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Bluebird feeding - planting (Part 2)In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website:
Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2000 22:58:27 -0500 I posted earlier that I collect sumac heads and hang them on the back fence for the Bluebirds in cold weather. This year there is a bumper crop due to the extra rain that we have had in this area and I plan to take in more than I usually do. However I am not sure when is the best time to harvest them so that they are ripe but not so old that a lot of the berries are lost in handling. How can I best determine this? Thanks! Bluebird Bob, Northeast Oklahoma. Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 13:37:33 -0500 (Snip) http://www.bcc.orst.edu/hort226/rhty5.htm For those who are not familiar with the shub "Staghorn Sumac" (Rhustyphina), the above URL will take you to a picture of both the plant and the seed head. Of the 54 species recognized in the US, "Staghorn Sumac" provides both mamals and many wild birds an important emergency source of food in the winter. The plant is easy to identify with short, blunt twigs bearing small, roundish velvety buds. The twigs themselves are also covered in velvety hairs much like the young antlers of a deer, and thereby gets its common name. When cut or broken, the twigs will exude a thick white milky sap that can cause a skin irritation. It is one of the first plants to show fall color, a rich, blazing red. The seeds are produced in a cone-shaped, maroon red mass and these are what can be harvested when ripe, to be offered at your feeders during the winter months. Harvest the fruiting heads of this plant in early fall when the seeds are mature but before the first frost. Hang them loosely from the rafters of your garage using rubber bands to hold them in groups (as the twigs dry the rubber band will continually tighten and hold them securely). Staghorn Sumac is an aggressive common shrub along country lanes, railways, and the edge of old fields. In lowlands and swampy areas you can find Rhus vernix which is the Poison Sumac. This plant will have loosely held white berries. It can cause severe dermatitis much like Poison Ivy and should not be handled. It is interesting that the wood of Sumacs will floresce under ultra-violet light, one of the few woods known to have that property. The Sumacs belong to the genus Anacardiaceae, the same genus as the cashews! Fread J. Loane Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 17:14:29 -0400 I enjoyed reading Fread's mail about sumac. People from the Middle East eat sumac regularly (just the red skins after removing the hard black pit inside each small seed). If you go to a Middle Eastern food supply store, you can order ground sumac by the pound. It is used for example in "fetoush" a typical Lebanese salad. It is also used frequently to replace lemon. It has a tart taste, sour like lemon, but with that special sumac flavor! When I was a child in the mountains of Lebanon, I used to help my mother gather sumac, dry it in the sun, then pound it with a wooden mallet in a large stone urn (similar to those I have seen in Roman ruins dating back over 2000 years...) this separates the red skins from the seeds which are thrown away and the red stuff is saved for flavoring the various foods. That was a long time ago! My mother is now 87. She is currently visiting the U.S. for a few weeks... Fawzi from MD Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 21:02:36 -0400 I, too, enjoyed Fread's report on Sumac and am now certain of the identity of the reddish color feces in the snow around the Bluebird box where they were wintering w/several other Eastern Bluebirds. Also, Fawzi -- your follow-up report on sumac is interesting. Where can I purchase some ground sumac in this area of Maryland? I'll bet the Bluebirds would enjoy it mixed in w/the lard, peanut butter & yellow cornmeal mixture which sustains them during the winter months. So far, my small trail has produced 40 fledglings (and one song sparrow) and more Blues to leave the boxes this week! Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2000 23:52:13 -0600 Haleya Priest Amherst MA I also enjoyed Fawzi's story very much. However, if I recall from Scriven's book, or some book, sumac actually doesn't have much in the way of vitamins and minerals or the good stuff that comes in other berries. I thought I had read that sumac is eaten by bluebirds mainly because not many other birds eat them, and they are what is leftover after the starlings get their fill of all the other good berries. Could be wrong about that, but maybe some one can check on that. In which case it actually might not be the best thing to add to suet mix. Maybe Jack Finch's dogwood berries would be a better go. :-)
