Strawberry Rocks Forever
May 25, 2012 8:50 PM Subscribe
Those of you who go in for gardening, specifically those with strawberry patches, may find this idea to be of benefit: strawberry rocks. Might just keep those birds away!
Must... eat... them.
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:56 PM on May 25, 2012
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:56 PM on May 25, 2012
Hm, planting those white alpines has saved me a lot of time and paint.
posted by Kandarp Von Bontee at 9:05 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Kandarp Von Bontee at 9:05 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
We're supposed to throw these at birds?
posted by The Potate at 9:06 PM on May 25, 2012 [21 favorites]
posted by The Potate at 9:06 PM on May 25, 2012 [21 favorites]
Is this a thing I would have to have a gizzard to understand?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:58 PM on May 25, 2012 [11 favorites]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:58 PM on May 25, 2012 [11 favorites]
Oh so just a hair softer than the out of season strawberries megamarts carry in winter, then?
posted by jason_steakums at 10:01 PM on May 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 10:01 PM on May 25, 2012 [4 favorites]
I think painting them as tiny eggplants would be more confusing to birds. Strawberries are common, but who could resist a little bitty eggplant, eh?
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:09 PM on May 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:09 PM on May 25, 2012 [7 favorites]
Perfect for strawberry stone soup!
posted by hermitosis at 10:46 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 10:46 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
Okay, I was looking for a pest bird solution, but this might just kill the Malardus Suburbus that run my neighborhood. :( cute idea for backyard where they can't get.
posted by tilde at 10:49 PM on May 25, 2012
posted by tilde at 10:49 PM on May 25, 2012
Pretty sure I had Strawberry Rocks on a flexi-disc 45 back when.
posted by dhartung at 10:55 PM on May 25, 2012
posted by dhartung at 10:55 PM on May 25, 2012
These are cute. But how do they keep birds away exactly? Is this yet another SLTRPLS (single link to rocks painted like strawberries)?
posted by Camofrog at 11:25 PM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Camofrog at 11:25 PM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Perfect for strawberry stone soup!
Please ensure you're using lead free paint!
posted by ODiV at 11:39 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Please ensure you're using lead free paint!
posted by ODiV at 11:39 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
But how do they keep birds away exactly?
There is some speculation that if these are scattered about amongst the real strawberries in a strawberry patch, birds will be confused and dissuaded from attempting to eat the berries after pecking at a few of the stones.
However, let me stress that IANASGNASITUOSPSAABDISP*
* I am not a strawberry gardener nor a specialist in the use of strawberry painted stones as a bird deterrent in strawberry patches
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:40 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
There is some speculation that if these are scattered about amongst the real strawberries in a strawberry patch, birds will be confused and dissuaded from attempting to eat the berries after pecking at a few of the stones.
However, let me stress that IANASGNASITUOSPSAABDISP*
* I am not a strawberry gardener nor a specialist in the use of strawberry painted stones as a bird deterrent in strawberry patches
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:40 PM on May 25, 2012 [3 favorites]
This seems a little like keeping squirrels from eating your tomatoes by taking up garden space with lawn gnomes.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:48 PM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 11:48 PM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
Only for squirrels who would mistake a garden gnome for a tomato, or vice versa.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:53 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 11:53 PM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
I have always meant to try, but keep forgetting, hanging red Christmas ornaments to dupe tomato pecking birds. The idea is that birds peck them, are disappointed, and then don't bother to try the actual tomatoes. No idea if these things actually work, though I would like a basket of strawberry rocks anyway.
posted by thylacinthine at 12:20 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by thylacinthine at 12:20 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Dentists could give strawberry rocks to their patients as practice builders.
posted by Cranberry at 12:20 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Cranberry at 12:20 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
flapjax: I heard it as well a couple of months ago - I am wondering now if it's a new idea that's doing the rounds. When I shared the idea with someone who is a keen gardener she scoffed at me. Scoffed!
But they are so cute I still want to try.
posted by tracicle at 12:21 AM on May 26, 2012
But they are so cute I still want to try.
posted by tracicle at 12:21 AM on May 26, 2012
One day, when I'm retired.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:41 AM on May 26, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:41 AM on May 26, 2012 [2 favorites]
Birds have way more persistence than brains, especially if every third strawberry turns out to be real and not a rock.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that decorating your strawberry patch with tasty-looking rock strawberries will actually attract more birds.
Decorating it with a bird net will not attract Martha Stewart photographers, but it will help you pick some edible berries.
