They don't eat them. They ruin them. They taste them. They peck them.
They mutilate them... but they don't eat them.

If they ate the berries they would get full and have to stop.

As I now take all the the pecked berries and lay them next to the
birdbath -- where they are ignored -- I would like to know if there
are any other good ideas on how to discourage them?

This seems to mostly be robins eating the blackberries. I think some
people use netting but it seems that that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.

that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.


Not long ago, some folks hung their unsolicited CD's to rattle and flash in the
wind. works yill the birds adapt.

Commercial growers (no Close neighbors) use carbide cannons set to fire
intermittantly.

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 18:32:45 UTC, (FarmerDill) opined:
that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.


Not long ago, some folks hung their unsolicited CD's to rattle and flash in the
wind. works yill the birds adapt.

Commercial growers (no Close neighbors) use carbide cannons set to fire
intermittantly.

As you seem to have only a small number of berry trees, you might try
setting up a repeating recording of crows in an inexpensive MP3 player, and
hang the player inside or near the foliage of the tree(s), If you have
summer rain where you are, you could put the player in a plastic sandwich
bag to keep it dry.

--
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel

Saddam is gone. Ceterum, censeo Arafat esse delendam.

To send me email, please replace the CAPITAL_LETTERS with "sig". Please do
not send me HTML-formatted messages.Please do not send me attachments
without telling me beforehand.

In article ,
(Dave) wrote:

They don't eat them. They ruin them. They taste them. They peck them.
They mutilate them... but they don't eat them.

If they ate the berries they would get full and have to stop.

As I now take all the the pecked berries and lay them next to the
birdbath -- where they are ignored -- I would like to know if there
are any other good ideas on how to discourage them?

This seems to mostly be robins eating the blackberries. I think some
people use netting but it seems that that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.

Owl decoys work for some people, but your best bet is just to cover the
vines with some bird netting. It's inexpensive. :-)

Good luck and you have my sympathies!!!

K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

writes:
They don't eat them. They ruin them. They taste them. They peck them.
They mutilate them... but they don't eat them.

If they ate the berries they would get full and have to stop.

As I now take all the the pecked berries and lay them next to the
birdbath -- where they are ignored -- I would like to know if there
are any other good ideas on how to discourage them?

This seems to mostly be robins eating the blackberries. I think some
people use netting but it seems that that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.

I've heard of folks using very real-looking plastic owls with good
success, so good their bird feeders weren't being visited.

Are you in town? If not, perhaps you could use something similar to the
gun-popper used for starlings in orchards, annoying but effective.

Question: Do the birds have a good water supply? If not, put out water
for them, preferably in a semi-protected location (bushes, trees, etc.,
nearby). It may be they are just thirsty which would explain the pecks
and not eating them. Perhaps your bird bath is too exposed for them for
some reason . . .have they been using it? If they've been using the bird
bath, then that's not their problem. It's too bad that there are not cats
in your area that love to frequent the blackberry area, hungry and
aggressive cats.

I can totally sympathize. With our unusually cold weather, my apricot
tree had a bumper crop, even with a fourth of the tree lost with the
weight of the ice. Note I said "had." Squirrels, though I'm convinced it
is a single squirrel, are systematically destroying the apricots. He
doesn't eat them, just takes out a bite and tosses them to the ground. In
fact, he will break off a small branch and drop it, hit my granddaughters
on the head one day when they were eating lunch at their picnic table!
The other squirrels go into the live animal trap and get a new home, with
water, food and shelter, but this ---- one never comes to the ground. He
will actually start scolding me when I go outside which is one reason I'm
sure it's only the one. You'd think he would have figured out after the
first few dozen that these are *not* walnuts! It was bad enough with the
green apricots, but now, with them starting to ripen (top of the tree
first, of course), there is going to be a real hornet/wasp problem.
Already, there are hundreds of ants congregating under the tree. I'm
about to expand the chicken pen to under the tree for the next month or
so. This entire thing is so disgusting since I'd have been able to give
literally boxes of apricots away. It's not likely we'll get any at all at
this rate. It's to the point we are talking past hundreds of 'cots on the
ground. Grrrrrr.

