Have you ever tried growing your own strawberries only to find that pests have feasted on them? It’s so unfair, isn’t it? It should have been you feasting on the berries, not them!
Unfortunately, pests do love berries as much as the rest of us, so it’s up to us to take matters into our own hands.
This TikTok user shares a berry ingenious and creative way to trick pests and bugs into thinking that the strawberries are NOT juicy, nor are they edible! Note that this trick will not harm any creatures.
@therealkimilove Strawberry Rocks 🍓 🪨 #gardeninghacks #gardeningtips #planttiktok #nature #diy ♬ High Fashion (feat. Mustard) - Roddy Ricch
In the video, the gardener uses flat rocks from her backyard. It's best to use oval-shaped rocks so they'll really resemble strawberries and make for a good trick!
After picking out the smoothest and best oval-shaped rocks, wash them thoroughly and dry them out. Make sure it's dry enough before painting so the color won't come off.
Place them on a sheet of paper, then paint them individually. Use the brightest shade of red to really trick those critters and make them think they're about to bite into something juicy and delicious!
Let the paint dry, then scatter the rocks over your garden. Place them where the real strawberries will grow.
When the pests spot these bright red strawberries, they'll be very disappointed when they find they can't eat them. When the real berries start to grow, the critters won't even try to touch them!
Remember: Do NOT Eat Them!
A funny commenter said under the video, "I tried this, but then I forgot I made them, and I ate the strawberries and hurt myself. When the real ones grew, I lost interest."
It must've been a real work of art to warrant such imitation!
It Works On Other Berries And Crops
You can also paint rocks to imitate certain berries or crops if you're growing other fruits. This normally works on intelligent birds!
Another commenter suggested, "If you live somewhere with black rat snakes, a garden hose will confuse the birds, and they won't want to land around it."
If you're worried about the birds eating the paint, the creator said they never had the issue where the paint itself was eaten or chipped. So, no harm done!
Birds normally can't tell the difference between other fruits, so you can just paint the rocks the same color as the fruit—it doesn't even have to look exactly the same.
Bonus Berry-tastic Solution
If you want extra protection once your berries have started to grow, @theloveforgardening reveals another hack. Cover your growing berries with a small netting drawstring bag! Tah-dah, no unwanted critters can get to them.
@theloveforgardening How do you protect your strawberries from critters? #strawberries #strawberry #gardening101 #gardeninghacks101 ♬ Gimme More - Britney Spears
It’s A Great Activity To Bond Over
Making art is one of the best ways to bond with your family and loved ones—and painting rocks for your garden may prove more functional!
This way, your garden thrives, crops avoid getting eaten by other animals, and you have fun creating the solution.
When it comes to gardening, the best solutions are often right under our noses—often literally! Make sure to look around for resources that already exist where you are, and just have a little creativity with it.
Rocks, as inconspicuous as they may be, are actually useful and can help your garden yield a lot of crops during harvest!