Birds can make your yard livelier – unless they are in large numbers or are destroying your house and lawn. They can eat freshly sown grass seed or roll around in an uncovered lawn leaving ugly patches. Getting some protective barrier on newly sown grass for at least four weeks is always a great idea.
Even though the slight raking after sowing grass introduces some soil cover, birds can scratch this up and eat your precious grass seed. Here are better thinks you can do to keep birds from eating grass seed.
Apply Some Mulch
Mulch is a good organic way to get birds off your grass seed. Apply some loose mulch, be it straw or hay. However, it might not work if you live in a windy place or if the birds are smart enough to push aside the mulch and peck on the seeds. The good thing with organic mulch is it can make your soil more fertile hence guaranteeing you a better lawn.
Spreading a Floating Seed Cover or Net
A better alternative would be getting a floating seed cover. The covers are light enough to lie on top of your freshly sawn lawn and stay even after the grass has germinated. Just ensure that the net is around 4 inches above the ground to prevent birds from pecking through the holes and also to give the grass space to grow.
Install Some Bird Deterrents
You can deploy some bird deterrents around the lawn to keep most of the birds off the lawn. You can buy some bird tape flashes from Amazon and string them across the lawn. The hum and light flashing off them will keep the birds away.
You can also use old CDs, cassette tape strands or children’s windmills to make noise and push away the birds.
Throw in Some Fake Predators
Birds will keep off a lawn that seems to be swarming with predators. Get some rubber snake models and lay them on the lawn. You can also sit a hawk on the fence to deter the birds. Remember to move the predator models around so that the birds don’t catch your trick.
You can also use seeds that are specifically designed to taste bad to the birds. The birds might peck at it for a while but will soon fly off because the seed tastes bad to them.