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Pumpkins, Squash & Gourds

Best way to weatherproof birdhouse gourd?

17 years ago

I made some birdhouses from gourds 2 years ago. Made designs on them with a woodburner, then used stains or paints to decorate. All were then sprayed with a clear polyurethane sealer, several times. They are not holding up well. Is there something better?

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Comments (7)

GardenKiwi
17 years ago
Have you checked with the American Gourd Society, Amish Acres and other gourd sites.

I have heard to use (and bought to use) Spar Varnish - it weathers well on sail boats so I imagine it would be wonderful for protecting gourds. I also read to to bring the birdhouses in for the winter, clean off well and coat with more varnish if need be. Do remember to have holes in the bottom for drainage. I also read somewhere that you don't put on varnish, poly, Spar or any other sealer for 24-48 hours after you have put on paint - the paint needs to cure first. (I never thought of that!)

Good luck hunting for answers - let us know how it worked out.

Rita in Michigan
genepa
17 years ago
Hi Sandlady. I use a one part epoxy paint on my gourd birdhouses. It's called Epoxy II. The manufacturer says its good for 10 years. I brush it on and it is self-leveling. When it dries, its like a coating of glass with no brush marks. I have several that have been out for months and they look the same as the day I put them out. I also burn pix on them and then paint with acrylics. This epoxy goes right over them and protects them from fading also. The down side is that its somewhat expensive, $60 @ gal, and you have to buy it through a dealer but its well worth it. The Amish and Mennonites use it for their buggys, so you know its gotta be good. If interested, do a google search on Epoxy II and that will lead you to the manufacturer and dealers. Gene
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I don't grow gourd either because of not having much sun. I do plan on growing some in containers next year. Looks to me like your first attempt at growing gourds has been very succesful. You gourd looks like a strawberry gourd to me although you did say the package said apple gourd, right. In my favorite book "The Complete Book of Gourd Crafts" it says that by pushing at the base of the stem and the gourd feels firm and solid to the touch it should be mature and should have a waxy skin on it. It should stay on the vine until the vine has dried up and has turned brown. Then you can either leave it outside or bring in inside to a well ventilated place and store off the ground. You can prevent mold from occuring on a freshly harvested gourd by frequently wiping with a mild solution of disinfectant during the long drying process. To hasten the drying process watch to see when the gourd turns from green to a cream white and starts to loosen. But, it will mold faster and you need to watch it and wipe frequently with water and disinfectant. If you decide that this is something you really want to get into, I definitely suggest the "The Complete Book of Gourd Crafts" by Jim Widess and Ginger Summit. The are very well known in the gourd world and the book tells you everything you need to know from putting seeds in the ground up thru decorating. Lillie, your photos of your gourds are very good. Post some new ones when you get them. Nonnie
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You are sooooo lucky! I planted 15 seeds of the little African mini gourds and only one sprouted! I coddled that thing like you wouldn't believe. Finally it was big enough to plant out (I had it in a huge pot) and it climbed up my arbor out back. It had lots of blooms. I pinched it back to make it branch. Well, guess what? I have not a single gourd out there - not one! I am sure there were female and male flowers but I was not able to go lurking in the back yard, flitting from flower to flower, pollinating! That could have gotten me arrested! If your little gourds are a nice cream color you are very lucky. I did get a few that someone had soaked in 10% hydrogen peroxide - they are gorgeous! I am on the hunt for some extremely tiny spinners to make into ear rings ... so if you find some that will make up as pairs how about dropping me an email so that I can buy them from you? Now - as to the comment from Indiana - about the Pint of Spirits ..... grrrrrroan! I can't believe you said that! Cheers - Rita in Michigan
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sandlady
Original Author
17 years ago
Gene, the epoxy II sounds great, but the price makes me cringe!

Will investigate the spar varnish that Rita recommended, hopefully that will fit better into my (tight little) budget.

I have left them outside all year. Blue birds have nested in some in spring, and in the winter small birds like wrens use them for shelter, so I do want to leave them out. Would feel guilty taking away a winter shelter place. I have had the best luck with getting birds to use them when they are not free swinging, but securely mounted in place against a tree trunk or post.
Roberta_z5
17 years ago
Well, if you are trying to preserve a design or paint on a birdhouse gourd, that is one thing. I have gourd birdhouses that have been hanging for 3/4 years and they are still being used. There is no need to preserve a gourd unless you plan to use it forever. Even then, how can you preserve anything for 'forever'?
lilies4me
17 years ago
I agree with Roberta. I don't do anything to the gourds to preserve the exterior and they last and last. I typically get 4-5 years minimum from them. By then the birds have filled the cavity with nesting materials that are difficult to remove. I also have mine free hanging under trees and find they're used mostly by wrens.
chipkonrad
16 years ago
Polyurethane will peel after a year in the sun. If you really want to preserve a gourd for 10 years or more, you will need to soak the gourd in Thompson's Water Seal or Copper Sulfate (also known as Root Killer) before you paint it. For more information on painting and preserving gourds go to: www.AmishGourds.com

Here is a link that might be useful: Gourd Supplier
seemor
9 years ago
I live in SW Florida and we get extremely hot and humid in the summers. I need a safe way to preserve my Gourds that I put out for my birds to house in. I'll check some of the websites but they are from up North and not the tropics?

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