How to Care for a Birdbath

Birdbaths add lovely, functional decorative elements to the garden. With proper care, they can last ten, twenty or more years. Neglected, however, and they crack, break, and can even harm the birds they're intended to help. Proper care and maintenance of the birdbath ensures that birds remain healthy and the bird bath looks like new for a long time to come.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Birdbath
• Water
• Scrub brush
• Lavender stalks
• Blanket or towel

1. Routine maintenance is essential to keeping a birdbath looking like new. Empty water daily or at minimum, weekly. Using the scrub brush and a flow of water from the garden hose, scrub out algae and residue left behind by bathers.

2. To keep birdbath water clean and prevent algae buildup, simply place several stalks of fresh lavender in the water. Lavender is a natural antibacterial herb. It does not harm birds and keeps unwanted bacteria from building up in the water.

3. When the first frost comes to you area, it is time to empty and store the birdbath. This is essential for concrete bird baths. The freezing and thawing of the water can cause cracks and damage.

4. Empty the water from the birdbath. Scrub it clean. Next, decide if the birdbath needs routine maintenance such as painting or sealing cracks. Fix any problems. Allow to dry thoroughly and wrap in a towel or blanket. Store in garage, basement or shed until next spring.

Tips & Warnings

• You can leave the pedestal in place in the garden. Just make sure the birdbath basin is empty and stored.
• Dirty water can be a breeding ground for bacteria and insects, so always be sure to keep your birdbath clean.

[taskeinc]

on 11/13/2008 Stalks of lavender in the water .. good idea to keep the water clean