SNAKES FOR MY KEY LIME TREE

For my birthday, my friend gave me a key lime tree.  I got to choose the one I wanted.  So, I went to my favorite nursery, Shades of Green.  They had several trees that had baby key limes all over them.  I was so excited!  They told me it needed to be in a pot, so I could bring it in when the weather was really cold.  I brought it home, got it planted in a large blue and white ceramic pot and it looked so beautiful!!  For a couple of days I watched it and could hardly wait til the key limes got big enough for me to use them in my tea and make limeade.  One morning, I looked out of my kitchen window and there were grackles (big black birds) all over it, eating my key limes.  Ohhhhhh!!  I ran out and chased them off.  A friend suggested snakes would scare them and keep them off of my tree.  So, I went to the dollar store and found some play snakes and put two of them in the branches of my key lime tree.

I'm very happy to say that putting snakes in my key lime tree has TOTALLY worked!  Every couple of days, I change the limbs the snakes are hanging on.  During the hot summer months, there were no blossoms or baby key limes.  Finally, when the weather cooled off, my tree started blooming and producing baby key limes, again.  This second batch is doing really well and they are close to the size when I will be able to pick them.  I check them every day, hoping the squirrels or birds haven't gotten to them, first.

I think they're supposed to be the size of ping pong balls before I can pick them and I can hardly wait!  But, the very first ones, I'm giving to my very generous friend. 

Thank you for my key  lime tree!!