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addie18_gw

Low-crow fruit ideas?

Addie18
11 years ago

Greetings:

Can anyone offer me some ideas of food I can grow on small trees or vines that will not be susceptible to crows and other birds in the neighborhood?

So far, I have on my list of ideas:

-Avocado

-Citrus

-Possibly "medlar" or other fruits that are picked before they ripen (?) This is just a guess about medlar, please let me know if you have firsthand experience with whether or not birds bother it. I figure avocado is probably mostly not bothered because it is picked before fully ripe and so I am trying to think of others. I know Cherimoya is also best picked green and brought indoors to ripen, but I don't know of any non-huge varieties of this tree (?) All ideas and brainstorms appreciated.

We have a ton of crows in this neighborhood. I find fruit stones in my yard all the time from other people's fruit that is stolen by birds. I already have in mind caging 4 particular fruit trees, but I don't want my whole yard to be caged. Thanks for your ideas !!

Comments (5)

  • gator_rider2
    11 years ago

    Hang plastic owl large one up in tree let move by cord in wind crow leave area if Owl up high bests.

    Some Owls have swivel head that come off don't use this type use solid plastic Owl.

    Cord like string line comes in many colors I like use green.

    Tie weight on cord like large nut from bolt throw nut over limb the weight Nut allow cord bring nut back to ground tie on owl hook on top head pull cord so owl rase within about 4 feet limb this give easy movement tie off cord to tree.
    Neighborhood be free crows for long time.

  • bamboo_rabbit
    11 years ago

    You can try figs that ripen green like Ischia. The birds are not as attracted to them.

    The scarecrow motion and heat activated sprinkler is sensitive enough that a jay size bird sets it off, a crow would for sure. It will help to protect the trees.

    I just use a .22 and the problem resolves itself in a puff of feathers.

  • Addie18
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, these are interesting ideas.

    I googled Ischia figs after hearing your idea and I see a lot of nurseries that say they do not attract birds. Some are a little more precatory than others like saying they are 'reported' not to attract birds are 'sometimes known' not to attract birds. Do you grow the Ischia yourself? I am curious to know if it really fools birds, especially crows who are known for being so smart.

    Another Ischia fig question: How can you tell if they are ripe? I love white figs but I cannot separate the ripe from the bland.

    I am also still hoping to hear from someone who might know from firsthand experience whether fruits that ripen off the tree like medlar, cherimoya, (possibly others?) are free from birds. I was reading a little more since my last post about cherimoya and apparently they can be grown small in containers. So, if my theory is correct that birds will not bother them until ripe perhaps I could make something work there by picking green and bringing in. I would love to hear if anyone has firsthand experience of this.

    Perhaps there are others fruit types as well that grow this way, but I can't think of any. With the Cherimoya at my other house, the stem would rot while the fruit was still hard and so the fruit would fall to the ground and ripen there (or inside). This seemed like a good evolutionary strategy with respect to seed spreading by animals advanced enough to carry away the fruit and eat later in distant places. So it seems like there would be other fruits that use this strategy, but having trouble thinking of any.

  • bamboo_rabbit
    11 years ago

    Addie,

    I do grow the Ischia as well as other figs but I am not going to be of much help as the crows (or any bird for that matter) don't bother any of my figs. I have heard the mockingbirds can be bad and while we have them we don't have them around my neighborhood. Far as when they are ripe I have never found it hard to tell, they just look different from the unripe and separate from the plant with little force.

    I have a lot of blueberry plants (140+) and sometimes the crows decide they want some......at that point the .22 comes out and they go away. Once you allow them to feed on the fruit they come back and bring friends.

  • peachymomo
    11 years ago

    If you're open to growing some vine fruits fuzzy Kiwis are reported to be ignored by birds, because the fruit hangs under the leaves and has fuzzy brown skin. I can't attest to this from personal experience because my kiwi vines are still to young to bear.