These little strawberry rocks are meant to fool creatures that attack your berries just as they start to ripen. The theory being that birds and squirrels try to bite into the "ripe strawberry" and find it rock-hard and then move on.
I don't want to net my strawberry bed for fear a bird or other creature will get caught in the netting and die. So, when I heard of this option, I thought it was worth a try. Whether they work or not, we shall see. If nothing else, they are cute and add to the garden decor.
Level: easy Cost: inexpensive Use: garden
Materials:
Step 1: Select a few small stones that are approximately strawberry-sized and shaped. Then, clean and dry your rocks.
Step 2: Pain a base coat of red paint. Let dry thoroughly, Then paint a second coat. Let that dry too. Then decide whether you may need a third coat or not.
Step 3: Paint the stem and leaves on with green paint. (I only needed one coat on the green parts, you might need a second one.)
Step 4: Use a marker to dot on the "seeds."
Step 5: Apply a sealant. I used a clear nail polish base coat as I wanted my rocks to be really shiny.
Step 6: Place your rocks in and among your strawberry plants right before your berries start to ripen.
Step 7: You can leave them out all year or store them after the berry season is done. They may need an annual paint touch-up.
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| Decoys in place! |
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This is a monthly blog series on DIY projects for the beginning home gardener. Look for the other installments in this DIY blog series by putting "DIY" in the search box here at washingtongardener.blogspot.
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