Nothing is as beautiful as a lush, green suburban lawn. It's a point of pride for many homeowners with competitions for the most beautiful and well-kept grass. 

Have you been trying to plant a gorgeous bed of grass around your home? Have you caught yourself wondering how to keep birds off grass seed? Have you been stuck on the very first steps?

How to Keep Birds Off Grass Seed

There's nothing more frustrating than having birds eat the fruit of your labour before you can even see the rewards of the work you put in. If your grass seed gets eaten, you'll never see that beautiful lawn. 

Keep reading for the essential guide on how to stop pigeons eating grass seed and provide protection for the grass to grow the perfect lawn you've always dreamed of.

Repellent Net

After you've raked your seeds lightly so that they are just below the surface of the soil, you can place a bird repellent net just above the soil. Float either a grass seed netting, seed cover, or bird repellent netting above the surface.

Use spikes or stones to hold them in place and keep them far enough away from the seeds that birds won't be able to get them. 

The netting is fine enough that it won't retain moisture and become mildewy. It also won't absorb pesticides. 

When you notice the grass growing, you can remove the netting and let the grass continue to grow. At this point, the seeds are safe from the threat of birds.

Fake Predators

Birds are smart enough to know to avoid predators, but they aren't smart enough to differentiate between real and fake ones. You can stop birds eating grass seed by strategically placing plastic predators around and in your lawn until the grass has grown. 

There are a number of decoy predators you can try. The classic is, of course, a scarecrow, but if you don't want your lawn to have a harvest or Halloween look, you can always try fake animals instead. Try rubber snakes or plastic owls and hawks.

Make sure to move your predators around every once in a while. A completely stationary predator will give a hint to the birds that they aren't real. 

Straw

You can cover grass seeds with straw mulch. It's a natural cover that prevents birds from getting to it but doesn't prevent grass from growing. Straw is fine enough that light and water will still reach the seeds. 

Make sure that you're raking grass seed about 3 millimetres under the soil surface before you try placing anything on top. Allow about 25% of the soil to still be visible even under the thin layer of straw.

When the sprouts of grass begin to show, remove the straw to be sure that the grass is getting enough sunlight to continue growing.

Burlap

Similar to straw, you can also use sheets of burlap to cover your growing seeds. If you live in a windy area, burlap is a better option than straw because it's less likely to blow away when properly weighted down.

Burlap is woven with wide enough openings for the light, water, and heat that grass needs to seep through. 

Once again, remove the burlap sheets when your seeds begin to germinate.

Noise Deterrent

If you prefer a less visible approach to your seed protection, you can try to deter birds with noise. Birds will generally avoid noisy areas of any kind, so you can choose the sound that is the least obtrusive to you.

There are ultrasonic noise tools that are undetectable to the human ear but do an excellent job keeping birds away. If you'd like to add some sound features to your garden anyway, there are also options that humans can hear.

Try outdoor speakers with low volume, relaxing music. Or go the natural route with wind chimes if you live in an area with enough wind to make a consistent sound.

Decoy Feeder

Do you like the birds but just don't want them on your grass seed? Make the birds a better offer than the seed on the ground.

Your lawn is a dangerous, exposed area for birds, but a well-placed bird feeder will be safer and more enticing. You can also fill your feeder with specific seeds that your local birds like.

If you keep the birds full with better tasting, more easily accessible seeds, it's more likely that they'll leave your grass alone. Keep the feeder as far away as possible from the growing grass so that they don't associate the two together. 

Spiral Bird Deterrent

Are you looking to add some visual appeal to your garden while also deterring birds from eating your seeds? Spinning Wheels bird deterrent may be a good option for you.

Birds are scared of things that reflect light. So they'll steer clear of the spinning reflective surface of garden pinwheels, but for you, they'll be a whimsical and striking addition to your garden.

Some pinwheels are electrically operated, while others operate with wind power. Be sure to take the windiness of your home into account while choosing a bird deterrent. 

Another reflective deterrent is mylar tape or other reflective tapes. Put them up in areas that catch the light of the sun for the best effect.

Use Extra Seeds

When in doubt, plant extra grass seed. How do you prevent birds from eating grass seed? You plant plenty to go around.

Planting extra seed is useful against more than one threat. Inevitably, some of your grass seed is going to rot or get blown away in the wind or end up eaten. It's difficult to plant too much grass seed, and the extra will give you a feeling of security about your lawn. 

There's also bird proof grass seed. Although it can still be eaten by birds, it's specially treated so that birds will like it the least of all the seeds available to them.

A Beautiful, Bird Free Lawn

With the right coverage, deterrents, and planning, you can grow your lawn and know how to keep birds off grass seed. Offer the local birds better alternatives and reasons to stay away.

Are you ready to start growing your own gorgeous grass? Take a look at our popular line of luscious grass seed.