But I go to Cali all the time and bring stuff back from there since it's where my Sis lives.
@@TheMillennialGardener Ok, I just posted the pictures, hopefully you see them and can tell me more. Maybe I am wrong about it, but it looks like a baby fig tree to me.
Since the organza bags aren’t transparent, does blocking the sunlight affect the fruit? Also, are the organza bags used as camouflage (green bags) or because predators can’t chew through them. I’m researching solutions because I just planted several fruit trees. I wonder if some kind of steel netting would work?
I've never had a problem with any fruit ripening. Plants get their energy via photosynthesis through the leaves, so covering the fruit won't necessarily impact ripening since the plant's leaves are unobstructed. I think the green bags do make a difference. Green fruits are less likely to be pecked by birds and other pests. Bright colors signify ripe, sweet and full of water, so hiding them with green can dissuade birds. If you need to mass-cover a lot of trees, bird netting is good.
@@TheMillennialGardener yes I love birds. I have 3 bird baths and 6 feeders all within 50 feet of each other. I even supply different types of bird food for different species. They still rob my blueberries, raspberries, maters, peppers, and figs.
I may have created a problem when I set up a bird feeding station a few feet from my vegetable bed…every other bird was excited about the bird seed except for a young weirdo (a cardinal aka Cardi-B) I caught eating my melon flowers. 🙄
You may want to experiment with different seed mixes, or you may want to set up two feeders. Not every seed mix is suitable for the birds native to your area. If you provide a seed mix they don't particularly care for, you may lure them in only for them to decide they don't like the seed and would rather eat something else in your yard. You may want to buy a second feeder with a mix for Cardinals. That may attract the Cardinals away from your garden, while keeping the other birds happy with the other mix that's been successful so far.
I already lost the fruit on my one cherry tree this season and I’m panicking to save the other cherry tree and my peach trees from birds and squirrels - I can’t find where to get the green organza bags - help please….
Great tip about keeping your plants low but What do you do about raccoons getting at your fruit when it is close to the ground? Birds are easy to get rid of but raccoons are tougher and would fight you for your food. Lol
If you have a problem with raccoons and rodents, you'll need to straddle the line between "too low" and "too high." Keeping your lowest branches a few feet off the ground, but keeping the highest branches under 8-10 feet, is probably ideal. The best way to keep raccoons away is to fence them out, unfortunately.
None of this applies to the sparrows in Alberta. They enjoyed the feeders and water until my lettuce and peas were up then they attacked everything. Even the pea flowers after I had protected the sprouts and then uncovered the peas once they grew. Within a week of me getting rid of the birdbaths and feeders they were gone.
You may want to experiment with various seed blends, as not all blends are attractive to the local birds. Bird populations vary heavily by region, so if your seed blend was the only option, they may have abandoned it until other options became available. Bird baths are only effective if they're kept clean and placed in open places. If your yard is large, multiple baths may be necessary.
I have a seed bird feeder on the oppsite side of my yard from of my fruit trees. I have a large fish pond 75 yards away from my fruit trees.... YET they have taken almost all my fruit from my two pear trees and my one peach tree!!! What do i do?? Netting 20ft trees?? is that even possible?? I'm so mad!
How do you keep SWD out of your fruit? My property has been infested since I bought some Primocanes that had the larvae. Now they are everywhere here. I have several varieties of figs and have been harvesting all summer until a few weeks after getting the primocanes and now all of my ripening figs are ruined. I have 22 blueberry bushes and can only assume next season will be a disaster. I am thinking of burning and just growing pomegranates.
SWD pressure is extremely high on my property. They will devastate my figs and I won't get a single fig, unless I bag them. These bags work extremely well: ua-cam.com/video/OdAlScEu238/v-deo.html For bushes, you may want to look at the Plant Jackets linked in my Amazon Storefront. You can get them in various sizes. After the blueberries pollinate and they set, you can slip a jacket over the bushes and get basically 100% protection against both SWD, birds and other insects.
Did you know there was a co dependancy between birds/animals and fruit bearing trees bef4 us.. Trees feed them, they provide manure around the tree and spread the seed.
I'm having big problems with yellow jackets eating on my figs this year,just had massive rains few days ago so alot of cracked split figs,now bees all over them. Not sure how to keep them off
Citrus takes 10+ years on average to produce fruit from seed. This is why citrus is pretty much only sold grafted, because grafted citrus usually fruits within 1 year.
I used to use white, but I'm having better luck with green. I've had better luck this year than any other year. I think the green camouflages things well.