If I lived outside the city limits, one well-placed bullet would solve the
problem, or more likely some bird shot and a hammer for when it fell. It
doesn't sneak around at all, but actually seems to enjoy annoying us. The
only thing that scoots it for a short time is a good strong shot from the
garden hose, but he's soon back.

Glenna
who sure considered the bird shot
over 4th of July weekend!

In article fc.003d094101cd67dc3b9aca00751d5aac.1cd683a@pmug. org,
(Glenna Rose) wrote:

writes:
They don't eat them. They ruin them. They taste them. They peck them.
They mutilate them... but they don't eat them.

If they ate the berries they would get full and have to stop.

As I now take all the the pecked berries and lay them next to the
birdbath -- where they are ignored -- I would like to know if there
are any other good ideas on how to discourage them?

This seems to mostly be robins eating the blackberries. I think some
people use netting but it seems that that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.

I've heard of folks using very real-looking plastic owls with good
success, so good their bird feeders weren't being visited.

Are you in town? If not, perhaps you could use something similar to the
gun-popper used for starlings in orchards, annoying but effective.

Question: Do the birds have a good water supply? If not, put out water
for them, preferably in a semi-protected location (bushes, trees, etc.,
nearby). It may be they are just thirsty which would explain the pecks
and not eating them. Perhaps your bird bath is too exposed for them for
some reason . . .have they been using it? If they've been using the bird
bath, then that's not their problem. It's too bad that there are not cats
in your area that love to frequent the blackberry area, hungry and
aggressive cats.

I can totally sympathize. With our unusually cold weather, my apricot
tree had a bumper crop, even with a fourth of the tree lost with the
weight of the ice. Note I said "had." Squirrels, though I'm convinced it
is a single squirrel, are systematically destroying the apricots. He
doesn't eat them, just takes out a bite and tosses them to the ground. In
fact, he will break off a small branch and drop it, hit my granddaughters
on the head one day when they were eating lunch at their picnic table!
The other squirrels go into the live animal trap and get a new home, with
water, food and shelter, but this ---- one never comes to the ground. He
will actually start scolding me when I go outside which is one reason I'm
sure it's only the one. You'd think he would have figured out after the
first few dozen that these are *not* walnuts! It was bad enough with the
green apricots, but now, with them starting to ripen (top of the tree
first, of course), there is going to be a real hornet/wasp problem.
Already, there are hundreds of ants congregating under the tree. I'm
about to expand the chicken pen to under the tree for the next month or
so. This entire thing is so disgusting since I'd have been able to give
literally boxes of apricots away. It's not likely we'll get any at all at
this rate. It's to the point we are talking past hundreds of 'cots on the
ground. Grrrrrr.

If I lived outside the city limits, one well-placed bullet would solve the
problem, or more likely some bird shot and a hammer for when it fell. It
doesn't sneak around at all, but actually seems to enjoy annoying us. The
only thing that scoots it for a short time is a good strong shot from the
garden hose, but he's soon back.

Glenna
who sure considered the bird shot
over 4th of July weekend!


A plain old crossman air rifle with either BB's or pellets are quiet
enough to use in town. I'm not supposed to fire firearms within the city
limits either, but a BB gun works wonders and _will_ bring down a
squirrel if you are a good shot. Pump the rifle 10 to 15 pumps.

Oh, and squirrel is delicious. ;-d. Wet them prior to skinning to
prevent hair getting all over the meat. It's a nice little trick. Then
after cleaning, I quarter them and braise them slowly in a little olive
oil with lemon pepper......

No, I don't shoot many squirrels, just ones that are being pests!!!

Air rifles are about $60.00 at Wal-mart.