Regarding harvesting and storing sumac heads for winter bird feeding, I believe that Haleya is correct that it is one of the poorest foods that can be offered to the birds. Sumac seems to be a food of last resort, something to eat when there is nothing else. That is why it goes uneaten throughout late summer, autumn and most of the winter, if it is ever eaten. Of course, it is possible there are nutrients or other qualities about this plant which are important for birds but which we don't know about yet. Also, since this is a food of last resort, why would we want to harvest the natural stores of this food, thereby depleting them and potentially causing some birds to starve when they are forced to resort to it? The birds people are feeding are getting enough food. I think it is best to leave the wild sumac for birds that aren't being fed by humans. In fact, I believe it is improper to collect and store any wild foods that are already naturally available to the birds and other wild animals. There are plenty of berries and alternative foods available in the grocery store that can be given to birds at feeders. Let the wild birds harvest what nature has already given them. Many beautiful wild birds and animals don't trust humans enough to come to bird feeders. Let these have what nature provides. Gary Springer... Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:19:29 EDT The recent discussion about berries has brought up a question that some of you (Fread?) may be able to answer. I have plenty of winter food here with at least a dozen Red Cedars on my property and many more in the area. The Bluebirds ( and others ) enjoyed these all last winter and will be doing so next since I see that several of them are loaded with berries. But what I have noticed is that it is the same ones as last year that have berries and the others do not. The ones without berries look perfectly healthy. They are all about the same size and therefore age I guess. Why do some have lots of berries and some none? I have consulted my Peterson Tree Guide and cannot find an answer. Are there male and female trees? If there is some other reason and there is something I could do to get them all to bear fruit it would provide even more food for the birds! Many thanks Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 09:06:33 -0500 Steve Garr Jane, Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 13:37:59 -0500 The tree that is often called the "Eastern Red Cedar", is actually a member of the Junipers. Its proper name is Juniperus virgiana. To make matters even more confusing, it is closest related to the Cypresses! Eastern Red Cedar is a pioneer species on surface-mined areas, old fields, or pastures that are protected from fires. It grows well and faster than most associated species because it is sun-adapted, drought-tollerant, and has a long growing season. It is excellent for protecting fragile soils. Eastern Red Cedar is important to wildlife. As an evergreen, it provides good nesting and roosting cover for many birds. Dense thickets provide good escape cover for deer, and the abundant foliage, although low in quality, does provide emergency food for wildlife during times of stress. Curiously, the foliage is very high in the mineral calcium and will quickly turn the surface soil to an alkaline pH, which is favored by earthworms. In this way, the specie slowly turns marginal soils to ones that other species can adapt to. The Eastern Red Cedar is dioceious, having both male and female trees. The female, or ovulate tree, will start producing cones at about 10 years of age. Mature trees produce some cones nearly every year, but good crops occur only every 2 or 3 years. The cones, containing 2-4 seeds, do not open and remain on the tree through winter, although many are eaten and dispersed by both mamals and birds. The remaining cones will disperse their seed in February and March. The fruits are high in crude fat and crude fiber, moderate in calcium,and very high in total carbohydrates. The "berry-like" cone develops greenish fruit scales which form a protective layer. The cones change color from green to greenish-white and finally to bluish as the season progresses. At one time, the "juniper berries" were the addition to the alcoholic liquor Gin, that gave it its peculiar taste! A few "juniper berries" added to roasting meats imparts a very unique flavor. Fread J. Loane Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 11:08:29 EDT Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 15:03:31 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2000 19:23:25 -0400 Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 16:43:03 -0400 Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 21:51:16 -0400 Date: 27 Jul 2000 02:20:05 -0000 Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 14:17:01 EDT From: Dinlows"at"aol.com Reply-To: Dinlows"at"aol.com Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 14:17:01 EDT Hi Linda & All: Here is some interesting history on the Serviceberry bush with fruit so loved by the Eastern Bluebirds. This summer I was visited by Connie Toops (author of Bluebirds Forever) and she told me some folklore about this tree which was bearing fruit at the time near one of my occupied boxes at the Middletown Trail. She stated the "Sarvice Berry" tree later named "Serviceberry" by the mountain dwellers of Tennessee/ North Carolina area. When the dirt roads became pazzzble, the itinerant preacher returned which was about the time the Sarvis Berry tree was in bloom. At that time, services would be held near the blooming tree. The mountain dwellers knew when this tree came in bloom it was time for the
preacher to arrive and services,weddings, etc. were planned for that time.
