An ornamental bird feeder composed of a plastic foam disk saturated with a melted agar that has one of more surfaces thereof covered with bird seed before the agar is permitted to cool to a gel state to entrap the bird seed. A hanging tab consisting of a length of wire has one end thereof embedded within the plastic disk with the other end serving to support the bird feeder from an overhead structure. Suitable food color may be added to the agar while in the liquid state for aesthetic and bird attracting properties. Conventional muffin pan molds may be employed or the molds may be custom made in the desired shapes by hand forming the mold(s) from aluminum foil.
A bird feeder station including a clear plastic canopy provided with a hanging line for suspension thereof from an overhead structure and three depending chain supports for wire baskets containing bird seed suspended under the protection of the canopy. Each wire basket contains a porous plastic foam core saturated with a gelatin and multiple bird seed embedded within at least one gelatin surface coating on the plastic core. The process involves placing the plastic core in an open mold, spooning a quantity of hot gelatin containing multiple bird seed over the exposed surface of the plastic, refrigerating the gelatin coated plastic core to solidify the gelatin-bird seed coating thereon; turning the plastic over to expose a different side and repeating the spooning of the hot gelatin and refrigeration thereof for all sides and top (if desired) of the plastic core.
A melted gelatin (specific example agar) is employed to saturate a plastic foam disk and, after solidification, to provide a medium to promote seed germination and plant growth. After germination, the seed and gelatin saturated disk are transferred to a growth container for additional plant growth prior to transfer of the plant to soil. The growth containers are divided into upper and lower chambers by transverse bamboo rods (FIGS. 3 and 5) or piano wire lengths (FIG. 4) with the gelatin saturated disk and seedling(s) placed in the upper chamber and the lower chamber provided with water, water containing plant food, agar, or nutrient gelatin.