HTH?
K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

Glenna Rose wrote:
.......................................
I can totally sympathize. With our unusually cold weather, my apricot
tree had a bumper crop, even with a fourth of the tree lost with the
weight of the ice. Note I said "had." Squirrels, though I'm convinced it
is a single squirrel, are systematically destroying the apricots. He
doesn't eat them, just takes out a bite and tosses them to the ground...........


What a pain. I think I would have found a way to get rid of that guy
by now.
This reminds me of my mother's complaint about her cherry tree. She
has a North Star cherry and has to surround it completely with a
net. Even then, chipmunks climb up the tree and pick the cherries.
They don't want the fruit, they are after the seed. My mother finds
hundreds of perfectly pitted cherries beneath the tree. (She can't
bring herself to use them.) ;-)

Steve

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 18:32:45 UTC, (FarmerDill) opined:
that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.


Not long ago, some folks hung their unsolicited CD's to rattle and flash in the
wind. works yill the birds adapt.

Commercial growers (no Close neighbors) use carbide cannons set to fire
intermittantly.

As you seem to have only a small number of berry trees, you might try
setting up a repeating recording of crows in an inexpensive MP3 player, and
hang the player inside or near the foliage of the tree(s), If you have
summer rain where you are, you could put the player in a plastic sandwich
bag to keep it dry.

--
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel

Saddam is gone. Ceterum, censeo Arafat esse delendam.

To send me email, please replace the CAPITAL_LETTERS with "sig". Please do
not send me HTML-formatted messages.Please do not send me attachments
without telling me beforehand.

that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.


Not long ago, some folks hung their unsolicited CD's to rattle and flash in the
wind. works yill the birds adapt.

Commercial growers (no Close neighbors) use carbide cannons set to fire
intermittantly.

Glenna Rose wrote:
.......................................
I can totally sympathize. With our unusually cold weather, my apricot
tree had a bumper crop, even with a fourth of the tree lost with the
weight of the ice. Note I said "had." Squirrels, though I'm convinced it
is a single squirrel, are systematically destroying the apricots. He
doesn't eat them, just takes out a bite and tosses them to the ground...........


What a pain. I think I would have found a way to get rid of that guy
by now.
This reminds me of my mother's complaint about her cherry tree. She
has a North Star cherry and has to surround it completely with a
net. Even then, chipmunks climb up the tree and pick the cherries.
They don't want the fruit, they are after the seed. My mother finds
hundreds of perfectly pitted cherries beneath the tree. (She can't
bring herself to use them.) ;-)

Steve

In article fc.003d094101cd67dc3b9aca00751d5aac.1cd683a@pmug. org,
(Glenna Rose) wrote:

writes:
They don't eat them. They ruin them. They taste them. They peck them.
They mutilate them... but they don't eat them.

If they ate the berries they would get full and have to stop.

As I now take all the the pecked berries and lay them next to the
birdbath -- where they are ignored -- I would like to know if there
are any other good ideas on how to discourage them?

This seems to mostly be robins eating the blackberries. I think some
people use netting but it seems that that would be a mess to handle.
How about something that would vigorously wave a flag and chime every
few minutes? I may have to build something.

I've heard of folks using very real-looking plastic owls with good
success, so good their bird feeders weren't being visited.

Are you in town? If not, perhaps you could use something similar to the
gun-popper used for starlings in orchards, annoying but effective.

Question: Do the birds have a good water supply? If not, put out water
for them, preferably in a semi-protected location (bushes, trees, etc.,
nearby). It may be they are just thirsty which would explain the pecks
and not eating them. Perhaps your bird bath is too exposed for them for
some reason . . .have they been using it? If they've been using the bird
bath, then that's not their problem. It's too bad that there are not cats
in your area that love to frequent the blackberry area, hungry and
aggressive cats.

