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Turf Titmouse perch on bird feeder hanging off pole as other Titmouse approaches in a dawn setting

How to put a bird feeder pole in the ground

Impaling a simple pole with a spike on the end in the ground may seem like an easy task, but in fact there can be some obstacles to overcome in the process.

How to put a bird feeder pole in the ground is by hand, forcing into a lawn or turf spot only, under the weight of your body. Aim for a 1 foot depth, while avoiding more width which can lead to a leaning pole. If the pole can be disassembled, do so to impale the spike in the ground first, then put the pole back together again.

When studying where to put a bird feeder pole in the ground, be sure its a safe, secure location to hang bird feeders in the yard.

Aim for a spot in the open on the lawn or turf, in which a pole will impale with ease.

Take the fully assembled bird feeding station pole or shepherd's hook, then stab it into the ground while maintaining an upright angle at all times.

Feeder poles can be disassembled for shipping, if this applies to you then use the spike end only to impale in the ground. Then proceed to screw the other sections together only after the pole spike has been impaled in at a minimum of 1 foot in the ground.

How to get birds to use bird feeder on a pole should come at little effort, while impaling the pole into the ground - it can't hurt to see the bird feeders too high, rather than see bird feeders hanging too low to the ground.

And if you plan to deter squirrels climbing the bird feeder pole, you'd need length to allow you to mount the squirrel baffle as far up the pole as you can spare.

Difficulty in impaling a pole into the ground, is the ground being too hard at this time.

No need to wait until it rains as a bucket of boiling hot water can soften up the lawn or turf in summertime, or hotter climates.

Simply impale pole in ground

How you would go about putting a bird feeder pole in the ground is to simply impale it into a soft turf area of the lawn.

You may want to wait until the ground has soften up due to rainfall, but with a little effort you can simply impale the pole in the ground.

Shepherd's hooks or bird feeding station metal poles are likely to be made with a spike on the end - as this will mean you can stab it into the ground. If no spike happens to be present, you would still need to impale into the ground, though this time with a blunt end.

Bird feeder poles are only a maximum half-inch wide so this would be narrow enough for anyone to force in what would be essentially a solid metal pole.

At this point you will only push the pole into the spot you chosen by hand - while using your body weight to force the pole all the way into ground.

To avoid the pole becoming unstable you'd need to force the pole in at a 90 degree angle only, or else you'll produce additional hole space around the pole in the ground that would lead to the bird feeder pole leaning.

Slide 1 foot down minimum

How far you need to impale the bird feeder pole into the ground is at a minimum of 1 feet only, or more if the manufacturer says so.

Why you need a foot deep pole insert is basically how you would keep the bird feeder pole straight, for the coming years it will be used.

Less than a foot can see a metal pole with what will be top-heavy, fully loaded up bird feeders - hanging off at the very top - will see the pole gradually lean over with difficulty putting back straight.

If the pole leans then it will create a wide hole, in which the hole must be filled with gravel to strengthen it - or you'd have to place the bird feeder pole in a new location.

I promise if you can get the pole into the ground surface at first... then forcing it in all the way up to a foot should come easy.

In impaling the bird feeder pole into the ground, with an option to force it in above the minimum 1 foot into the ground - be mindful of bird feeders must be hung at least 5-6 feet off the ground.

To insert the metal pole too far in the ground the bird feeders can be too close to the ground, leading to all sorts of trouble ahead.

Hammer in lower end

Impaling a metal pole into the ground can come at a single spike, or multiple spikes of three or four spread out for more balance.

Regardless, forcing a metal pole in the ground can come at great difficulty for many of you.

I therefore ask you to find what can be a hammer, mallet a heavy wooden post if you don't use tools - to assist you getting the pole into the ground.

As the pole would be near 6-7ft. high when fully assembled, it won't be easy to hammer the pole in the ground, as the top end would be out of reach for everyone.

What you'd need to do then, if made available, is to disassemble the pole. Often the spike can be removed to allow you to impale it into the ground independently from the rest of the pole length.

If this relates to you then do so by forcing it to the ground by hand, use a hammer or mallet - or why not push in the pole with your feet.

If forcing in the bird feeder pole via a hammer or mallet or any object to bang in the pole, please apply a cloth on the end of the pole, to protect it as its being knocked

Soften turf in boiling hot water

What will ultimately be the downside to impaling a bird feeder pole into the ground, is indeed the ground itself will be far to hard to penetrate.

I am referring to the lawn or a bit of turf in your yard at this point, as obviously you won't get a metal pole in concrete.

Where you want to place the bird feeder pole can be too hard to impale even with a spike on the end, or indeed if its a blunt pole - so then wait until it rains, its simple.

Well, why wait when you can simply pour on bucket loads of hot water into the place you wish to impale the pole in the ground. What will happen is the top layer will soften, with the water penetrating deeper to allow a pole to go in all the way.

Don't overdo wetting the spot as it will become to saturated, in which would lead to the impaled pole not standing upright; thus the pole would have to be held by you or balanced somehow until the lawn dries up.

Soften up the turf or lawn with one or two bowls of boiling hot water, then proceed to wait five minutes to allow the dampness to penetrate deeper into the ground.

Conclusion

How to put a bird feeder pole in the ground is by making use of the sharp spike on the end of the pole, to simply impale into the lawn or turf by force.

Grab the pole in the center then force it downwards, while at the same time use a sort of screwing motion to get in through the top layer of soil.

If the bird feeder pole can be taken apart in one or three parts, do so as you can use the spike end only; in which you can impale into the ground by foot or some sort of hammer, to fully assemble the pole by screwing to its other parts.

Depth you'd need to impale the pole into the ground is up to 1 foot minimum, and if the instructions says more, then do so to prevent the pole tipping.

Force the bird feeder pole into the ground at a 90 degree angle only, to avoid creating additional width in the hole in the ground - which can see the pole lean over.

If you can't force the pole into the ground by hand, then use a heavy wooden post to hammer it in, or use a hammer or mallet with some kind of cloth to prevent the pole being damaged in the process.

When all else fails, with chance of forcing the bird feeder pole into what would be a too hard lawn or turf, then simply soften it up by pouring over bowls of boiling hot water.

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