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Encanto Farms Nursery > Topics > Fig Color and birds
 
 


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tmc2009

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 

Are green figs safer from birds than black figs?  Has anyone noticed a difference?  I see that beall is very redish and would think that it is a bulls eye for birds.  I have grapes this year and the birds are not touching them yet, still green and hard.  As soon as my blueberries turned blue the birds tried to get them.  I'm hoping to have some redhaven peaches this year.  They have a very red blush to them and the bluejays attached them last year. 


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Tom
Massachusetts Zone 6b
GeorgiaFig

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
There is no question about it: The darker colors signal to birds that fruit is ripe and trigger birds to eat the fruit.

We have to cover our dark figs with nets to keep the birds out.

We leave our light figs uncovered.  You still get a bird pecking at a fig or two on the light figs, but the damage is minor.  If you leave a dark fig uncovered the damage will be major.

Best wishes.

John
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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
I feel bad for you folks that have bird problems .

I grow all dark types and have a large fountain which the birds visit frequently right in middle of the large trees, had several bird houses hanging on shed very close by now taken down as the fell apart.

I dont have any other fruits trees in yard though -just figs .
Again i feel for you guys as i have seen netting and all the types of coverings some use to protect there figs and thats a lot of work i imagaine.

I guess and hope the birds here stay stuck on dizzy they have for all these years here anyways.
BLB

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 

 I agree 100% with John. And will add, squirrels are less discriminating and will eat them all.
figsontheporch

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
The first time a squirrel saw me in the top of the tree he was so pissed he yelled out at me and lifted his leg to urinate on the figs. Is that a message or what?! I have had to share my tree with the squirrels. I actually leave a section for them while I pick the rest. It's an agreement we have. lol....
nkesh099

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
figsontheporch,

Yes, it's a message to you to get a .22 air rifle and take care of his sorry @##.

figsontheporch

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Oh believe me... I had visions of that. I decided I'd have better fig karma if I shared. Plus.. I let the cats out now, and the girls patrol the tree at all times. Since I started doing that.... we have less squirrels. 
figsontheporch

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
I'd send them both up into the tree if I have to!

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The_celt

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
I have a lovely family of coopers hawks 3 babies and 2 parents have no squirrels or birds in my yard this year.
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bullet08

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
our neighbour has this fat cat that patrols my yard. no wonder i don't see any rodents... come to think of it, she got fatter recently.

pete
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Pete
Durham, NC
Zone 7b

"don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash." - sir winston churchill
"the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - the baroness thatcher

***** all my figs have FMV/FMD, in case you're wondering. *****
***** and... i don't sell things. what little i have will be posted here in winter for first come first serve base to be shared. no, i'm not a socialist...*****
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