Sprouting bird seed

[crisper]

I like to feed the birds in the garden, but where I feed them, its a gravelled area.. and where the seeds get dropped.. they sprout..so I have to go and pull up all the little sproutings everywhere!..Its driving me mad..I don't want to stop feeding the birds.. but I want to keep the garden tidy.. does anyone have a soloution....of how to get rid of the sproutings? I cant use weed killer, as the birdies peck around on the ground! Ta everso xx

[NazNomad]

You'll most likely never stop it completely, but fitting trays to the bottom of the feeders will catch a lot of seed. If it's not eaten from the tray it can be easily disposed of.

[cazzz1975]

oh dear, I have been feeding birds at the golf course with seed, I have a horrible vision of sunflowers growing on the pro tee :(

[douglas9401]

I've seen a fantastic feeder, about three feet high with various perches and a fine mesh that the birds can pull seeds through one at a time. Obviously some still fall to the ground but a lot fewer than if they're feeding from an open dish.
I can't be sure but I think it was from the RSPB.

[NazNomad]

http://shopping.rspb....es/Bird_seed_tray.htm

[coccinelle]

I used to have this problem until I got a robin in the garden. All the blue tits would peck at the seed ball and so loosen them so they'd fall and the robin would be underneath to eat them and so no sproutings! It's just that getting a robin isn't the easiest of things but put out some breadcrumbs on a wall and they won't be far away.

[carlton23]

Pigeons and Blackbirds clean up any left-over seeds on my lawn.

[RATTER15]

The rats will normally get to the ones that drop, you just need more rats :-)

[woofgang]

if you but things like peanut chunks, not whole ones, dried insects sunflower hearts and so on eg the processed foods, thy won't sprout if dropped.

[rowanwitch]

If you rake the gravel every few days the seedlings die