It is weed barrier. It is a semi-permanent way of having a weed-free existence. It also adds about 5 degrees of heat to my potted plants when the sun is out. I have a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/XT1reOI1-5E/v-deo.html
Hmmm this actually is heart breaking because we just moved into a house that already had a pomegranate tree growing low to the ground. The birds are killing the few fruits it's producing so they have to be desperate to be going that low wouldn't they. Luckily, I was planning on starting a small garden and the first thing I'm doing is getting a bird feeder+bath anyway just because I see how thirsty they are. Then I'd been researching food rabbits like so i can grow that first on the opposite side of the yard to keep them away. Now to deter the coyotes......hmm. I don't want them eating the rabbits.
That is a question I don't know the answer to. I'm not very knowledgeable about flowers. I do know birds are attracted to bright colors, and it's possible the roses are full of bugs and they're collateral damage to the birds foraging? That's all I can think of.
If you found this video helpful, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 How To Keep Birds Away From Fruit Trees
1:27 Tip #1
2:27 Tip #2
4:35 Tip #3
5:40 Tip #4
7:30 Adventures With Dale
Best advice I have gotten !!! I have 20 cherry trees ( yes went a little crazy as a young gardener) now the trees are 12 years old which equals lots of Cherries & lots of birds . Bird bath & feeder was the trick . Appreciate the intel Ty
THIS WORKS! We planted a VDB after the late frost. It loved the spot and flourished. After watching this video I bought the organza bags, so cheap. I bagged up 30 (!) figs on that one tree (It’s not even 2, bought off Fig Bid as a tiny seedling) and now have been harvesting about 5 each day. That, plus keeping the bird baths full (and clean) has worked! My best harvest EVER. Thank you!
Outstanding! I'm glad to hear the tips were effective. I've found them to be effective, too.
Do the organza bags work because they provide camouflage (green bags) or because predators can’t chew through them?
I learned a lot from this short video thank you
I had this idea and everybody I talked to online said its a bad idea. I think I agree I"m going to try to feed them at the same time use some metal tape to keep them away from the trees... makes sense to feed the birds easy food so I can keep my yummy figs lol.. thanks love your channel !
Thanks for posting. Last year my five year old apple tree was finally getting ready to yield but then the crows ate every last one (I caught several doing it so I knew it was them) I was not a happy camper. I have just one tree as it will be just for me and some will go to the local food bank. The water tower and bird feeders are relatively small investments and worth it.
Dale is in deep thought.
This video is packed with fantastic information. Thank you!
Thank you, will try this, but the big birds already have water and food very close by... So I wonder why they ate so many the tiny avocados starting to grow 😅 Planting more trees, and will keep them pruned low to the ground, as it makes absolute sense... Thank you! And I love Dale & the beautiful bunny!
Another suggestion is to plant some native shrubs that produce berries and/or foods that birds like. Here in Florida birds love Beauty berry and some Nightshade. I actually like to keep taller trees by my bird feeders to provide covered habitat for the birds. I totally agree with keeping a fresh water source. I work in a garden center and when we have a dry spell I find many more customers come in complaining that that birds/critters are eating their fruit trees. First thing I suggest is a water source. Maybe even more than one. I have a bird bath and several glass pie dishes on the ground I purchased for cheap at my local goodwill. I place them in several areas around the yard. One more thing. I keep many of my fruiting plants in pots so I can move them into my screened in porch just before fruit starts to ripen. Works great for my blueberries, smaller figs, mulberry and pineapple if you have that option. One added benefit to feeding the birds to keep them off your fruit trees are you can enjoy watching your birds that have severely taken a hit in population in the last 20 years.
This is a good suggestion. Native birds have evolved to prefer the native foods, so planting native plants make great distraction crops. "Distraction cropping" is underutilized. I surmise people that don't have much luck using bird feeders as using seed blends that the native birds do not care for. You may have to experiment with different seed mixes until you find one the birds like more than your plants!
Thanks to you sharing your knowledge I am getting so much valuable information regarding my Chicago fig trees. Today, I’ve gotten 14 beautiful figs from my trees. Thank you
Nice! Congrats! I appreciate you watching my videos.
I weighed them and their combined weight was 1.09 lbs! I have a friend who has an overgrown patch of several different types of figs and I got a cutting from two of them. I don’t know if I’m doing it right but I cut off the leaves and got three sections each stick;wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator crisper until about March 1. Then the experiment to try to get them to root in a light potting mix. I couldn’t find the method on your channel so I’m guessing.
I find this video of high value. I 'll be topping my cherry tree and also spreading my fig trees to keep them short.Thanks
I'm glad it could be helpful. Best of luck with your cherry!
Can’t thank you enough for the information in all your videos! Dale is adorable as usual😊
Glad you enjoyed it! Dale was, literally, shaking at the sight of the bunny. He looked like he was about to explode. I can't believe he didn't drag the umbrella stand through the yard.
