A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2004 Pinecone bird feeder

On Christmas I was going to take a few pinecones over to work on with nieces... attaching wire to base and then slathering with creamy peanut butter in all the nooks and crannies...then rolling in bird seed ......but that night it was rainy and cold.....when I went out to grab the cones they were closed up.....

Bummer.........are they still not dried thoroughly enough or will they do that even after dried completely.....how long do they take to dry and how do I speed up the processs.....low oven??? or after they are dry will they still close with the rainy cold weather.

Would still like to share the project with nieces.....
What do I do????

Can you leave them inside your house?
In a card board box...(like you do with an apple)
Should be warm enough there????

I've never done them in an oven or anything???
Probably could put it on really low heat for
a period of time..??? Have to watch it.......

Might smell your stove up of pine scent???
I know it does when you cook dirt....
I didnt' do it, Paul James "The Gardener Guy" did it on HGTV, he said it smells gross.....
I think he also did it in his outdoor grill.???

Weezie

If they are totally dried will they not close back up with the cold and rain......I don't want peanut butter oozing out when it closes! :rolleyes:

Weezie did your suggestion and brought the pinecones inside in a box to dry last night!

Got a question for you Weezie.....guess how many pinecones 5 cats can play with? :p

All that they can get their paws on????

Karen,
Not sure on the pine cones,
I would think that once they are dried,
they should stay opened, I think it's when
they are just fresh off the tree and they
still haven't seasoned yet??????????????

Experiment with it, get a bunch and do a test..
Keep some to dry inside and dry 'em good.
Start some early and see what they do???
I'd think if they were already dry they should be ok!

Weezie

Yep they dumped the box and batted them around everywhere! Even had one in the bathroom....wonder how many I missed!

Yep going to do an experiment! and also stick some in the oven....

Just thought you would get a kick out of what I came home to this morning!
Thanx Weezie

hey Karen, you can put them in the oven on a foil lined rack or pan (the foil is VERY important!) on about 150-225. that will dry them and hopefully open them. once they are fully opened, the will not close. not even in the rain and cold.

the reason for the foil is that there will be some sap drip and if it gets in your oven... well, let's just say, i wouldn't want to clean the mess!

Thank you for the advice of using the aluminum foil! That would of been a real mess or wind up having to purchase another pan!
How long do you think it will take????

Maybe I could dry them in the evenings while its cooler and use the heat to warm up the house! Would they be okay all night?

actually, that is exactly what i would do. they will be fine overnight if you use the lowest setting.