How do you keep weeds from overwhelming your garden under a bird feeder?

Question

I mix sunflower seeds and wild bird feed into a large feeder hanging from a low tree. The birds kick the seed out onto the ground and I'm constantly weeding this spot to remove thousands of sprouts. Is there some nifty way to keep the ground cleared under a bird feeder?

Answer 1

My method is to not plant that area. It is kept green with all the sprouts and squirrel and birds keep it picked up. I do not know who eats the young shoots--maybe quail--but they don't last long. I also built my own platform bird feeder that has 2" sides around a 12"X18" platform. That way the birds don't kick much out when they search for their favorite or jump around chasing others away. With this type of platform you need to accept other feeders. Though the platform is 10' off the ground I have seen foxes and raccoons as well as squirrels.
Its mounted on a 4X4 post that is attached to an old tree stump. I built a small ladder for me to reach it.

Answer 2

You can buy non growing bird seed, it looks like dried sweetcorn. I have had to move my bird table as I had the same problem, so I moved it to a concreted area. The found that the food was always gobbled up by the pigeons and starlings before any other could get a look in. So now they are only on bread and water, and that has resolved all problems!

Answer 3

it is continuously been a subject matter. in case to procure pre-shelled seed, a lot less would land on the backyard, because the birds merely devour it, there is not any cracking open of shells, which receives messy and on the backyard. in spite of the actuality that in case you install a mulched area below the feeder, you'll see sprouting there, too, in spite of any volume of floor-feeding birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. i have by no skill tried it below a feeder, yet there are issues available talked about as pre-emergent herbicides. those countless products keep seeds from sprouting contained in the soil. One is organic -- corn gluten meal, in spite of the indisputable fact that it takes time (a 365 days or more advantageous) to grow to be very useful. There are chemical variations that really paintings faster.