African countries moved to small mango trees. They noticed most mangoes were going to waste in large trees. Smaller trees reduced waste and increased production.
The other problem with mangoes is the production declines after about a decade. You wind up with enormous trees that don't produce a lot of fruit. You're best growing dwarf mangoes that can be easily pulled and replaced every 15-20 years. Mangoes are one of the few fruit trees that don't produce better with maturity.
High value video worth watching.
As always, right to the point, useful and appreciated!
Thanks!!
Thanks for watching! I appreciate the kind words.
I love having the birds around but i use sunflower plants to sidetrack them. I do have a bird feeder around. Right now I'm dreading espalier my brown turkey. My Olympian is cute and growing in a nice painterly way but it's tiny. The Chicago Hardy is also very lovely and graceful, like a painting. But the Brown Turkey has four stems, pointing in all four directions and has leaves and starks growing from every part of the stem. Thanks for all your info. I'm definitely going to look at your pruning video again.
It's pretty easy to espalier. Fig wood is very soft, so it's pretty easy to bend. Just tie it down slowly a bit at a time. Have you seen my tutorial? I'll link to it here just in case: ua-cam.com/play/PL1gY7BoYBGIFlbg2ri_7gCJPhXaZ_nOvy.html
Sunflowers! what a great idea
@@TheMillennialGardener thank you. off to listen.
Great tips and very logical explanations. I had 4 high-yielding fruit trees like pears, peaches, and apples in NJ but hardly ever got enough fruits as the squirrels and birds got them. I failed in any attempts to sway them using repellants including the predator decoys. I am sure your method would have done a better job than any other deterrent I tried
It's worth giving a shot. Anything you can do to distract them helps your chances of a good harvest.
@@TheMillennialGardener, We have moved to NC now and have a young veggie&fruit garden and I will definitely incorporate your idea at least to get the birds out. Not sure about the squirrels though
@@ramachandran8666 You might try getting a Jack Russell.
Thanks for the idea. Hopefully the starlings swarm will go for the feeder and the water soon..so far they still find my cherries the most desirable, even with the cherries not completely ripe.
...and almost 2 weeks later they are now swarming my ripe Montmorency cherries... It was a good thought though; those starlings are a real nuisance bird... I'll keep the feeder and water out, and get mesh bags for next year...
Hi, im about 20 minutes from Conshohocken. Its my 2nd year trying to harvest elderberries from about 40 plants. Last season i got cleaned out by the cat birds. I tried holographic streamers, pie pans, they didnt work. I was told to try the fake snow or spider webb stuff and put that around my berries. The cat birds ate almost all of them right after flowering when they are tiny and green. I will put out food and water for them this yr. Hope it helps!
thank you , last year was very dry in the Albany NY area and I lost the whole treeful
Merci beaucoup pour tous ces bons conseils.
I like your videos. I used nylon socks for apples, to prevent squirels to eat the fruit. When it was harvest time, the apples had no color. Only in places where the sock didn't cover the fruit, there was a little slice of color. Instead, the SOCKS became pink. Do you have a comment of when we should remove the bags to let the apples receive sunshine?
I would recommend you try organza bags that I described in this video as Tip #4 as shown here: ua-cam.com/video/OdAlScEu238/v-deo.html
The bags are very effective against birds and insects. Squirrels are iffy, since they are more persistent. Another product you can try is SURROUND, which is a micronized kaolin clay. You mix it with water and spray it, and it forms a protective clay barrier around your fruits. You have to apply regularly to keep the layer going, but it's a common organic solution for growers that grow apples, peaches and plums since they're so pest prone.
Have done all of these. None work, done all together. Bags work on grapes, but a bit hard to use on berries.
Genius!💥❤💥❤💥
Thanks for watching!
I have issues with blight on my tomato plants every year, it's been that way for a while, but I planted some determinate tomato plants this year and I was able to beat some of that blight.😥
To keep blight at bay, I find the best way to do it is to spray 2-3 times a week with a hydrogen peroxide solution. It, literally, kills blight. I have a how-to on it here: ua-cam.com/video/PdFe4KHPKl4/v-deo.html
This is a great post, thanks a lot.
Non seed eating mocking birds eating my figs is my problem. I have a feeder & bath.
They start pecking them when they first start to ripen. I just go out early in the morning with a cup of coffee and eat all the fresh ones ripening that I want. Any they start on, I just leave and they usually eat on it until its gone.
The mocking birds won't eat the seeds I buy for the other birds, so I figure them eating some of my figs are OK & planted more trees. I tried noise makers & nets and gave up on them.
You may need to experiment with various seed blends. Since bird populations vary so much by region, some seed blends may be more effective than others.
I have lived in this area three years and did a regular ground garden and this is the first time I am INVADED with birds in my garden and in my yard, they fly through the carport and make nest. They are here every day, ALL DAY….all sorts of variety of birds this year…and I have a two acres pond!!!! They take my seeds and seedlings. These lil suckers will sometimes just uproot it!!! There has been a field cat lurking well now I have cat paws in my garden too so maybe after hearing this video that cat is after all these birds walking through and tearing up my raised beds. I have been gardening for about 18 years and I have never had this issue. I am beyond frustrated, we do all sorts of tips and tricks that we see online and UA-cam but I never heard of any of these tips. Thank you I will try THESE NOW. I pray something works. I subscribed to continue following further more tips. God Bless
Great hint! And Conshohocken is the next town over from me so I know the type of row homes you are talking about. My container fig tree is going into the ground this spring so a bird bath and bird feeder will go in with it.
That's great! Try to provide some spacing to encourage the birds to not perch right next to the fig. If you can get the feeder and bird bath 15-20 feet away, that may be helpful to distract them.
Great tip and I enjoyed the story behind it.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching.
I had 2 clean, twice-daily cleaned and filled bird baths, and two bird feeders in my back yard, and the birds decimated my only fruit tree - an apricot - AND at least half my tomatoes. The apricot tree had both a bird bath and feeder right under it. This year I declared war and covered the tree with netting. So sorry birds! Also eliminated the feeders and have only a birdbath on the other side of the yard. So far, so good. And so far, no birds caught in the netting.
Thanks for the tips. Your dog is adorable !!
Release the hound! Dale was more than a little interested in that bunny. Very good video on preventing bird damage. I have to use bird netting to keep the mocking birds off grapes, cherries and plums. They seem to like those fruits the best. That said they do a good job keeping the insect population in check especially tomato horn worms.
I love birds - just not on my fruits. I really do notice a significant reduction when you give them a food and water source. It rains a lot here, so birds aren't as bad as out your way with dry summers, probably, but every little bit of a reduction in damage helps. Some bunnies got into my sweet potato bed and Dale is still going nuts patrolling the garden perimeter. He must do 10 sweeps every time he goes outside.
Bird feeder attracks birds, especially pigeons who would not otherwise be hanging around. I use tinsel garland and move it around and shiny whirly birds and a couple of plastic owls.
I have some trouble with some of this. First. We have a bird bath and a large pond with good access points for birds. Yet many of them peck at our peaches, mil series, and so forth. Second, we have several bird feeders located outside our food forest. Initially they attracted lots of squirrels, who carried off or chewed half of our pea h crop. We changed the bird food to saflower seed and the squirrels left, leaving just the birds. This has helped. However. Our blueberries and blackberries are low to the ground and that doesn't stop the birds from eating them. I don't mind sharing our crops with them, but I've yet to find anyway to stop the birds. And by the way, a common and frequent predator around here does not live on the ground. Hawks.
Most ponds are full of toxic algae and bacteria and are not a good water source, particularly for birds. Bird baths only work if there are enough of them for the property and the bird population, and you must keep them full and clean. I'm talking changing the water multiple times a week. If you allow them to dry out, let the water get stagnant, or you don't have enough of them placed in enough places depending on your land size and bird population, they won't be effective.
For the low bushes, you may need to resort to bird netting. The good thing about blueberry bushes is they're very easy to cover. I have plant jackets linked in my Amazon Storefront, and Agfabric sells a ton of different shapes and sizes. You can place a jacket over them and zip them up or tie them up no problem for a few dollars a piece. If you have many bushes, you'll probably need some kind of row cover. Floating row covers and insect netting or bird netting may be what you need if you have many bushes.
Adopt a cat or two from a shelter
All that and get a w"working cat" from a shelter, is a feral cat that has been rescued but won't live indoors. The cat will keep all sorts of pests away.
Here in southeastern Tennessee, I have lots of critters. Squirrels, birds, chipmunks, etc. I have three bird feeders. All of them will gather on the ground and eat spilled seed from the feeders. I will add a bird bath. I still need to find critter safe netting as I also have cats from next door and occasionally deer in my backyard . what do you suggest for netting?
Shared on Facebook! Thank you.
You’re welcome!
Great video always learning from you thanks
Thanks for watching! I appreciate it.
Hmm. I'm going to give this a try this summer. I tend to use scare tape, but not sure how effective that is. I've never put out bird feeders because I thought it would just attract birds to my area and my fruit trees. Ok, bird feeder and bird bath.