I can totally sympathize. With our unusually cold weather, my apricot
tree had a bumper crop, even with a fourth of the tree lost with the
weight of the ice. Note I said "had." Squirrels, though I'm convinced it
is a single squirrel, are systematically destroying the apricots. He
doesn't eat them, just takes out a bite and tosses them to the ground. In
fact, he will break off a small branch and drop it, hit my granddaughters
on the head one day when they were eating lunch at their picnic table!
The other squirrels go into the live animal trap and get a new home, with
water, food and shelter, but this ---- one never comes to the ground. He
will actually start scolding me when I go outside which is one reason I'm
sure it's only the one. You'd think he would have figured out after the
first few dozen that these are *not* walnuts! It was bad enough with the
green apricots, but now, with them starting to ripen (top of the tree
first, of course), there is going to be a real hornet/wasp problem.
Already, there are hundreds of ants congregating under the tree. I'm
about to expand the chicken pen to under the tree for the next month or
so. This entire thing is so disgusting since I'd have been able to give
literally boxes of apricots away. It's not likely we'll get any at all at
this rate. It's to the point we are talking past hundreds of 'cots on the
ground. Grrrrrr.

If I lived outside the city limits, one well-placed bullet would solve the
problem, or more likely some bird shot and a hammer for when it fell. It
doesn't sneak around at all, but actually seems to enjoy annoying us. The
only thing that scoots it for a short time is a good strong shot from the
garden hose, but he's soon back.

Glenna
who sure considered the bird shot
over 4th of July weekend!


A plain old crossman air rifle with either BB's or pellets are quiet
enough to use in town. I'm not supposed to fire firearms within the city
limits either, but a BB gun works wonders and _will_ bring down a
squirrel if you are a good shot. Pump the rifle 10 to 15 pumps.

Oh, and squirrel is delicious. ;-d. Wet them prior to skinning to
prevent hair getting all over the meat. It's a nice little trick. Then
after cleaning, I quarter them and braise them slowly in a little olive
oil with lemon pepper......

No, I don't shoot many squirrels, just ones that are being pests!!!

Air rifles are about $60.00 at Wal-mart.

HTH?
K.

--
Sprout the Mung Bean to reply...

,,Cat's Haven Hobby Farm,,Katraatcenturyteldotnet,,

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...user id=katra

writes:

Part of the reason why I have to deal with blackberries to the extent
that I
do is because our next door neighbor's little girl died about nine years
ago. After she passed on, they quit doing any yard work, and blackberries
completely engulfed their back yard.

Tragically, when a parent loses a child, there is a horribly long
adjustment time. I know from experience. The yard work was not even on
their minds while dealing with the incredible and unbearable pain that
only those who have been there can even begin to understand. I hope you
were kind to them and understanding that they could not function normally
in a world that was shattered beyond repair for them.

They sold the house about five years
ago, and the new neighbors did their best to completely hack out the
blackberries and start over again. Despite the fact that there are no
visible vines, the roots are still there, throwing out shoots in their
yard
and ours, on top of any seeds passing birds might happen to drop our way.

My eldest son attended Reed College during the time they were trying to
eradicate the Himalayan Blackberries that had overrun the canyon there.
The HB are *not* native to this country and, like Starlings, are an import
by a well-meaning but ignorant person.

It took them several years to get rid of the berries but finally achieved
their goal. The secret? Diligence in following this method.

Cut every vine back as far as you can cut it (below soil level if
possible). Every two weeks, check for any new growth and cut it back.
The reason this works is that the blackberry plant pulls energy into the
roots from the greenery. As it starts new shoots, it must use some of
that stored energy to continue to grow. Each time the young sprout is cut
back (which is why it must happen with the new growth before it has time
to store much energy), the root system has a negative balance on energy
stored which eventually destroys the plant's root system which leaves that
plant dead.

I know this works because I have done it. When I purchased my home, it,
also, was the victim of extensive blackberry growth. The largest patch
(at least 12 feet high and 500 ft. square) was on the RV pad which we
cleaned out with the backhoe and had the soil/roots/branches hauled off in
a dump truck. Then we lay down construction fabric and a new supply of
gravel. With no light for what was left, there was no way they could
store energy. There have been, of course, many "babies" around the edges.
Those have been the victims with the cut-at-the-soil method as well as the
many that grew along the alleyway beside my fruit trees.

