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Rick Potter
06-29-2010, 12:23 PM
I am a tool junky, and I can assure you I have no green thumbs. A while back this distinguished panel informed me how to ripen pears off my tree (put them in a dark place).

Well this year I thought I would ask about the rest of my crops. I have a midget Santa Rosa plum tree that is just ripening. The birds apparantly don't want to share with me, and any ripe plum is on the ground partially eaten. Soon the peach tree will be in the same condition, as well as the apricot tree.

Sooo, I picked a bunch of half ripe plums this morning, and am asking....how do I ripen them?

The next two questions are probably obvious by now:

How do I ripen the apricots if I pick them before the birds do?

Ditto the peaches?


Thank you for your help.

Rick Potter

Larry Browning
06-29-2010, 1:28 PM
A brown paper bag is an amazing thing when it comes to ripening fruit. Put the fruit in the bag and close the top. Give a few days and poof! ripe fruit.

Jim Koepke
06-29-2010, 2:06 PM
I always like tree ripened better than fruit picked to ripen later, except pears which do not ripen on the tree.

There are bird nets one can put over a tree to keep the birds away.

jim

Lee Schierer
06-29-2010, 2:35 PM
We had the same problem with our sour cherries and blue berries until we started putting bird netting over the cherry tree and the blue berry bushes during fruit season. Otherwise the birds will peck everything before any of it gets ripe. Tree ripened will have better flavor and sweetness.

Randy Cohen
06-29-2010, 4:18 PM
you could try bird scare tape. I use it to scare the birds away from my melons so they don't get pecked. its mylar thats about 1/2" wide and a few hundred feet long. when you string it up the slightest breeze makes it look like something moving that birds react to by flying off.

David Dockstader
06-29-2010, 4:21 PM
I've tried about everything with my cherries (my neighbors think I am nuts) including hanging old CDs and putting a radio wrapped in a plastic bag and tuned to an all-night news station in the tree (that worked pretty well, actually). The best thing seems to be strips of silver mylar tied around the branches all over the tree. The birds see the sun reflecting off the mylar in the breeze and think the flashes are because the tree is on fire. They stay away pretty well, except for one robin and one blackbird who have more brass than a bell. They actually land in the tree while I'm picking the cherries. I got the idea from the orchards up in northern California. They've been doing this for years. Not perfect, but I've frozen a record amount of cherries for pies this year.

Rick Potter
07-01-2010, 2:58 AM
Thanks guys. You came through as usual. I am trying two things. Two days ago I picked half ripe and am bagging them. Today we found a nursery that had the bird scare tape, and I am putting it up tomorrow morning.

Rick Potter