Waiting for update
I live in eastern SoCal, very dry, and there is always water for birds. It could be neighbors sprinkler run off or a kiddie pool. But, I am going to put a bird bath and feeder next to my fig tree. I have faith in you- haha.
Now about the green beetles that love figs. They are a problem. Look like a scarab. Are you familiar with them? Do you or anyone you know grow cherimoyas in NC? Thank you
If you are having problems with beetles, you basically have two things you need to do:
1. Bag your figs with organza bags to protect the fruits (ua-cam.com/video/XNNtWwaFYCU/v-deo.html)
2. Spray every 7 days with natural pyrethrin until the population is under control. Pyrethrin is a natural extract from the chrysanthemum that will kill beetles. Spray until the population is under control. I have pyrethrin linked in my Amazon Storefront if you need some.
As for cherimoya, it's far too cold here to grow that since it can't tolerate frost. I am growing the pawpaw, which is in the same family as the Ccherimoya, so it will have some similarities. The pawpaw is native to my location, so they're a good low-maintenance fruit to grow here.
Epic finds! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic tips - thanks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Wow I would have never thought about that. Really makes sense though
Very good. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
@@TheMillennialGardener You're welcome! I've learned something new each time.
Nicely done! Thank you.
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the information
I wonder if the seeds draw the birds and then you have a mass of birds and a few will peck your fruit? If 10% of the birds peck your berries, then 100 birds is not as bad as 1000 birds visiting per month? What do you think of that?
More great tips...thank u
You’re welcome!
My mother used to lose all her cherries to the woodpigeons - and her cherry tree grew next to two good-sized ponds with circulating fresh water, so I don't think the idea of them being thirsty is correct - at least not in UK where there is almost always plenty of water. 😄
Awesome ideas. Great vid as always. Thx. Can you post thoughts on del sen juame gran. Is it still your favorite? Does it do ok in the rain? Still slightly better than white Madeira? I know there’s lots of questions and comments on your vids. No sweat if you dont have time to respond.
Thanks. I’ve only had one ripen this season, and it was one of the best figs I’ve had to date. Problem with DSJG is the hang time is off the charts. It takes forever to ripen, and it seems to split easily, so the chances of me getting that many dry days in a row is unlikely. It is a late fig, too. It is not as early or as quick to ripen as White Madeira #1. WM#1 ripens quickly once it begins swelling and is pretty good in rain. DSJG’s ripening problems make it harder to really get a harvest and really test it.
Such good info!! Which fig varieties have a low hang time? Have you ever made a vid on this topic?
I woke up this morning and all of my blooming peaches were gone from my baby tree. I didn’t see damage peaches they were just missing. The peaches were the size of a golf ball
Millennial, I got three Figs, season in Tucson this year :-). How Dale, doing? he looks, so healthy and happy cheers from Tucson.
Dale is the happiest person I know. He's got a good life, now, and he's grateful for being rescued. We got lucky with him. Thank you for watching!
Most are great ideas but my mango trees produce 100s of fruit and I cannot bag them all...but we will try everything else to see if it helps. Thanks
Well, ok I did 2 out if 4 except I used white organza bags and my fig tree is 6' at least. Squirrels said, lol they covered the figs in baggies! LoL, easy to take home!!! Fast food!!! But, they didn't get allll of them!!! I sttill have a freezer full!
Squirrels are more difficult than birds since they have hands and are much stronger and more persistent. You may need harder barriers for them.
Do the organza bags go on when fruit is small in size? Or just when fruit is turning its colors and getting larger and juicy. Like our peaches, plums, pears, apples. Thx. First time by your channel.
The birds decimated my figs this year! My dog found and barked at a possum in the fig tree one night as well. I just haven’t been able to get out as much this year. It sucks to go out and find all of the figs full of peck marks and insects buzzing around damaged, rotten fruit!
Green organza bags will really help your case. I've never had a bird peck a bagged fig. Opossums, raccoons and rodents can still pull the figs off, but they're very effective against birds.
Nature is so mysterious. I have a Fig tree and a plethora of pigeons living on a pine close to my land and I have never seen more than 3 figs eaten per day.
Have you noticed that the birdies (bless their little hearts) taste test each fruit? So many strawberries; so little time.
Thanks for the post Sir, the video is very informative but what about banana trees how do I protect the bananas from the birds, squirrel, monkey and etc. We have three types of banana trees, guava, sour plum , star fruits, jackfruits and etc. Medical student Malaysia God bless 🙏👍
I have a question that is slightly off topic. What about squirrels? Will bees still go in to a cage that’s been constructed to keep the squirrels out of crops like cucumbers & melons? I was afraid to use a cage as that was my thinking that it would also keep pollinators away then I’d get zero fruits. 🤔. Thanks.
