It is almost that time to bag again. Here is a review crash course below.
Tony
It is almost that time to bag again. Here is a review crash course below.
Tony
Tony,
Could you please show me the hairnet you used for bagging stone fruit. If it’s something OFM and PC could not lay eggs through, I’d try them.
Here it is. I tie it with a small rubber band.
Tony
Tony,
Is it breathable?
What do you do when you need to spray?
They are breathable and I don’t spray them. They are large enough to cover several fruits together with one if I needed it to.
Tony
Thanks, Tony. I recall you used it on plums, right? Did you cover other fruit with this cap?
I tested it out with stone fruits and pom fruits. You can try it out and let me know if you like it. I am going to trial the Nitrile glove fingers this year just for experiment.
Tony
Yup, we keep trying until one of us find something that works well. Then, we’d hire a patent lawyer, right?
Thanks Tony for posting this, I think I will try your hair bags on some of my peaches and nectarines this year. We have a problem with dried fruit beetles right before our peaches and nectarines ripen up, so placing them in those breathable bags a week before they ripen ought to work well without decreasing brix to much! Plastic bags would not work here its too hot. I may try them all season on my apples in the future too, but not until we start loosing more apples to codling moth. So glad I read this thread!
There have been several discussion about organza bags. So far, OFM and PC are able to either puncture the material and/or lay eggs through the holes. If you can put them on without fruit touching bags, that will work. It is difficult because wind and rain could make bags touch fruit eventually.
I have started to bag using organza bags this year on apples and pears. I used Ziploc bags previously but the apples that have full day sun exposure would get sunburned.
I also tried Ziploc bags on about half of Asian pears last year and that was a disaster. The pears appeared to have been cooked. The flesh looked translucent and texture was weird. There seemed to be a lot more condensation inside the bags. Brown paper bags are good for pears but a lot of work too to cut and staple, plus one can’t tell when a pear starts to turn color without opening the bag to peek.
So, I’m hoping organza bags take care of all the problems and inconvenience. Just hope that the coddling moths won’t be able to attack through the mesh.
I did notice that squirrels were less attracted to the Ziploc bagged apples. Probably because they couldn’t smelled them that well?? Well, I’ll see if they will be more attracted to the organza bagged apples.
Yes, In a warmer zone, a zip loick bag ( with two bottom conered cut off) method could have a negative effect as you described. In fact, one year, my pear in zip lock bags became russeted comparing with the unbagged ones.
I don’t have the russeting issue with apples. My zone is not hot enough to cook apples in bags. Thanks for reminding us about what could happen in warmer zones.
Yes i have seen them mentioned before but never got to see one until yesterday, they seem very easy to put on. So far, OFM and PC have not been an issue. Its the dried fruit beetle/sap beetle, known to be a particular pest to figs, but they also attack my best peaches and nectarines. I am hoping to bag just a week or two before fruit ripens and willing two double up bags if needed. They were quite cheap, about $12 fo 100 bags. I will report back the results this fall.
No OFM, No PC. I’m moving to where you are I have tons of organza bags of different sizes. I put them on peaches and spray Surround on top. More work I know but this way, less Surround sticking to actual fruit.
What about grapes ?
Anybody bagging grapes ?
What do you use ?
Tried with plastic bag years ago , it cooked them
I’ve used the organza bags a bit, with mixed results. I’m sure they help some and my technique could be improved (didn’t know what to expect the first time). Some creatures either get in through the tied area or, (likely) I didn’t put them on soon enough…so I had some problems with my apples. I think they would be great for grapes because the only issue I’ve had was yellow jackets. They will not get in the bags. The price is right on those bags and I’m going to work with them more. They’re reusable.
One big sheer fabric bag over my cherry tree works for me. It keeps the fruit flies coons and birds away. I could not delay putting it on, the fruit is starting to ripen.
In the hot weather of socal, after just a few weeks the White OR Caps disintegrate into small, flaky blobs that are everywhere in the yard, and yet very hard to remove from the branches. It is the most environmental toxic things I have ever seen. After they broke down the fruit have no protection.