How to Protect Blueberry Bushes From Birds

Birds want to harvest delicious blueberries as much as you do.

Seeing small green berries forming on your blueberry bushes can be an exciting time for your garden. But it's also an exciting time for birds that enjoy eating the ripening berries before you get a chance to pick them. To protect blueberry bushes from birds, all you need to do is provide some type of protective covering over the bushes for the three to four weeks it takes for the berries to mature and become harvestable.

Things You'll Need

• Bird netting with ¾-inch mesh
• Garden stakes (6 feet long)
• Rubber mallet
• String cut into footlong lengths
• Gallon of water
• Four packets grape Kool-Aid
• Spoon
• Spray bottle

Instructions

Netting

1. Drape a large piece of bird netting over your blueberry bush if you only have one or two plants. You'll need a piece big enough to cover the entire top of the bush and extend down to the bottom. For large varieties of blueberries, this can mean a piece of netting up to 15 feet square for one 6-foot-tall blueberry bush.

2. Cover rows or large groupings of blueberry bushes by driving garden stakes 6 inches into the ground every 6 feet on each side of the row.

3. Spread the bird netting over the stakes to cover your row of blueberries all the way to the ground. Tie lengths of string around the stakes to loop through the mesh and be secured. Three to four pieces of string are usually enough for each stake when spaced evenly.

4. Remove the bird netting and garden stakes when the majority of berries are ready for harvest. Collect as many ripe berries as possible. If berries are still maturing, you may need to put back your netting for one more week as they turn color.

Spray

1. Mix 1 gallon of water with 4 packets of grape Kool-Aid. Stir the mix well to dissolve as much of the solution as possible so it doesn't sit on the bottom. Pour the mix into a spray bottle.

2. Spray the Kool-Aid mixture over your blueberry bushes leaves and developing berries when you notice the berries starting to change color. According to the University of Massachusetts, birds dislike the flavor of methyl anthranilate in the grape flavoring and will stop eating from your bushes.

3. Reapply the spray as needed to keep the birds away, especially after a rain, over the few weeks it takes for the berries to ripen. Rinse any ripe and harvested berries well before eating.

Tips & Warnings

• If you notice the Kool-Aid spray is not working, or there are simply too many birds in your area to repel, it may be time to put up netting.

References

• "Ortho Home Gardener's Problem Solver"; Denny Schrock; 2004
• University of Massachusetts: Protecting Blueberries and Other Fruits from Birds