Good tips if you have tree hugging neighbors that will rat on you for shooting the birds. Seem easier to make 2 bird box trap/roach motels in the fruit tree you have a problem with, that way you can't hear the birds making any noise and just swap out the boxes in the evening after dark. Birds that don't eat my fruit get a free pass in my yard.
Great tips!
When the new farmers of today do not understand the bird but keep them away, forgetting that the bird seeded the trees they see today, as well as yesturday. A bird who is gifted with homes shall also give gift to trees not seen, also fruits of trees that one does not have. for giving a gift to the bird for a habitation to rest. instead this age and time they rather keep the gift givers away due to lost of fruits when that bird eats and then would give the gift of the seed to someone who had gifted the bird a place to lay rest and for the eggs. amazing how no one thinks of these things due to them going so far astray, worry so much of the currencies, that they forget it was the living animals that helped expanded there trees and fruits they are able to even have. one day there will be a time after all have prevented even the birds to eat that then there growing would also be rejected too. and heavily reduced.
if someone near who gave one of the birds a place to lay eggs and tree near, was there taking a seed to then cast it to the ground near the individual who had provided and you deny that process. of gift being return then so shall your trees all for free and water that is free be taken from your lands also.
i know someone so humble, who did not take a nest away when the bird built it, in his garage, did not remove it for many years, at all. and many birds had been mulitply due to this man who allowed the nest to be in. heavily blessed that man was to recieve many gifts from the bird that gifted the bird the blessing to reproduce and no removing that nest for many years as the day it was first made.
the bird bless the man i know with many seeds in the yard he dwells and they are fruit trees now. trees you currently would have to pay up to 50 dollars just for one. but the man recieved many due to the birds taking some fruits off another full grown tree lay the seed for the man to have many fruit trees. without him even needing to plant.
his land recieves the most rain then other lands around him. all due for the man for not taking down the home in his garage so that the birds can multiply and allowing them rest. many generations of birds muiltiply just in a few years. a blessing for them so they also blessed him.
and now the man who is also been blessed and now giving away the fruits trees allowing me to multiply them for use. cause i also help the elderly man and his wife, around the house while no one else does. as in lifting heavy things, picking up, cutting the grass without asking for a penny.
blessings comes in many forms. the man bless the birds, the birds bless him, the rain falls heavy only around his yard while farmers like you only recieve barely any.
and i bless the two elders with helping and not asking for nothing in return and now the man blesses me with the trees to take without asking for anything so i can multiply them to many.
Okay. This is good and has me look at it from a different perspective other than plain annoying. Thank you. It is bothersome to have bird poo all over my front and back porch and furniture though:) I'll think about all that you've said when I want to be angry. It is very calming to go outside, read my Bible and hear them all singing. Yahweh did make them and He says He cares about every sparrow that falls. Maybe if I stop grumbling about all the poop I'll be able to only see the good:) like Pollyanna. Yahweh bless you for sharing this and being courageous to "go against the grain" on this one.
How cool is that ,
Very helpful
this house has mature aka very tall fruit trees. Will bird feeder help keep the family of quails from eating all my apricots?
very useful thank you, now I just gotta worry about the squirrels..
Great tips for birds, any tips to deal with SWD? they have almost wiped out all 20 varieties of my ripe or semi ripe fruit. I use organza bags before the figs start swelling and they still manage to get in the bags and spoil my figs. There is no fruit on the ground to attract them so I’m struggling trying to eat a decent fig bit without having to throw them out. This year SWD had been bad in GA
The best way I've been able to manage SWD is to clean up all the fallen fruit and bag everything the very moment they begin to swell. The key is tying the bags very tightly so they can't get in around the branch. If you don't tie them, they loosen and they can fly in. I've been pretty diligent with bagging this season, and I've had much more luck because of it. I got killed with SWD last year, but this year it's been minimal despite more rain. You can try using a fogger to spray pyrethrin every 7 days to keep the population down..
@@TheMillennialGardener sounds good, I’m going to get one of the foggers you have used in your vids, I’ll also try tying the bags tighter, last year I was able to fight them off but this year, they have been horrible. Thanks for the info 👍🏽
It has been a wet year. Probably has something to do with it.
Traded birds for a bear using a bird feeder in the summer
I will have to try a bird bath and feeder
They do make a significant difference! Thanks for watching.
Great video
Thank you!
We used foil tinsel tied to the upper limbs and that seemed to work. My fig row is 20 ft tall so I can't bring myself to cut it back.
Nice tips for 🐦 Birds. How about
squirrels? We have couples of squirrels raiding my 🍐 pears. Any idea? Thanks
Squirrels are a lot harder. Thankfully, I don’t have many squirrels here. The best defense again squirrels is a hound dog like Dale! But other than that, I think you need to experiment with fencing, unfortunately. Unless you can distract them with seed somehow.