The method works if you are diligent and, unlike sprays designed to kill
them, causes no harm to any surrounding vegetation or to the soil or air.
You do, of course, need to repeat the method on all new growth whether it
be from a sprout from a root or from a seed dropped by birds.

On a local gardening program, the person there suggested cutting them back
to a 2-inch length and then "painting on" the spray and wrapping it in
plastic to ensure better absorption of the spray into the root system.
This would work much better (and is less invasive) than spraying the
leaves.

There you have two methods, organic and non-organic, that both work.
While both involve much work, they will do the job. Diligence is the key
to this imported, and unwelcome, aggressor.

When you can dig them out, that is the best way, and works well with all
the little starts which will happen every place the vine touches damp
soil/leaves. Its reproductive system is one of the best on the planet.
Even the smallest root will develop into a plant and, left untended,
become a thicket.

Those who have dealt with this particular blackberry will tell you there
is not a more aggressive berry. In too many areas, it has wiped out the
population of native blackberries which are smaller but more flavorful and
not nearly so aggressive.

Be certain to dispose of the vines via garbage can, *not* compost pile.
They incredibly adept at starting from pieces that don't seem possible,
even those seemingly too dry.

As with many things, understanding the characteristics of the plant helps
with knowing how to control/improve/destroy it.

Good luck with the blackberry free yard. Though it takes a lot of effort
and follow-up, it's worth it.

Glenna

writes:

Part of the reason why I have to deal with blackberries to the extent
that I
do is because our next door neighbor's little girl died about nine years
ago. After she passed on, they quit doing any yard work, and blackberries
completely engulfed their back yard.

Tragically, when a parent loses a child, there is a horribly long
adjustment time. I know from experience. The yard work was not even on
their minds while dealing with the incredible and unbearable pain that
only those who have been there can even begin to understand. I hope you
were kind to them and understanding that they could not function normally
in a world that was shattered beyond repair for them.

They sold the house about five years
ago, and the new neighbors did their best to completely hack out the
blackberries and start over again. Despite the fact that there are no
visible vines, the roots are still there, throwing out shoots in their
yard
and ours, on top of any seeds passing birds might happen to drop our way.

My eldest son attended Reed College during the time they were trying to
eradicate the Himalayan Blackberries that had overrun the canyon there.
The HB are *not* native to this country and, like Starlings, are an import
by a well-meaning but ignorant person.

It took them several years to get rid of the berries but finally achieved
their goal. The secret? Diligence in following this method.

Cut every vine back as far as you can cut it (below soil level if
possible). Every two weeks, check for any new growth and cut it back.
The reason this works is that the blackberry plant pulls energy into the
roots from the greenery. As it starts new shoots, it must use some of
that stored energy to continue to grow. Each time the young sprout is cut
back (which is why it must happen with the new growth before it has time
to store much energy), the root system has a negative balance on energy
stored which eventually destroys the plant's root system which leaves that
plant dead.

I know this works because I have done it. When I purchased my home, it,
also, was the victim of extensive blackberry growth. The largest patch
(at least 12 feet high and 500 ft. square) was on the RV pad which we
cleaned out with the backhoe and had the soil/roots/branches hauled off in
a dump truck. Then we lay down construction fabric and a new supply of
gravel. With no light for what was left, there was no way they could
store energy. There have been, of course, many "babies" around the edges.
Those have been the victims with the cut-at-the-soil method as well as the
many that grew along the alleyway beside my fruit trees.

The method works if you are diligent and, unlike sprays designed to kill
them, causes no harm to any surrounding vegetation or to the soil or air.
You do, of course, need to repeat the method on all new growth whether it
be from a sprout from a root or from a seed dropped by birds.

