Drying Birdhouse Gourds Quickly
Allowing gourds to dry naturally, while time consuming, is recommended over other methods by the American Gourd Society. Quicker drying methods do exist, yet not without pitfalls. The drying environment as well as the age of the gourd will influence the final results. For example, if you pick your gourds too early, there is a chance they may rot, so you will increase your chances of satisfactory results if you only pick mature gourds. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cookie or cake cooling racks
- Fireplace or heater
- Ice pick
- Wire or heavy string clothesline
Instructions
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Heater Method
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1
Place cookie or cake-cooling racks near a heater or fireplace. You will need one rack for one or two gourds depending on their sizes.
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2
Place the gourds on the racks. This will speed up the drying process. The cooling racks will allow greater air circulation and the heat will help the water in the gourds evaporate.
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3
Pick up the gourds and lightly shake them. If they feel very light in weight and you hear the seeds rattle inside, the gourds are dry. The size and water content of each gourd will determine how fast it will dry.
Outdoor Method
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4
Poke several small holes in the bottom of each gourd with an ice pick to allow them to drain. Do this outside to prevent a mess.
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5
Hang the gourds, by their stems, from a wire or heavy string clothesline to drain. Wrap the stems around the clothesline. Once the water stops dripping out of the gourds, they will begin to dry out inside.
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6
Shake the gourds to see if you hear the seeds rattle. If you do, then the gourds are dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Leave the gourds on the vine until the stems turn brown or at the first frost. If you pick a gourd before one of those two times, make sure it is firm to the touch.
Pick gourds that are at least 9 to 10 inches in diameter when planning to use them for a birdhouse.
When drying gourds, weather conditions are not an issue. Don't worry if it rains or freezes. Yet, make sure that the gourds have good air circulation around them at all times.
Gourds will give off an odor as they dry that you may find unpleasant.
References
- Photo Credit dry bottle gourd image by ann triling from Fotolia.com
