Introduction

Plating (or remaking) a lawn can be a difficult, time-consuming process. As you have many tasks to complete, the last thing you will ever need is finding out that all of your seeds have been eaten by birds before it can grow.

There are countless methods to prevent this problem. However, not all of them are effective and reliable. This article will give you everything you need to know to keep birds from eating grass seeds. But first, you will need to prepare some materials.

Required Materials

In order to effectively execute the plan, you must first know what you will need. You will have to use the following materials:

• Rake
• Shovel
• Aerator
• String
• Scissors
• Plastic owls/rubber snakes
• Pinwheels
• Wind chimes
• Straw, seed starter mats, peat moss or burlap sheets
• Coated grass seeds
• Bird netting with stakes
• Seed covers (or germination blankets)
  
  

Ultimate Guide That Will Help You To Keep Birds From Eating Grass Seed

# Step 1: Sowing The Seeds

You should begin by sowing the grass seeds. Remember to strictly follow the manufacturer’s guidance about sowing seeds. Then, you will need to use the rake to mix the spread seeds with to soil.

The ideal formula here is coating the germs with a quarter of inch of soil; in that way, birds will be unlikely to steal them away. Moreover, covering seeds as such can save you a large amount of time as it can accelerate the sprouting process.

# Step 2: Using Soil, Or Lawn, Topper

If the soil is compacted and firm, it will not have ideal conditions for germination. In this situation, you should consider employing a seed topper (or a lawn topper) in this process. Using these devices, you can easily aerate the soil and plant the seeds into the created spaces within the land.

Through applying soil (or lawn) topper properly, you can maintain moisture and air that are suitable for the plant seeds’ development. This method can also prevent avian species from tracking down your seeds.

# Step 3: Covering Your Soil

With Straw

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This is the most inexpensive and efficient material to be used. Apply a layer of straw on top of your lawn. Bear in mind to only use a thin coat of straw so that seeds can approach air, water and sunlight. One bale of straw should cover approximately 1000 square feet of land.

As the seeds germinate, you can softly remove the straw using rake. If you wish, you can utilize other material – such as peat moss, burlap sheets, or seed starter mats – in lieu of straw.

With Seed Covers (Or Germination Blanket)

Another material that gardeners like you can apply to save your seeds is seed covers.

Simply use the germination blankets to cover your lawn as carpets. By doing so, you will not only protect your lawn from birds but also maintain a proper temperature and moisture to the land, thereby further stimulating the seeds’ growth. The video below will show you how to use germination blankets.

# Step 4: Employing Bird Netting

This easy-to-use material can be found in almost every gardening shops. The purpose of using bird netting is to prevent birds from coming near your garden.

Plant stakes as oppose to one another along the four sides of your lawn so that the intervals between two facing sides must fit the netting. Next, stretch the netting to cover you lawn at 2 to 3 inches above the surface.

This height will be perfect to keep birds from your garden as it is high enough to stop them from eating the seeds, while still able to ensure that they won’t hoping in beneath the grid.

# Step 5: Making Effigies of Predators

One key factor of protecting your lawn from birds is their fear. To make use of this element, you must first know what birds’ predators are. Normally, the three main species that can scare birds are owl, hawk, and snake.

To maximize the effect of this method, you can employ all three of the above predators. Set plastic owl and hawk at the surrounding high locations – such as trees – and place rubber snake randomly across the lawn to scare birds away. Also, you should move the decoys around regularly to better imitate the real predators.

# Step 6: Setting Up Noise Disturbances

The next step you can do to augment the chance of winning against birds is making loud, sudden disturbances. By using noise-creating devices such as wind chimes or wooden ducks with flapping wings, you can effectively disrupt birds’ quest for food in your lawn.

If you prefer a more convenient way, you can play audio files of birds’ anguish songs or other sounds made by predators. Audio documents of these species can be found and downloaded for free at many websites, including that of Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

# Step 7: Creating Visual Distractions

A way that can strengthen your lawn’s defense against birds is using visual elements. Birds are usually frightened away by shiny object. You can take advantage of this weakness of birds to stop them from stealing your seeds.

By putting some metal pinwheels in the lawn, you can push hungry birds away before they can get a sniff of your seeds. You can also use Mylar as an alternative of pinwheels. Simply place several gleaming bands of Mylar on the stakes that you use for stretching the netting earlier, you will be surprised by the result.

Conclusion

As you may know, securing the new grass seeds is a vital part of creating (or remaking) your beautiful lawn. Always be on your guard and try your best to protect it. Through combining the mentioned techniques, you can certainly defend your newly-planted grass seed from the scope of hungry birds.

Also note that your newly-seeded lawn may not end well if you choose to use only scarecrow rather than doing the above steps just to save time. After all, birds are intelligent species and, therefore, will not be easily fooled for a long time with just a fake human-shaped sculpture.

I hope that this article has given you detailed and helpful information on how to keep birds from eating grass seed. Please share any of your opinion in the comment section below.