Will this method also work for peacan nuts? Protect from birds and monkeys ?
Our area is overwhelmed by English sparrows, which chase away or kill native birds and nestlings. I have tried feeding and providing water but the sparrows mass and dominate at these resources. Meanwhile, my cherries, apples, plums, apricots, pears, currents, service berries, elderberries, and raspberries get ravaged. Netting appears to be my only answer (expensive and a lot of time and labor), and I have a sparrow trap, but it's like putting a trap out amongst a flock of African quelea birds; I catch only a drop in the bucket.
I am still learning alot about figs myself. I have one question that I have not been able to find on the fig forum or on YT. One of my fig shoots jumped ship somehow. It is growing in a pot where I never planted a fig, my lime tree is actually in the pot. There are at least 7 other fig varieties surrounding my lime tree, so I have no clue what variety jumped to a whole other pot. I guess it's possible if a seed was released and tossed over. But I hear growing from seed can be difficult. And hard to tell if it is the (inedible) male or (edible) female plant. Of course curiosity has gotten the better of me and I have just been obsessed with watching it grow. Its small, thin, but surprisingly strong. Anyway lol, my question is, have you heard of a fig tree doing this? Any advice on how to proceed with a random baby fig tree?
I'm a bit confused. Fig seed is generally infertile, because the only way for figs to be pollinated naturally is by a tiny wasp called the Blastophaga psenes. The problem is, they don't exist in the United States - except in California, where commercial farmers established colonies back in the late 1800's. There are still fig wasps in California in key climates: around Modesto, Visalia, Sacramento, San Diego, and other dry, warm Zone 9/10 areas. The only way you'd have fig seeds growing naturally in a pot is if you live in these areas of California - is this where you live? If so, chances are, it's a result of bird droppings. If you don't live in these areas of California, I can't explain how they've grown, unless you somehow tossed a dried Turkish fig that somehow had a viable seed.
@@TheMillennialGardener hmmmm wasp are usually all over my figs, not sure if they are the right kind of wasp but they make it hard to work in my little orchard because I am scared of wasp. The bumblebees I can mind, love them actually they are pretty cute. I am not sure I will post a pic on the fig forum, I am on there a lot just never post. But I see you there, so hopefully you will see the post. But I am not in Cali, I am in GA. But I go to Cali all the time and bring stuff back from there since it's where my Sis lives.
@@TheMillennialGardener Ok, I just posted the pictures, hopefully you see them and can tell me more. Maybe I am wrong about it, but it looks like a baby fig tree to me.
Great bro thankuou
You’re welcome!
Since the organza bags aren’t transparent, does blocking the sunlight affect the fruit? Also, are the organza bags used as camouflage (green bags) or because predators can’t chew through them. I’m researching solutions because I just planted several fruit trees. I wonder if some kind of steel netting would work?
I've never had a problem with any fruit ripening. Plants get their energy via photosynthesis through the leaves, so covering the fruit won't necessarily impact ripening since the plant's leaves are unobstructed. I think the green bags do make a difference. Green fruits are less likely to be pecked by birds and other pests. Bright colors signify ripe, sweet and full of water, so hiding them with green can dissuade birds. If you need to mass-cover a lot of trees, bird netting is good.
My squirrels take the bags along with the fruit.
Any suggestions for rabbits, mice and squirrels?
Man the only thing that keeps birds away for me is the bagging technique or grow more than you can eat!
Have you tried setting up multiple bird feeders and bird baths?
@@TheMillennialGardener yes I love birds. I have 3 bird baths and 6 feeders all within 50 feet of each other. I even supply different types of bird food for different species. They still rob my blueberries, raspberries, maters, peppers, and figs.
Agfabric has insect netting jackets that could really help your case, then. The other option is bird netting.
I may have created a problem when I set up a bird feeding station a few feet from my vegetable bed…every other bird was excited about the bird seed except for a young weirdo (a cardinal aka Cardi-B) I caught eating my melon flowers. 🙄
You may want to experiment with different seed mixes, or you may want to set up two feeders. Not every seed mix is suitable for the birds native to your area. If you provide a seed mix they don't particularly care for, you may lure them in only for them to decide they don't like the seed and would rather eat something else in your yard. You may want to buy a second feeder with a mix for Cardinals. That may attract the Cardinals away from your garden, while keeping the other birds happy with the other mix that's been successful so far.
@@TheMillennialGardener I will consider your advice. Much Thanks!
I already lost the fruit on my one cherry tree this season and I’m panicking to save the other cherry tree and my peach trees from birds and squirrels - I can’t find where to get the green organza bags - help please….
