Keep Birds From Nesting In Your Hanging Flower Baskets With A Quick & Easy Trick

We humans use hanging baskets because they are easy to place in exactly the right spot, accessible when it's time to water them, and add visual appeal at eye level. But from a bird's point of view, it's a perch safe from predators and perhaps a source of nectar and bugs. Why not move in and set up a home? Discouraging birds from building nests in your hanging baskets isn't hard. Many birds are protected from harm by federal law, but there's no need to resort to illegal activity. You can simply prevent birds from even landing on or in your hanging basket in the first place by placing physical barriers or other deterrents in the middle or at the edges of your planter.

It's not hard to create a bird-friendly garden without turning your hanging baskets into bird sanctuaries. You could go out and spend money to keep birds from nesting in your hanging pots. Netting placed over your baskets, chicken wire around your plants, plastic owls placed nearby, specially formulated gels that create a sticky surface that birds will shy away from, all can do the trick, but might ruin the attractiveness of your flowers or prevent them from growing to their full potential. Really, all you need to do is be creative in collecting unused items around the home and place them securely in your planter so that birds have no place to land. 

You want birds to visit, not move in. If birds can't land, they'll not have the opportunity to build a nest. Craft sticks, toothpicks, sticks and twigs, or bamboo food skewers can be tastefully arranged to keep the birds out. If you have extra plastic forks from various take-out joints that you brought home and didn't use, now is your opportunity to place them tines side up in the soil. When you're placing barriers around your plants, be sure not to damage the plants' roots. If you haven't already planted your hanging basket, put the barriers in first, then plant your flowers. That way, you not only protect the plants' roots, but you can arrange the flowers in a way that masks the sight of the barriers from human view but still prevents birds from landing.

With your planter now an armed fortress against invading birds, plant your hangers in an open area frequented by humans to discourage birds from moving in. Water your plants frequently; nests and moisture don't sit well together. And above all, be nice to the birds. They're already threatened by so many other human activities. Place a birdbath in the right spot in your yard for them to bathe and drink. Erect a birdhouse somewhere in your property so that they have an alternative place to raise their young, other than your hanging plants. Plant nest-building plants that birds can use to fill that birdhouse, and you'll get to enjoy the birds and your hanging flowers at the same time.