Hanging planters are very common and you might love using them because of how neat they look. It’s fun to have hanging planters on your porch or your deck.
These can add a lot of aesthetic appeal to the area and they are also fairly easy to use. It isn’t hard to water plants or keep them healthy when you’re able to use hanging planters.
That being said, there are problems that can arise with your hanging basket planters. For example, you might wind up having birds start messing with them.
You see, a hanging basket is going to be a very appealing nesting spot for local birds. They might see them on the porch and will start co-opting them rather quickly.
This is certainly less than ideal, but it doesn’t mean that you have to just let it happen. There are ways that you can bird-proof the planters so that you won’t have to worry any longer.
Keep reading to learn how to keep birds out of hanging baskets. Once you have all of the information, it should be easier to enjoy them without having to be so concerned about birds in the area using them as nesting locations.
1 – Give Birds Better Options
One idea is to give the birds in the area better options that they can use. For example, you could place birdhouses at various points throughout your property.
This will give birds spots where they can nest and try to hide from predators. Instead of using your hanging planter baskets as nesting spots, they’ll likely use the birdhouses that you have provided for them.
Aside from birdhouses, you could also place nesting boxes on your property. Both will essentially provide the same thing for the local birds.
Using this trick by itself might not prevent birds from getting in your hanging basket planters. However, using it in tandem with other prevention methods should work nicely.
2 – Use Light Wire Mesh to Protect the Hanging Baskets
It’s going to be possible to prevent birds from being able to get in the hanging basket planters. What you need to do is buy light wire mesh that you can place over them.
This won’t interfere with the planters in any way, but it’ll keep birds from being able to access the planters. Your plants should still be just fine, but you’ll just be able to keep birds away from them.
Using light wire mesh in this fashion is a very practical solution to bird problems on your property. If you have significant issues with birds trying to use your planters as nesting spots, then it’s probably going to be a good idea to use light wire mesh.
Of course, some people don’t like this idea because it might make the planters look less appealing. It’s up to you to decide whether you think using light wire mesh will be detrimental or not.
3 – Try Using Predator Decoys
You can scare birds away from your porch, deck, and other spots that might be housing your hanging basket planters. This is done by planting predator decoys in specific spots.
There are many types of predator decoys on the market that are meant to scare specific animals. When it comes to scaring birds, you’re likely going to want to use owl decoys.
Owls are natural predators to most types of birds that would be trying to nest in your basket planters. If you place owl decoys close to the planters, then the birds will be too scared to think about going near them.
Another option is to use a snake decoy since snakes are predators that birds have to worry about as well. You might need multiple decoys depending on how many hanging basket planters you need to protect.
4 – Reflective Tape
Reflective tape is going to be able to keep birds from getting near your hanging basket planters. This works because reflective tape causes the birds to become confused and they will panic.
You can actually use many different types of reflective objects to scare birds away. For example, people have used old CDs and DVDs that they don’t have a use for to scare birds away from areas.
Hang something reflective near the basket planters and birds should steer clear of the area. It’s probably going to be easier to use reflective tape that is meant for scaring birds.
The reflective tape that you can buy at stores comes in strips and it’ll be easy to hang it up. You can place it wherever you need it and it should do a good job of preventing birds from getting in your basket planters.
5 – Citrus Cotton Balls
People have been able to keep birds from sticking around by placing citrus-soaked cotton balls in the hanging baskets. The citrus-soaked cotton balls shouldn’t harm the plants, but they’ll bother any birds that are stopping by.
The scent of the citrus is going to be too much for the birds to deal with. They’ll likely move on and try to find another area that is more convenient.
Granted, you’ll need to do this before you have birds in the hanging basket planter. Or you can try to place the cotton balls in the basket while the birds are no longer there assuming that they haven’t left baby birds in the nest.
This is an inexpensive way to get birds to leave your planters alone. You can use it in conjunction with the other methods that have been discussed, too.
6 – Bamboo Spikes
Have you thought about making the baskets too uncomfortable for the birds to use? You could place bamboo spikes in the hanging planters to keep birds out.
If a bird tries to use the planter as a nesting spot, it’ll wind up finding out that it isn’t ideal. The bird won’t skewer itself on the bamboo spike, but it’ll realize that the spot isn’t ideal and will move on.
This idea basically keeps the birds from being able to find a flat surface that they can use to build a nest. They won’t be able to use your planters to do what they need to do any longer if you go this route.
7 – Ultrasonic Repellent Options
In modern times, people have started using ultrasonic repellent devices to keep pests at bay. These handy devices work well to keep mice from entering your home and they can even keep squirrels and rabbits away from your garden.
If you buy an ultrasonic repellent device that is meant to keep birds away, then you can use it to protect your hanging basket planters. All you need to do is place the device near the planters and turn it on.
The device will emit sounds that you cannot hear, but the birds will be able to pick up on the sounds. It’ll make them uneasy and they won’t want to get too close to the source of the sounds.
It is possible that your pets might not like these devices, though. Depending on your situation, this may or may not be a practical option to protect your planters.
8 – Relocating the Birds
What if birds are already in the hanging basket planter? Is there going to be anything that you can try to do?
Well, this depends on a few factors, but you might be able to relocate the nest. Many people say that you should not do this because it could cause baby birds to be abandoned.
However, many think that if you move a nest to somewhere that the parent birds will still be able to find it things will be okay. The parents should still find and take care of the babies if you do things right.
If you wish to attempt this, then you can move the nest into a similar hanging basket along with a little moss. Some have reported success with using this method, but you might not want to attempt to do this.
There are laws in certain parts of North America that say that you aren’t allowed to relocate bird nests. Depending on the specific local laws in your area, it might be a crime to relocate birds.
It usually isn’t going to be a crime to try to make the area inconvenient for the birds if you want to try to coax them to find a different nesting location. Even so, you’ll want to look up the specifics about local laws before you decide to do anything.
Sometimes the most practical thing to do will be to put up with the birds until they leave. Next season, you’ll be able to be prepared and you can make it so that the birds won’t be able to access the hanging baskets.
Final Thoughts
You have many things that you can do to try to keep birds out of hanging baskets on your porch or deck. If you use the advice above, then it shouldn’t be all that tough to get good results.
Generally, the best thing that you can do is prevent the birds from getting into them in the first place. To do this, you can make it impossible for them to access the hanging baskets using light wire mesh.
You can also attempt to scare the birds away from the area using predator decoys, reflective tape, and ultrasonic repellent devices. Just buy the right stuff and this won’t be a problem moving forward.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.