Hence, the name of "Serviceberry" was coined! Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 22:20:05 -0500 If I were to make a choice of the many cultivars available, I would choose
the 'Apple Serviceberry'. This form is a hybrid between two species, A. arborea
and A. laevis. This hybrid produces larger leaves, flowers and fruit than
either of its parents. It has brilliant fall colors of orange and red and
makes an excellent specimen for lawns, garden borders, accent beds, as well
as in groupings. The growth rate for most Amelanchiers is moderate. a well-grown,
excellent specimen would reach 20' in height with a rounded, upright stance. Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2000 08:45:46 -0500 Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2000 15:59:24 -0600 ... what kind of berries do bluebirds like? what hearty plants have berries? and does anyone know of a hearty, quick growing, berry-producing plant that deer do not like? one that likes sand and drought would be nice.... I thought I might order some plants to put in next spring so they would have berries the next winter. -theresa Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2000 18:23:43 -0500 The horticultural industry has long tried to change the habits of people (as well as nurseries themselves), to planting woody shrubs and trees in the Fall instead of the Spring. This idea is backed by some sound logic. Woody shrubs and trees planted in the Spring must endure the great stresses of establishing a root system as well as produce leaves/flowers/fruit etc., They must do this in addition to standing the rigors of a growing season. Take the same shrub or tree, plant it in the Fall as it goes into dormancy, and the roots have all winter to establish a strong system before it is called upon to supply energy to produce leaves/flowers/fruit etc. Generally speaking, any time the soil temperature moves above the freezing point, the root system becomes active. Supplied with a generous 4-6" organic mulch on top of the soil, this growth period can be extended even further still. When Spring arrives, your woody shrub or tree has now become established and will grow much better and faster. The disadvantages of this Fall Planting occurs when customers are unfamiliar with the shrub or tree. You will be purchasing a bare shrub or leaf-less tree. Another drawback is that most customers feel rather foolish watering during the winter should it be a dry winter. The small root ball must be watered to encourage growth. The benefits, in my opinion and experience, far outweigh the disadvantages in this instance. Oftentimes, you can make your purchases at a further cost reduction, by purchasing bare root shrubs or trees! Nurseries will also run special inventory reduction sales to cut down the costs of having to over-winter stock. Your nurseryman or library should have pictures showing you what the well-grown plant will look like. Ask for the nurseryman's assistance in choosing a good specimen. Fread J. Loane Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2000 08:58:09 -0400 Jack Finch of North Carolina sells dogwood berries. Perhaps he is the one listed in the Ref Guide. This year I plan to harvest my own by putting a sheet under the branches and letting the berries fall. They are about ready for harvesting here. Keep them cold until use. I have found some will deteriorate, but the majority are usable. Once again, this is something "bluebirders" don't need to do, but for our enjoyment and hopefully for the bluebird's enjoyment also. Marilyn Pomeroy, Whispering Pines, NC Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 22:10:57 -0400 To the folks who were asking about sumac: Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2000 10:33:54 -0400 Hi! My name is Peter Spung and my parents and I live in the Carolinas. We have both had success attracting bluebirds to nestboxes in the spring and summer. We like them so much, we would like to plant berries that would attract them in the winter so they might stay. We've read that the eastern bluebirds like berries of: Are there others? Of these, which would you recommend as the best? Thanks! Peter and Al Spung Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 17:41:05 EST Kerry, You're lucky. When I researched what plantings birds liked the most mulberry came up near the top, along with serviceberry, elderberry, and eleagnus which believe it or not, despite the fact that it has red berries with polka dots, not only birds but humans can eat them (really delicious and a very pretty plant but the nursery said it needs full sun.) Tina Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 20:23:30 -0600 Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas If you feed dogwood berries or they eat them off of your yard trees you might enjoy watching them with your binoculars about 1525 minutes after they consume a meal which is usually 48 berries or so. At about this time the birds will regurgitate the seed that has been cleaned of all bits of the actual fruit in their crop/gizzard (do bluebirds have a real gizzard since they are insect eaters??) Small seeds will pass through their entire digestive system and large seeds are regurgitated. They often will eat three or four times in a hour or so with this time delay to process each meal. For those still feeding mealworms and crickets you might want to begin adding a few