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Remove seeds and membrane through the entrance hole with a long-handled metal spoon, screwdriver or a wire coat hanger (wear a face mask). If this is difficult, soak the gourd in water for several hours. This long and curvy birdhouse resembling a swan attracts birds in droves.
Purple Martin Birdhouse Colony
For more information on gourd birdhouses, please visit our blog post. It is generally known as a birdhouse gourd, but there are specific types that you can choose from. The most popular type of birdhouse gourd is the kettle gourd, also known as the martin gourd or the purple martin gourd.
FINALLY ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM GARDEN!
Then you may wish to do a little sanding of the outside of your birdhouse gourd. And you may wish to wipe the exterior down with more bleach. Plus, if you’re feeling really crafty, you might want to paint it. If you’re ready to start growing gourds for crafting, please consider purchasing via our Renee’s Garden Seed affiliate link here. Birdhouse gourds have been used for years as bottles or as birdhouses to attract Purple Martins, which provide insect control for agriculture. In the Eastern US, these birds still prefer and depend on manmade birdhouses.
How to Make a Beautiful Gourd Birdhouse
So if you dry birdhouse gourds this way, rotate them often as they cure. Pick gourds when they begin to turn brown, cut stems about 2-4 inches from the gourd. First, wash them with a mild detergent to inhibit any bacterial growth. Then when they are completely dry, store them on newspapers without touching each other or hang them up to dry.
The purple martin man - Atmore News
The purple martin man.
Posted: Wed, 02 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Collection: Gourd Birdhouses
Once they began to dry, I harvested them and put them on a pallet to dry. This process takes months and the gourds will slowly turn from light green to a pale beige. During this time, the gourds may discolor on the outside and even grow some mold, which you can simply wipe off. You are then left with a beautiful smooth gourd ready to become a birdhouse. At my house, I grew three gourd vines on a sturdy metal trellis making sure to train them appropriately so they did not travel anywhere I didn’t want them to.
Cottage Gourd Birdhouse
You will know when the gourds are dry when they are hard, lightweight, and the seeds are loose (you may need to wack the gourd on your hand to loosen them). We have found that we have a higher rate of rotted gourds with outdoor drying. We like to have a mix of indoor dried and outdoor dried, because of the differing qualities of the two. Hello Carol-Gourd vines are opportunistic and will climb whatever is handy.
Gourds have been used to make purple martin houses for centuries. Native Americans used to hang them to attract martins to their settlements to help control insects. Today, purple martins east of the Rocky Mountains depend on people to supply them with houses and gourds.
These gourds are pear shaped and range anywhere from 6” in diameter all the way up to 12” in diameter. Lightly pencil on your design, then go over it with your Sharpie. Thread your leather strap or wire through the holes to create a loop for hanging your birdhouse gourd. Fortunately, I grabbed a handful of birdhouse gourd seeds at a seed swap in February 2019, long before anyone predicted a pandemic. Unless of course you’re the Simpsons whose characters have uncanny prophetic inclinations.
From gourd to gourd the thickness and hardness can vary quite a bit making each one unique to drill. Some feel almost like cork with the drill bit easily going through the gourd. While others are like a very hard wood and require a strong steady hand to get the drill bit to go through.
The gourd size will govern the kind of bird that will be attracted. The ball of the gourd should be large enough for a bird to turn around easily. Many birds delight in the long, deep cavity offered by some gourd shapes.
They are mildly fragrant and most often bloom at night. Luffa that is grown on the ground tends to be curved. Keeping the vines and fruit dry and off the ground reduces the risk of disease and rotting in humid or wet weather. Luffa can grow in any soil type (it prefers a pH range of 6.0 to 6.5) but requires good drainage. Ensure you can offer well-draining soil to prevent your luffa plant from over-saturating. Perches may look cute, but they simply give predators something to hold onto when approaching the entrance hole.
It’s easy to grow birdhouse gourds and make your own birdhouses from them. All you need is a little patch of dirt and some birdhouse gourd seeds. Growing gourds is easy and there are so many neat ways to use them. Be creative and have fun as you paint flowers, animals, cartoons, or landscapes. Studies have shown birds will always choose those with the natural colors of a gourd. They will only move into decorated gourd birdhouses as a second choice.
There are several different types of gourds that make great birdhouses. Different species of birds have different preferences for their homes. They all have a specific preference for gourd size, hole size, and height for the house to be from the ground.
Ideas are many, but hopefully, you’ve gotten some inspiration. There are many ways you can personalize your birdhouse.The birds may not appreciate the difference between one house and another, but you will. Imagine how much fun it would be to see birds dive into your gourd birdhouse or a gentle breeze swaying it.
You can leave them natural or express yourself with unique designs and colors.You may want to surprise your friends with a new design they’ve never seen before. For me, purple martin birdhouse colonies are always the best. This unique birdhouse could host birds in your yard if you have a knack for outstanding, handmade, pour-painted gourds. Further, you can finish it with a transparent coat to use it outdoors. It is the perfect gift to thrill your loved ones.
You can make the entrance bigger, of course, but 1 ⅜ inch usually is enough for most songbirds to get through. Finally, we will make the holes used to hold the hanging strap. Drill 2 holes opposite of each other at the top of the gourd using the ¼” drill bit. You can feed coat hanger through the holes and twist the tap for an easy hanging strap or you can use rawhide or leather to give it a more natural look. Learning how to dry gourds is especially important so be sure to do some reading if you grow them instead of buy them.
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