So I guess it depends on who you want in your garden. As always.
posted by Camofrog at 12:47 AM on May 26, 2012 [6 favorites]
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that decorating your strawberry patch with tasty-looking rock strawberries will actually attract more birds.
Decorating it with a bird net will not attract Martha Stewart photographers, but it will help you pick some edible berries.
So I guess it depends on who you want in your garden. As always.
posted by Camofrog at 12:47 AM on May 26, 2012 [6 favorites]
If my high school psychology teacher is to be believed, intermittent reinforcement provides the strongest motivation for continuing a behavior... Like, say, getting a delicious berry every 1-5 times a bird pecks at something. In theory this should make the birds even MORE inclined to eat your berries than if every red bauble in the patch was a delicious strawberry.
posted by vytae at 4:19 AM on May 26, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by vytae at 4:19 AM on May 26, 2012 [2 favorites]
Something tells me that these would not help at all to keep the rats off strawberries.
posted by sciencegeek at 5:33 AM on May 26, 2012
posted by sciencegeek at 5:33 AM on May 26, 2012
Birds have way more persistence than brains
and insanely acute vision, you'd have to be a damn good painter to fool them
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:35 AM on May 26, 2012
I dunno about the good sight, I have found boxes with apple cartoons pecked into oblivion.
posted by Tarumba at 5:38 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Tarumba at 5:38 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Our cat plus the neighbor's cats do a pretty good job at keeping birds and squirrels away from our strawberries.
posted by exogenous at 5:44 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by exogenous at 5:44 AM on May 26, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yet another old-school found-something-cool-on-the-web post. I approve of this.
Check out this guy's (also old-school) site for more of his rock paintings. "Mother Penguin and her Baby," "Frogs," "Stone cottages," "Mouse family," "Turtles sunning themselves on a bumpy log," and especially "Hedgehog" are all completely delightful.
posted by Gator at 6:01 AM on May 26, 2012
Check out this guy's (also old-school) site for more of his rock paintings. "Mother Penguin and her Baby," "Frogs," "Stone cottages," "Mouse family," "Turtles sunning themselves on a bumpy log," and especially "Hedgehog" are all completely delightful.
posted by Gator at 6:01 AM on May 26, 2012
My cats did a terrible job at keeping squirrels away from my strawberries and raspberries. The most annoying bit was how the squirrels ate them before they were ripe, so I never got a single one.
I have since given up on growing fruit.
posted by jeather at 6:08 AM on May 26, 2012
I have since given up on growing fruit.
posted by jeather at 6:08 AM on May 26, 2012
i think i'm gonna just have a fake garden. so much easier! plastic fruit and veggies for all!
posted by fuzzypantalones at 6:12 AM on May 26, 2012
posted by fuzzypantalones at 6:12 AM on May 26, 2012
There are a few fake flower gardens in my town, fuzzypantalones. Plastic and silk flowers just stuck in to the ground, as if that will fool us in February.
They've got nothing on the bathtub shrines, though.
posted by maryr at 9:24 AM on May 26, 2012
They've got nothing on the bathtub shrines, though.
posted by maryr at 9:24 AM on May 26, 2012
Looking at who posted this, I thought this would be about an obscure musical movement. Alas, there is no strawberry rock that found the fourth chord...
posted by Eekacat at 9:47 AM on May 26, 2012
posted by Eekacat at 9:47 AM on May 26, 2012
My strawberry plants from last summer survived Toronto's non-winter very well, and have just put out some small green berries. I was pretty happy with that until I saw exogenous' garden.
posted by maudlin at 3:03 PM on May 26, 2012
posted by maudlin at 3:03 PM on May 26, 2012
This is funny. I went through a big rock-painting phase when I was about 10, and we made strawberries, along with other things (sunsets were popular). Honestly I think it was kind of a trend. It was certainly fueled by the fun of spraying things with polyurethane.
posted by Miko at 7:49 PM on May 26, 2012
posted by Miko at 7:49 PM on May 26, 2012
Decorating it with a bird net will not attract Martha Stewart photographers, but it will help you pick some edible berries.
On the other hand, if you can reliably attract photographers, you can net them, harvest their equipment, and sell it for strawberry money. So there is that.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:57 AM on May 27, 2012
On the other hand, if you can reliably attract photographers, you can net them, harvest their equipment, and sell it for strawberry money. So there is that.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:57 AM on May 27, 2012
You guys. Hedgehog. Tell me you don't want a garden full of these.
posted by Gator at 10:55 AM on May 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Gator at 10:55 AM on May 27, 2012 [2 favorites]
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