raisins (currants are a little smaller) in with the mealworms and see if you can interest them in a vegetable diet just in case your suppliers let you down at a critical part of the season. They will eat soft raisins on occasion if they are hungry and old hard raisins can be softened by pouring very hot water over them and letting them soak for about 15 minutes. Although they will learn to eat different colors of raisins I had better luck with the "golden" raisins in the past. By mixing a few red berries from native trees or bushes to get their attention and then having the raisins makes feeding a little easier and possibly more natural. I think pound for pound raisins/currants are cheaper than mealworms! Ron Kingston had success attracting bluebirds (or someone in their area did) with using fake Christmas holly branches with the bright red berries to attract the bluebirds to the feeding tray in the first place. By tying the fake holly to imitate a natural food source to the platform will bring many birds to the feeder. Our neighbor cut back an American holly tree and I received a pickup load of natural food to place in my brush piles. Check with your local landscape men to get these berry loaded trimmings! Roosting boxes: The roosting box sold with the perches already in it could be mounted upside down and possibly break off about half of the perches inside it and you should have a dandy roost box if you cannot build your own to Fawzi's design. You will have a problem with no roof overhang and it depends on how the box is made as to whether the bottom will need drainage or a partial replacement to prevent water from entering the bottom of the box. This might make a good experiment this winter for those with limited tools to build their own box. Are there any plans to have nestbox cams in roosting boxes? At the NABS meeting we saw shots of an infrared cam that was black and white quality but still showed what was happening in the box. This might be interesting research in the future. KK Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 17:10:32 -0800 (PST) Hello to everyone..I wanted to share this with people who have Dogwood trees(or similar trees) on their property as I do have them. Also, I originally got this info from Jack Finch, who is a well_known Bluebirder, makes & sells bluebird nestboxes & lives in Bailey, NC. This past Fall I collected as many ripe Dogwood berries as I could reach from my trees & stored them in the frig. Now for about a few weeks, a male (maybe a couple of them) EABL comes to eat them several times daily from the bluebird feeder. What has intrigued me, is that at around 7 am for a week or so now, he is perched on the nearby fence for several minutes..then goes to get his berries. Eats a couple, flies to a nearby limb..perches for about 15-20 minutes..then goes to get a couple more berries before flying away. He has been the 1st bird in the morning. So each evening I put about 25 berries in his feeder. The next day, thoughout the day, I know when he's eaten some by the number that's left in the feeder. My feeder prevents other larger birds such as Mockingbird, etc. from getting any berries. The Titmouse in the summer has gotten these berries, but so far I haven't seen the Titmouse eat any of these berries this winter. Only on 1 occasion did I see a C. Wren get a berry. So this is working very well for me. Much better than mealworms & it doesn't cost anything. However, when nesting time arrives in the Spring, I will supply mealworms for the parents to feed the nestlings as I did last year. One other thought.. I also have been throwing a few berries on the ground at the ground feeder & just today I saw a female EABL get it from the ground in addition to the Hermit Thrush. So much fun...Horace in NC. Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2001 21:03:26 -0500 I, too, feed dogwood berries to the bluebirds. I put them out together with crushed homemade suet and fresh water. There is so much activity on our deck. I read recently that birds like fresh water, especially in the morning. Like Horace said, this is a cheap way to feed the birds. We've had one robin (i believe one) show up, and when he does all others clear out. But he hasn't been a nuisance. And, of course, the warblers and finches go for the suet. Birding is fun! Marilyn Pomeroy, Whispering Pines, NC ...Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 20:26:16 -0600 Hi, Dan. Just read your latest Bluebird Corner. I always enjoy it, even though it's geared (with announcements, meeting news, etc.) to your area, not snowy Wisconsin. The suggestions for successful bluebirding are good anytime and anywhere! I've been noticing your announcements about the autumn olive shrubs for the last few "corners." I'm eager to find out more about them and am hoping they are bred and available in Wisconsin, too. At the present, we have no trees or bushes with berries for the birds, and we'd like to add some this spring. In your experience, if you could choose ONE shrub to plant, what would you choose? (Do any other BB-L people have suggestions to share?) Of course, here we're a lo-o-o-ng way from planting season and bird nesting time, but it's fun to dream and plan. We have many birds to which we enjoy feeding sunflower seeds and suet. (Bright red cardinals on snow covered pine branches can really brighten up the winter scene!) However, I haven't seen