As a gardener, you know how rewarding it is to grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs But sometimes nature has other plans for your garden One common nuisance that gardeners face is bird poop landing on edible plants. While a little fertilizer from the sky can help your plants grow, too much bird droppings on vegetables isn’t good. So what’s a gardener to do?
How Bird Poop Impacts Garden Vegetables
Plants need nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which can be found in bird poop. Fresh droppings, on the other hand, are very acidic and sharp, almost like a fertilizer burn. Coming into direct contact with soft plant stems and leaves can hurt or kill them.
The main risk with bird poop is that it can transfer diseases and bacteria like E.coli Salmonella and Listeria to your edible plants. This is especially problematic for leafy greens like lettuce and herbs. Fruits and vegetables that have been pooped on shouldn’t be eaten unless you can wait 120 days before harvesting.
Common Culprits for Bird Poop in Gardens
The birds most likely to frequent your garden and leave droppings include:
- Robins
- Sparrows
- Pigeons
- Geese
- Ducks
- Chickens (if free-range)
Birds are naturally attracted to gardens because of food and water sources. They love feasting on berries, seeds, and insects. Birdbaths and rain barrels offer convenient drinking spots.
Tips to Minimize Bird Droppings
Bird poop will always be in your garden, but you can do these things to cut it down:
- Use scare tape, decoys (moved frequently), or sounds to scare birds away.
- Avoid feeding birds or having bird feeders/baths near the garden.
- Use reflective items like old CDs or aluminum pie pans that spin in the breeze.
- Cover fruiting vegetables like tomatoes with netting to create a barrier.
- Apply bird repellent sprays made with mint, garlic, or chili pepper oils. Reapply after rain.
- Train dogs or outdoor cats to patrol and scare birds away.
What to Do if Vegetables Get Pooped On
It’s heartbreaking to see your prized tomatoes or lettuce covered in bird droppings. But don’t despair:
- Harvest and discard any affected fruits, leaves, or stems. Don’t try to wash off poop.
- Monitor plants for signs of damage like wilting leaves over the next few days.
- Thoroughly wash hands after handling contaminated produce.
- Wait 2 weeks before replanting in contaminated soil to allow microbes to die off.
- Apply more bird deterrents to prevent repeat targeting.
Using Bird Poop Fertilizer Safely
While fresh bird droppings can damage plants, composted bird poop makes an excellent organic fertilizer for the garden. Here are some tips for using it safely:
- Allow bird poop to compost fully for 6 months before applying to kill bacteria.
- Mix one part manure with 3-4 parts leaves, straw, or sawdust to balance nutrients.
- Wear gloves and a mask when handling to avoid illness.
- Till composted bird poop into soil before planting. Don’t top dress plants.
- Rinse produce well and cook fully when using manure compost as fertilizer.
By taking these steps, you can get the most out of bird poop fertilizer while keeping your plants and yourself safe. Bird droppings don’t have to ruin your gardening fun if you keep at it. Keep an eye out and use built-in deterrents to keep your fruits and vegetables poop-free!
How are Bird Droppings Beneficial to Plants?
In short, bird droppings make great fertilizer. Many gardeners depend on bird droppings for plants in the form of rotted chicken manure, which increases the nutrient level and water-holding capacity of soil.
However, putting a lot of bird poop on the ground won’t make it grow anything. In fact, large amounts of bird droppings in the garden may carry harmful pathogens. Also, fresh bird droppings are “hot,” and can burn tender stems and roots.
Composting bird droppings before adding them to the soil is the easiest and safest way to use bird poop for good.
Dealing With Birds in my HOA Vegetable Garden
FAQ
Is bird poop bad for vegetable garden?
Now, What to Do with the Droppings? Believe it or not, bird poop is a great additive to any fertilizer or compost.
Is bird poop good fertilizer for tomatoes?
Overall, we showed that pigeon guano is an efficient local fertilizer for cherry tomato plants in urban areas.
Does bird poop help plants grow?
Yes. Bird poop often carries seeds, which disperses a trees seed and enables it to have widespread growth of new trees.
Is bird poop good for plants?
Bird poop is good for plants because it contains beneficial nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. But you should add it to the compost pile or allow it to mature before adding it to the soil. The manure is especially good for leafy vegetables. In this article, we will discuss how beneficial bird poop is to plants and how to use it.
Should you compost bird poop?
Important: To prevent any potential harm to plants from raw droppings, it’s essential to compost bird poop before using it. The composted bird droppings enrich the soil with nutrients, and this translates to healthier vegetables and more vibrant flowers.
Does bird poop damage vegetation?
There are steps to ensure that the bird poop does not damage your vegetation. Bird droppings can be very acidic, so you need to let them cool down before adding them to your soil. If added too early, this fertilizer can burn your plant stems and roots, creating damage rather than helping your vegetation.
Does bird poop really work?
A lot of gardeners use rotted chicken manure, which is made from bird droppings, to feed their plants. It makes the soil more fertile and better at holding water. However, putting a lot of bird poop on the ground won’t make it grow anything. In fact, large amounts of bird droppings in the garden may carry harmful pathogens.
Is Bird Poop a good fertilizer?
Believe it or not, bird poop is a great additive to any fertilizer or compost. The phosphorus in the droppings and other nutrients makes it highly beneficial to your garden, especially for green vegetables. Make sure it is covered with compost to avoid the risk of airborne contamination.
Why is bird poop important?
Bird droppings can significantly enhance plant growth by providing essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Bird poop is a treasure trove of nutrients crucial for plant health.