DIY Apple Tree Perch

[MangoMuttonChops]

Is an Apple tree branch ok to make a perch for Lala our G2? I've been looking and I'm not really finding an answer...

I've seen crabapple are ok but not apple...nothing on apple tree branches. We have an Apple tree in our back yard that's not sprayed.

Should I freeze or bake. Or.....? I've heard of a couple ways...what do y'all suggest?

 

[clark_conure]

If it's not sprayed it's fine, do you see a lot or robins or bluejays keeling over in your backyard?

No it's fine regardless, so long as it's NOT sprayed with pesticides! That is what all the back and forth is about.

 

[MangoMuttonChops]

Oh yay! We were excited to do it for her!

Do you prefer the baking or freezing method?

 

[clark_conure]

I'd bake it just to kill anything in it, like 160degrees for like 5 minutes, that would kill any bacteria or insects or anything.

 

[Jottlebot]

I give my Alexandrine apple tree branches straight from the tree a couple of times a year. I leave the bark and leaves on for him to destroy, not the fruits though. He loves it! I've never frozen, baked or stripped them.

 

[Bryce]

I'd bake it just to kill anything in it, like 160degrees for like 5 minutes, that would kill any bacteria or insects or anything.

Just to clarify, I don't think 160 F for 5 minutes of dry heat won't kill all that much in terms of pathogens. Maybe some less-hardy bugs on the surface. If you mean C, you may be in better shape for killing things on the surface, but the wood will also probably start to get dark. Mainly though, 5 minutes is just not long enough for the inside of the object to warm up, and there may be bug holes and nooks that aren't going to heat up in 5 minutes.

Dry heat needs a long term to sterilize things. It isn't necessary to actually sterilize (i.e. kill literally all life forms on) tree branches, but most of what I've read on the topic suggests it'd be better to use something like 250F / 120C for an hour. In 5 minutes the inside of a thick branch isn't even going to get warm, wood just doesn't conduct heat very well, and pathogens and bugs can be deep within a piece of wood.

 

[MangoMuttonChops]

Thanks everyone. The leaves are good too right.

 

[clark_conure]

According to FDA 160F or 165F is the minimum temp to kill bacteria, and if it's preheated with a 1/2inch branch that should work...If you want to put it in for 9 hours at 500 degrees, I don't care, but 160-165 is the pasteurization lower limit.

 

[Terry57]

I'd bake it just to kill anything in it, like 160degrees for like 5 minutes, that would kill any bacteria or insects or anything.

Just to clarify, I don't think 160 F for 5 minutes of dry heat won't kill all that much in terms of pathogens. Maybe some less-hardy bugs on the surface. If you mean C, you may be in better shape for killing things on the surface, but the wood will also probably start to get dark. Mainly though, 5 minutes is just not long enough for the inside of the object to warm up, and there may be bug holes and nooks that aren't going to heat up in 5 minutes.

Dry heat needs a long term to sterilize things. It isn't necessary to actually sterilize (i.e. kill literally all life forms on) tree branches, but most of what I've read on the topic suggests it'd be better to use something like 250F / 120C for an hour. In 5 minutes the inside of a thick branch isn't even going to get warm, wood just doesn't conduct heat very well, and pathogens and bugs can be deep within a piece of wood.

Agreed! I soak my branches in a bleach/water solution and then bake at 200F for an hour and a half.

 

[Bryce]

According to FDA 160F or 165F is the minimum temp to kill bacteria, and if it's preheated with a 1/2inch branch that should work...If you want to put it in for 9 hours at 500 degrees, I don't care, but 160-165 is the pasteurization lower limit.

Pasteurization does not kill all bacteria, which is a major reason why normal milk still goes bad eventually even if you leave the bottle sealed. Conversely, you can sterilize milk products, which can have an unrefrigerated shelf life of six months. Some people think it tastes funny, which is one reason it isn't more widely used in countries with ubiquitous refrigerators.

I'm sure heating at 160F will kill many bacteria on the branch, though it probably won't kill spores, and I still think it will take longer than five minutes. Milk is a liquid, so if you heat and stir it you can get it to 160F all through its volume pretty fast. A branch, not so much.

I suppose it all depends on what your goals are. I doubt it's necessary to sterilize a branch anyway; when I did it I was mainly concerned about parasites from wild birds. But all of the advice I've heard about the topic suggests temperatures of between 200-250F (93-101C) and times of about an hour.

I am kinda curious how long it takes branches of different diameters to heat up now on the inside of an ordinary household oven. Would be an interesting little project.

 

[MangoMuttonChops]

That's what I was mostly worried about...parasites from wild birds.

Thanks!!

 

[clark_conure]

if not 165F then anything over 212F should kill anything.