bluebirds since five days in September when a big flock of them were very active in our front yard, especially in the crabapple trees. I really envy those of you who have them around all year! Y'all enjoy them! Meryle Henry Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 21:44:48 -0500 If Mountain Ash grows where you are, it is a very nice tree (larger than a shrub, but not too large) with lots of winter food for the Bluebirds. Every day I see the same three bluebirds, and it is the first time I have them all winter in our yard. It is so nice! Also, I love to see the red cardinals which you have, they are beautiful specially with the snow around. I was so surprised the Bluebirds stayed here when the temperature dipped to single digits. This proves they are very hardy birds... Fawzi from MD Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 21:58:23 -0500 Hi Fawzi and all, Up here in the Lake Ontario snowbelt north of Syracuse, NY, mountain ashes grow well, but the fruit drops or rots on the tree when the snows begin. They provide good fall food for kinglets, robins, and cedar waxwings, but are no good for the dead of winter. Euonymus (burning bush that turns flaming red in fall, but I can't spell it!), yew, and privet are about the only common garden shrubs that hold their fruit over winter in my area. There are some little shrubs with winter fruit, but they are invariably covered with snow so aren't much use to birds. Dot Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2001 23:05:43 -0600 Hi Meryle and all, I just love my red-osier dogwoods for their berries. The past couple years I have noticed that close to fledging time and immediately after, the EAstern BLuebird parents frantically feed the kids the dogwood berries. They are, apparently, an EABL's version of a fast-food restaurant: the parents know where to find them and they don't involve the time and energy needed in hunting insects! After departing my yard for about two weeks or so, the family returns and the kids start eating the berries, too. As summer wanes, the Gray Catbirds, Robins and Cedar Waxwings (can't offhand think of others, although I believe there were) give the EABLs a good run for their money on eating the berries. Not a berry is left standing by fall, so I can't testify as to what happens to them over the winter (if they drop, get mushy, or what). Molly Jo Miller Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 18:37:34 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA I don't know about other parts of the country, but Autumn Olive (Eleagnus umbellata) is considered a invasive species here in MA and should not be planted - even though the birds love the berries!!! :-) Haleya Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 18:42:44 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA I also have Mountain Ash planted in my yard and the birds love the berries. I have a special kind of Mt Ash (Sorbus decorum) that only grow to be 20' tall or so. The real Mt Ash are very, very tall. BTW: I used to have flocks of starlings come and strip the Mt Ash bare in one sitting. However, since Mr Mocker has moved in, we've still got the berries on the trees since he has taken full control of the berries. He protects them from 100 starlings at a time!!! They don't even try to take the berries anymore! Haleya Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2001 18:09:51 -0500 Thank you Haleya, I knew that regular Mountain Ash grew to be very large, but I did not know the name of the variety that is small. So, we could get the Mountain Ash named "Sorbus Decorum" as you say below... Fawzi Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 07:01:01 -0600 To all the wonderful people who responded to my question about bird-friendly
shrubs, thank you! For those interested, the advice shared included autumn olive
(yes - 2, no - 1), mountain ash (2), burning bush, yew, and privet (1),
red-osier dogwoods (1). I also heard about the book (Landscaping for Wildlife)
and had an offer to check with the Master Gardener program. Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 22:35:18 -0500 (EST) Meryle and all---glad to see several of the nasty,invasive shrubs were not
even mentioned,so I wont either. But was wondering if anyone has had experience
with Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa Japonica ) ? I had one when I lived in the
southern part of the state (Ohio) and was not sure it was winter hardy here. It
has a compound leaf with many leaflets (opposite) and in the axils of the
leaflets it develops a grape-like bunch of berries. The berries are inconspicous
until late August-Sept. when they turn a pale purple. It thrives on severe
pruning (to the ground almost ) in early spring. Similar to Bluebeard (Caryoptersis)in
this respect. In the monster snows of '77 -'78 it provided food for
Cardinals,Mockingbirds and others---so it should be good for BBs too.The one I
planted here was too young to produce fruit this year. Anyone have ideas on this
