Fruit tree netting is the ideal way to protect your fruit from pest birds and other small animals. It is lightweight plastic netting that protects the fruit, but also allows light and air to get to the tree. The netting is made of an extruded polypropylene UV protected plastic. It can last from 1 to 2 years, depending on the use and how much sunlight it is exposed to. If you have birds eating up your fruit before you get a chance, installing fruit tree netting is your best bet to protect the fruit.
When to Cover the Trees
Knowing when to cover your fruit trees is important. The trees must not be covered for the entire growing season. If you do this you run the risk of blocking pollinators from reaching the flowers. You should wait until just after pollination when the fruit begins to appear in its green form to cover the tree with the fruit tree netting.
Installation of the Fruit Tree Netting
There are several ways to cover a tree with fruit tree netting.
Create a frame using PVC pipe to attach the netting to. This method keeps the fruit tree netting off of the tree and the fruit, however, if the tree is still in it’s growing phase, you may have to change the size of the frame several times during the growing season.
You can drape the netting over the tree, tying it off around the trunk to keep squirrels and birds from getting to your fruit by climbing up the trunk. The fruit tree netting will sit on the fruit at the ends of the branches, so pest birds can still get to these.
Provide a way to get at the tree to remove the ripe fruit. You can create a flap by cutting into the netting or an overlapping section of netting built into one side of the frame to allow you to slip in between and gather the fruit. Any openings in the netting can be closed off using the Poly Netting Clips or clothespins.
Other Uses for Fruit Tree Netting
Fruit tree netting is also ideal to protect other plants in your garden, such as tomato plants, blueberry bushes and over vegetable crops. The tree netting can also be use on structures such as the eaves of your home to keep swallows from building their nests and keep woodpeckers away from wood sidings.