You have to be fanatical here. Most all of these diversions work, but only until the birds recognize them for what they are. Cannons may work for a week (or much less). Fake owls, snakes, aluminum pie plates, mylar strips, etc. the same way. Doesn't take them long to realize that the diversion really isn't a threat. If you rotate through a number of diversions fairly quickly, each new one will keep them away for a short time, but you have to be fanatical about doing it and switch tactics before they figure out they're being gamed. This might buy you some time to get the cherries closer to being ripe. The other solution is one of numbers. If you have more cherries than the birds can eat, you'll have some for yourself. Plant 30 acres of trees, or shoot every feather you see! I occasionally blow my stack after watching trees loaded with pie cherries turn yellow on the way to red and never get ripe enough to eat and put chicken wire or a net around a tree or part of a tree.

I went to the DBG Fruit Growers Scionwood and Seed Exchange today. Well, due to kids' extracurricular activities, I did not get there until 2:20pm. Only one fruit grower was still there but I picked up Norkent and some cherry plum scionwoods. It will be fun to try out those this year. I also mark down the September 16 for the fall fruit tasting event on my calender. It will be great to know more about what we can grow here.

They peck holes and then the sap attracts ants which they eat--they're creating a food source. I had sapsuckers go after a Bradford pear after we had to cut down the dying tree they'd been nesting in for years. Old and dead trees have a definite place in the ecosystem, just not in my tiny yard with a house right there for it to fall on. The Bradford survived but it took it a few years to look healthy again.

Josh - The plants I have under lights for the winter get fertilized each time I water with 1/4 tsp of FP 9-3-6/gallon of water. When I water, about 10-20% of the total amount of water I apply exits the pot. If your plants are getting natural light and you think they could do with more, you might try fertilizing at the strength I mentioned, then water twice so you're flushing the soil, then repeat.At these low doses, there isn't much concern about over-fertilizing unless the soil is VERY dry. I'm watering well before there are any indications of drought stress, and have seen 0 indication of plasmolysis in any of the plants. Keep in mind that plants make their own food - glucose. Fertilizers are the building blocks they use to grow and keep their systems orderly. Charles - There is a difference between air movement and a cold draft or a hot wind. Air movement upsets the boundary layer (of air) surrounding the leaf and increases transpiration. This means that more nutrient solution is moved through the nutrient stream - generally a good thing. Air movement can also have a significant impact on keeping pests and diseases in check, and it helps promote back-budding. On the other hand, if your plant's ability to move water to distal parts is limited by poor root function/health, air movement can be a negative insofar as the plant's appearance goes, because increasing water demands combined + an inability to efficiently move water to the plant's distal parts will produce more necrotic leaf margins or tips. I have 2 - 20" box fans (set to low speed) in my grow area + a 12" round fan blowing over a plastic cake pan cover ($1.50) that holds 2 gallons of water with humidifier wicks in it to increase humidity, which really decreases the humidifier's run time. Too, MG soil has water retention issues you need always consider because of how water retention impacts root health/function. How much/often you water is always a consideration when you're using a water-retentive medium. Al