On a local gardening program, the person there suggested cutting them back
to a 2-inch length and then "painting on" the spray and wrapping it in
plastic to ensure better absorption of the spray into the root system.
This would work much better (and is less invasive) than spraying the
leaves.

There you have two methods, organic and non-organic, that both work.
While both involve much work, they will do the job. Diligence is the key
to this imported, and unwelcome, aggressor.

When you can dig them out, that is the best way, and works well with all
the little starts which will happen every place the vine touches damp
soil/leaves. Its reproductive system is one of the best on the planet.
Even the smallest root will develop into a plant and, left untended,
become a thicket.

Those who have dealt with this particular blackberry will tell you there
is not a more aggressive berry. In too many areas, it has wiped out the
population of native blackberries which are smaller but more flavorful and
not nearly so aggressive.

Be certain to dispose of the vines via garbage can, *not* compost pile.
They incredibly adept at starting from pieces that don't seem possible,
even those seemingly too dry.

As with many things, understanding the characteristics of the plant helps
with knowing how to control/improve/destroy it.

Good luck with the blackberry free yard. Though it takes a lot of effort
and follow-up, it's worth it.

Glenna

"Glenna Rose" wrote in message
news:fc.003d094101d3566b3b9aca00751d5aac.1d35732@p mug.org...
writes:

Part of the reason why I have to deal with blackberries to the extent
that I
do is because our next door neighbor's little girl died about nine years
ago. After she passed on, they quit doing any yard work, and blackberries
completely engulfed their back yard.

Tragically, when a parent loses a child, there is a horribly long
adjustment time. I know from experience.

Glenna, you have lost a child, and I convey my condolences to you and the
rest of your family.

I hope you
were kind to them and understanding that they could not function normally
in a world that was shattered beyond repair for them.

Without asking, I did things like pruning their shrubs and pulling weeds. I
didn't want to embarrass them. I trimmed back the blackberries on their
property for a couple of years to a limited extent. Eventually the
blackberries got to be too much, and I gave it up and the berries took over.

If there was anyone who really suffered the most from this infestation, it
was the grandmother. She lived upstairs, and could not get down the stairs
on her own to the front door to unlock it if someone were to come calling.
However, there was a stairway up to the second floor from the back yard.
Before the blackberries took over, I could get through their back yard and
up the back steps to help her out, fetch her the mail and bring it in to
her. After the blackberries, she was imprisoned in her own house, with no
way for anyone other than family to come in.

The method works if you are diligent and, unlike sprays designed to kill
them, causes no harm to any surrounding vegetation or to the soil or air.
You do, of course, need to repeat the method on all new growth whether it
be from a sprout from a root or from a seed dropped by birds.

Exactly, which is why I mentioned my need for patroling our yard on a
continuing basis to keep the blackberries at bay. I do not use a commercial
poison.

The people who purchased the home were also a multi-generational family.
Grandma stayed at home and cared for her grandchildren while the parents
worked. Grandpa's occupation was vegetable growing. He turned that vacant
patch into a lovingly-tended garden.

Now, they've moved out, too, and there's a commercial gardening service that
comes by and maintains the property. But grandpa's garden has grassed over,
and no one's growing vegetables there now.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article fc.003d094101d3566b3b9aca00751d5aac.1d35732@pmug. org, (Glenna Rose) wrote:
writes:
Cut every vine back as far as you can cut it (below soil level if
possible). Every two weeks, check for any new growth and cut it back.
The reason this works is that the blackberry plant pulls energy into the
roots from the greenery. As it starts new shoots, it must use some of
that stored energy to continue to grow. Each time the young sprout is cut
back (which is why it must happen with the new growth before it has time
to store much energy), the root system has a negative balance on energy
stored which eventually destroys the plant's root system which leaves that
plant dead.

Cut and pour on some boiling water.


--

Charles
The significant problems we face cannot be solved
at the same level of thinking we were at when we
created them. Albert Einstein