plant---good or bad ? Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 13:06:14 -0400 (EDT) Hi Val and all, Holly berries are probably the best choice for Bluebirds. Berries last all winter and some remain on the tree in late spring when really needed. Service berry is well liked by Bluebirds and many others but are only on bushes during summer. Not many berries last all winter on the bush or tree but ones that do are the best choice. When I was in Ohio I cut wild Multiflora rose berries stem and all to feed bluebirds in winter. These last until they bloom again in spring. freezing doesn't seem to bother them and Starling don't eat many of them. They are hated by farmers because of their spreading habit,and are hard to get out of pasture fields. Don't think you can buy them any longer as they may be illegal to sell. I have fed Holly berries and Bluebirds love them. Like other wild fruits they swallow them whole. With Holly you need a male and female plant for pollination in order to bear fruit or berries. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe Huber... Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 07:52:53 -0500 Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas ... Texas has planted multiflora roses between the lanes of I-30 for several miles near Sulfur Springs Texas. One problem for the birds is that VERY often you will see red feathered pancakes on the highway near this section of the roses in spring/summer. They do work remarkably well at stopping errant cars or even 18 wheeled trucks. Why and when were these roses declared invasive? Why? Because with standard cultivation practices they were hard to control as disking only spread the roots and created new plants. These grew rapidly and were hard for farmers to deal with at harvesting time and they lost sections of their fields in a single year. When? They were declared invasive before Round'up or many of the other herbicides were available for a one application kill. During this time farmers were using smaller tractors and not safely enclosed with modern heated or AC cooled cabs. Farmers routinely apply round-up to MANY selected crops and these roses are really not a problem for farmers anymore and the "invasive" status I believe should be revoked! IF you mow your fields once a year they DO NOT get large enough in a single season to prevent a medium sized tractor to mow over them. Only in fields where the mowing has been skipped for 4 or 5 years do they get large enough to stop a car or tractor. Even then burning or a single treatment of round-up will annilate the entire plant. There is probably NO other single plant as important to overwintering birds, especially bluebirds as the multiflora rose. When danger comes in the form of a hawk all nearby birds will streak for the safety of the large rose bushes. Birds can sleep in the safety of the thorns and not worry about cats, raccoons, or other large four legged creatures as even a bear will avoid a really large patch. The blooms and fruit are on last years growth which end up buried under many new thorny canes come winter and when the roses lose their leaves the bluebirds (and others) will hop down to the center of the bushes to feed. Starlings tend to strip easy foods like grape vineyards, dogwoods, Chinese tallow, holly bushes and trees as they prefer to be in the open. Multi-flora roses allows a safe and secure constant feeding source for many birds ALL winter. It maybe against the law to sell multiflora roses and you can't buy them in many states BUT there is no law to prevent you from buying cheap damaged or leftover Tea roses at nurseries and THEN simply cut the plant off just below the graft. Plant the root stock (often multiflora rose) with the fresh cut stub just above ground in an area where you can allow the plant to reach the 15' diameter that will enable you to feed and shelter hundreds of birds! Ask your nursery what type root stock they use. Ask where the graft is located on the cane. Invasive! We just drove for about 20 hours in Penn. New York, Ontario and Ohio and saw literally millions of acres of grape vineyards. They are manicured by machine, disked by tractors and most were herbicide sprayed to control ALL weed growth under the vines! I never saw one single "invasive" multiflora rose in a single vineyard! By the way this area attracts HUGE concentrations of European starlings so that they can fatten on the grapes before migrating from the area in October. KK Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 12:05:35 -0400 Hi Keith and all. I am glad to hear M-Rose is not (totally) the monster I have been hearing about. I know it is bad to tangle with one, very painful and hard to get out of. I have them spotting the park where I have my trail. It seems they were planted by the birds! No huge patches, but little spots all over. I never visited the park in the winter, but this year I plan to visit and see M-Rose without leaves. I am very impressed that such a plant can stop a runaway 18 wheeler, what power! Also, it is food and shelter for so many of our birds. Thanks for the informative post. Fawzi Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 10:56:44 -0700 (PDT) Hi Anne...Jack Finch told me last year to store the berries in a refrigerator (not the freezer which is too cold) at about 29-32 degrees F. He's our expert on berries. My frig obviously isn't that cold. Last winter I kept my berries in the lower part of the frig. My frig stays about 38 degrees most of the time. (I keep a therm. at the bottom.) The berries were fine. So store your berries in a closed container in your frig at the bottom with temp anywhere between 33-39 degrees....should be fine.......Horace in NC. Bluebird feeding - planting (Part 3) |
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