The birds are having a smorgasbourg and I'm crying. 😂
good tips!! thanks :-)
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching!
Great tip about keeping your plants low but What do you do about raccoons getting at your fruit when it is close to the ground? Birds are easy to get rid of but raccoons are tougher and would fight you for your food. Lol
If you have a problem with raccoons and rodents, you'll need to straddle the line between "too low" and "too high." Keeping your lowest branches a few feet off the ground, but keeping the highest branches under 8-10 feet, is probably ideal. The best way to keep raccoons away is to fence them out, unfortunately.
D o those tricks works for the Australian PARROTS
None of this applies to the sparrows in Alberta. They enjoyed the feeders and water until my lettuce and peas were up then they attacked everything. Even the pea flowers after I had protected the sprouts and then uncovered the peas once they grew. Within a week of me getting rid of the birdbaths and feeders they were gone.
You may want to experiment with various seed blends, as not all blends are attractive to the local birds. Bird populations vary heavily by region, so if your seed blend was the only option, they may have abandoned it until other options became available. Bird baths are only effective if they're kept clean and placed in open places. If your yard is large, multiple baths may be necessary.
I have a seed bird feeder on the oppsite side of my yard from of my fruit trees. I have a large fish pond 75 yards away from my fruit trees.... YET they have taken almost all my fruit from my two pear trees and my one peach tree!!! What do i do?? Netting 20ft trees?? is that even possible?? I'm so mad!
How do you keep SWD out of your fruit? My property has been infested since I bought some Primocanes that had the larvae. Now they are everywhere here. I have several varieties of figs and have been harvesting all summer until a few weeks after getting the primocanes and now all of my ripening figs are ruined. I have 22 blueberry bushes and can only assume next season will be a disaster. I am thinking of burning and just growing pomegranates.
SWD pressure is extremely high on my property. They will devastate my figs and I won't get a single fig, unless I bag them. These bags work extremely well: ua-cam.com/video/OdAlScEu238/v-deo.html
For bushes, you may want to look at the Plant Jackets linked in my Amazon Storefront. You can get them in various sizes. After the blueberries pollinate and they set, you can slip a jacket over the bushes and get basically 100% protection against both SWD, birds and other insects.
Did you know there was a co dependancy between birds/animals and fruit bearing trees bef4 us.. Trees feed them, they provide manure around the tree and spread the seed.
I'm having big problems with yellow jackets eating on my figs this year,just had massive rains few days ago so alot of cracked split figs,now bees all over them. Not sure how to keep them off
Organza bags keep yellow jackets and wasps off with nearly 100% success.
What did Dale do about that ‘pesky wabbit’?
But they are perking at my strawberries which are so low on the ground. I will try the water and green net covering tactic, thanks
You may also want to buy some bird netting. It's very inexpensive and can help protect them.
I planted citrus from seed 4 years ago. Both trees have not flowered.
Citrus takes 10+ years on average to produce fruit from seed. This is why citrus is pretty much only sold grafted, because grafted citrus usually fruits within 1 year.
oh god that's such a long time! :(
I use small white bags of net to cover my figs
I used to use white, but I'm having better luck with green. I've had better luck this year than any other year. I think the green camouflages things well.
What is the black material covering most of the yard, and why is it there?
It is weed barrier. It is a semi-permanent way of having a weed-free existence. It also adds about 5 degrees of heat to my potted plants when the sun is out. I have a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/XT1reOI1-5E/v-deo.html
Birds are frequently walking and hopping on the ground, pecking and poking the ground…..
Bagging my peaches just made them fall off before they were ripe.
Hmmm this actually is heart breaking because we just moved into a house that already had a pomegranate tree growing low to the ground. The birds are killing the few fruits it's producing so they have to be desperate to be going that low wouldn't they. Luckily, I was planning on starting a small garden and the first thing I'm doing is getting a bird feeder+bath anyway just because I see how thirsty they are. Then I'd been researching food rabbits like so i can grow that first on the opposite side of the yard to keep them away. Now to deter the coyotes......hmm. I don't want them eating the rabbits.
Could you please address the issue of anuts eating the figs
I have a video on the subject here: ua-cam.com/video/8n2_7Dl0vug/v-deo.html
Why do birds attack and damage my roses? Is it the same reason or not?
That is a question I don't know the answer to. I'm not very knowledgeable about flowers. I do know birds are attracted to bright colors, and it's possible the roses are full of bugs and they're collateral damage to the birds foraging? That's all I can think of.
Is that landscape fabric?
It is weed barrier. I have a video on it here: ua-cam.com/video/XT1reOI1-5E/v-deo.html
I live in between two big lakes