Birdbath with no cracks/ drainage

2 years ago

When I moved house, I inherited a couple of birdbaths left by the previous owner. For various reasons I’m not motivated to use as birdbaths even though I try to attract birds, to feeders, plantings.

One of them is pretty deep for what I think birds prefer. When we moved here, it was planted with creeping Jenny, which died out, perhaps due due wet/ freezing, or drought, of both. I have a slight cracked small, low birdbath of “my own” that so far is working well for hens& chicks. Since the bath bowl is non- draining, I’ve been reluctant to try to re- plant even with say all gritty mix, because I think it’ll stay soggy/ frozen in winter. And I guess I’m not up for drilling a hole, as would need a masonry bit or something. Then I saw a garden magazine picture of a bowl planter or something, that was set tilted down on some kind of frame. I am wondering whether I want to try to do something like that— probably have to use rocks to prop up— to as interest, or white just try to give it away! Both parts are so heavy I can’t lift by myself. Also, it’s fairly white in color, no real patina, so there’s that. But one could choose plantings & surrounding to mitigate that. Anybody else figured out how to plant a non- draining birdbath bowl?

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Comments (4)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
2 years ago
Bite the bullet and drill a hole. You can buy a masonry bit for a buck or two.

For any given grow medium, the shallower the pot the greater the % of saturated soil at maximum water-holding capacity/ container capacity. So, if you use a grow medium that supports 4" of perched water in a 4" deep pot, the soil column will be 100% saturated after a thorough watering. Using the same medium in a 12" deep pot leaves the top 2/3 of the soil free of perched water. Trying to grow semps (and most other plants) in a birdbath w/o a drain hole will almost certainly prove to be a fruitless exercise.

Al
marmiegard_z7b
Original Author
2 years ago
Al, thank you. I am not surprised, despite Shoshone magical thinking . For some reason I convinced myself I could never drill a hole in it. I have an electric ( corded) drill that has bits that go up to about 1/2”. Maybe only 3/8”. If all I need is to buy a special drill bit, perhaps I can give it a go.
I agree that it’s either give it away as a birdbath, or if I want a planter, it needs a hole.
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marmiegard_z7b
Original Author
2 years ago
Not sure where Shoshone came from! Weird autocorrect.
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
2 years ago
You only need 1 hole. Buy a 5/16 - 1/2" masonry bit. Drill from top down with a little water with dishsoap or antifreeze in the bath to act as a coolant, which prolongs the life of the tool. Lift the drill out of the hole from time to time as you drill so the water can get to the bottom of the hole. Lifting the bit from the hole clears the pulverized concrete/cement out of the hole and allows the water to penetrate all the way to the bottom to cool the tool's cutting edges. Rinse the bath thoroughly as dishsoap and antifreeze are both toxic to birds.

Al