Need more birds in my yard, but how?
Michael Kobi
7 years ago
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lazy_gardens
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
How many yards of compost will I need to topdress my lawn?
Comments (6)I guess I am lucky. Compost is free here in Lincoln, Nebraska if you are willing to load it through a city landfill compost program that makes excellent compost from city yard waste, ten bucks to fill a pickup for you with a loader-- but they will only put in a yard, my truck will hold two yards. The stuff is even chemically analyzed for nutrients and contaminants prior to release by the local university. Initially I had them load if for me, until I realized how light this stuff is.... you back your truck up to their mountain of compost, then basically just pull it down into the truck bed--- 15 minutes and full, even with weakened arms from MS. I went from a heavy clay in my garden to the richest soil I have ever had, with zero additional fertilizer. All the veggies are giants. Last year I tested it on my lawn in a small area, it looked messy and black for a weak or so until the first rain, then was awesome. This spring, multiple loads from the dump to hit the entire yard in early spring before the big rains. Folks talk about the difficulty of spreading, but at least for me, a piece of cake. Open the pickup bed with a full load, then drive a big pattern over the yard(when soil dry so doesn't make tracks). Spread some, then drive forward 10 or 15 feet, then do it again. Afterward, get out the mower or garden tractor with the blade set quite low. Any little piles that were too heavily hit are easily spread by the mower blade. Now I am just monitoring to make sure I don't use too much, especially in my garden where high nitrates might cut my tomato production. So far the only problem I have had from very heavy doses seems to be that the compost will crust over and dry out a little faster if it is too thick....See MoreMore photos from my yard
Comments (7)Carol!!! So much to look at...you must spend all your time working and it's worth it. The begonia looks great - mine get a little wilted also, and I just cut them back. I'm postiing a pic of the cuttings I just stuck in the ground last year. They are without a doubt, my favorite plant. Aside from broms and yours look great. All for now, Hester...See Morebest ways to attract birds to my yard?
Comments (9)Aside from feeders and water, mixed plantings will attract a wide variety of birds. My lot has numerous canopy trees, understory vegetation and shrubs, some open areas, and some dense evergreens and thickets of things like Crabapples for cover and berries. And several gardens with a mix of many native perennials and grasses, and annuals that make seeds and harbor insects for the birds. As previous posters stated, attracting insects is important because 90% of terrestrial birds raise their young almost exclusively on insects, such as the larvae of moths and butterflies. The best way to nurture a healthy population of insects is to plant woody plants that are native to your region. Although most people don't think it looks tidy, and are usually compulsive about cleaning up dead wood, it's very attractive to all cavity nesters to leave a dead tree or two standing and even dead branches, if they are safely located and won't drop on the house or deck or anything. Birds also love to perch on dead lower branches in trees. My back yard is much more naturalized than the front and I've left about 10 or so dead pine tree snags standing back there, some of which are old enough to have multiple woodpecker holes. This year there are White-breasted Nuthatches and Eastern Bluebirds nesting in the dead snags that I've noticed so far! :)...See MoreHow can I attract blue birds to my yard in the winter?
Comments (12)kendra2 i was surprised to see that you are in MA and in zone 5 and have year round BB's. I am in SW Vermont in zone 4 (or 4B depending on where you look) and have been seeing BB's later and later each year and wondering what is going on as i thought they went south for winter. It is hard to tell from the posts what is happening because not everyone identifies where they are located and what zone they are in but it appears they will overwinter wherever they can. It seems unimaginable that BB's would overwinter in my region because it can go to -20 here at night and be in single digits for days at a time. Typically there is a stretch of 2 or more weeks in winter that don't exceed the teens. These temps are mitigated only slightly till one travels at least 75 air miles to Albany and the lower Hudson valley. Nevertheless, I have seen BB's later and later in the year on nice days until I eventually stopped seeing them in late November. This year I saw groups of BB's around the nest boxes on nice days several times in November and December. On Christmas eve I saw a pair perched near the house going into the snow to pick up something. This weekend is supposed to be in the high 40's and i kind of expect to see them again. So my question is: are they overwintering here or making "day trips" to their nesting grounds and why on earth would they be doing that in such a difficult environment when they could be in Carolina eating fresh fruit and bugs? Lou...See MoreJane
7 years agolimeandlemon5
7 years agoMichael Kobi
7 years agolimeandlemon5
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoMichael Kobi
7 years agolimeandlemon5
7 years agoPat Z5or6 SEMich
7 years agoc_jester
7 years agofarmboy1
7 years agoWhitelacey
7 years agoLars
7 years ago
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gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago