kater1

Talkback: How to care for orchids

I went to a talk given by a commercial orchid grower & he said that they watered their plants with tap water which had been allowed to stand for a day or so. He also said to avoid over-watering, you should not water the plants if the visible roots - through the clear pot - are bright green. You shouldn't automatically water weekly but only if the roots are greyish green.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

Hi Kate,

I'm sorry that I can't post a photo but I've just looked on the UK Aldi Special buys' site & the feeders & other bird things are on it. The feeders are £3.99, as I thought. They tend to sell these things quite quickly so they might not be available for long.

kater1

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

Have just found a ceramic-topped plastic bird feeder in Aldi that has a wing-nut at the bottom for filling & cleaning - I think it was £3.99 but not sure.

 I thought I'd be able to dismantle it completely but the top is fixed.

In spite of this I think it will be easier to clean because it's at the base that the seeds usually stick - the top should be clear - I hope!

JAG - I find that wood pigeons have been able to take most of the food put out on a low roof covered bird table, as they do with food I put on the ground for blackbirds etc.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

Hi deemac,
Thanks very much.
I do try to dismantle them but the bases are the problem. I've got one soaking in a bucket of soapy water at the moment. I intend to get a longer, sturdier bottle-brush too. The high pressure nozzle is a good idea as I've only tried a full-on sink tap so far.
I think it's possible to buy feeders that the bases come off but they might be expensive - will have to look. I have 7 hooks but about 10 feeders so that I can put a clean fresh one up each time I take an empty one down. The 'square' Gardman(?) ones are easy to clean but the seeds get wet as soon as it rains.
Mostly I feed sunflower hearts which are particularly popular with the goldfinches - even when there are niger seeds available. I've been pleased to see them eating from my teasels too.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

I was hoping that this item would show how to clean plastic seed containers which I find much more difficult to clean than the peanut mesh ones.
I clean mine at every refill but it's always hard to get the base clean. I use a metal skewer, soak it in warm soapy water etc but it's not easy, particularly if it's been raining a lot.
In spite of keeping my own containers clean I had a dunnock in my garden which clearly had avian pox. I live in Merseyside which the RSPB said was the most northerly report they'd received. I only recognised the disease because of national publicity last year.

Any more tips on cleaning plastic containers would be very welcome. Thanks.

Talkback: How to clean bird feeders

I was hoping that this item would show how to clean plastic seed containers which I find much more difficult to clean than the peanut mesh o...