Hi All,
Adding some apples and a cherry to an existing field area and for numerous reasons I won’t be able to fence in the entire thing (abuts a river). So going individually fenced/protected is my only option I believe.
Trying to stop the deer, rabbit, and fox pressure before it begins on the trees as they are regularly in the area.
I have some 60 in. Square Deal Non-Climb Horse Fence that is 2" wide x 4" tall openings and mostly 12.5 gauge wire save the top and bottom which is a little heavier. I am thinking of using that and my thought is 3 t-posts evenly around the trees and about a 40" diameter circle. Until the trees get big enough (MM.111 and B.118) to be above it and out of reach which I know will be many years.
I would mulch inside the 40" circle and the outside is regularly mowed grass area. Trees will be 18-20ft apart kind of scattered in a Z shape, not in a row.
I’m open to other ideas! I’m excited for this Spring to get going on fruit trees.
Thoughts?
That’s pretty much what I do. When the tree gets to the top of that fence you will need to jack up the height on the post or they will go over it. I just put things under the fence to raise the height. Later after they are tall enough shrink the ring down to one foot and that will protect from buck rubs.
Fencing the entire area is expensive and doesn’t really work perfect. My neighbors garden looks like a prison and they still get in.
I’d suggest putting hardware cloth around the bottom foot or so of new trees to keep rodents from chewing the bark, and if you have rabbits you might want to go to three feet. Try to get a few inches below the soil line too.
That’s about roughly the size rings I made. You just need it big enough that they can’t stick their tongues through to grab anything. As for the height I started with almost the same fence and it worked great till the trees got to the top. Then the deer started breaking branches from the top. That’s why I was saying jack up the height at that time. I just lifted the cages up and put things under to keep it up. If I could go back in time I’d buy the taller fence, but when I bought it the tall fence was expensive and I was cheap.
I use 50’ rolls of fencing, 6’ tall, cut in two. That gives me about a 6x6 square cage with a little overlap, using 4 t-posts. The trees eventually get cramped otherwise, and it is a bother to have to enlarge the cages. Sometimes I start smaller diameter, overlapping the wire more for future expansion, but still use the same 25’ length. I find pulling posts out to move them very difficult. I also put hardware cloth around the trunks.
I’m not trying to be a negative nancy here. 8 foot tall deer fencing is common around here. My friend mentioned in town there are permits needed to build a fence that tall. Something you may want to check on also.
Sounds like I should just do the 72 in tall and be done with it. Less raising later and it can’t hurt. 84 in fence is a huge jump up in cost for both T post and the fence itself.
The price of fencing is ridiculous. It seems like most anything that is farming related and is steel, is ridiculously priced.
We ran barbwire this past November. One farm store had the same rolls for $10.00 cheaper per roll. I dont shop at that fram store but I had to go in and take a picture for my preferred farm store to price match. I also bought a 1000 clips, they cost 10 cents a piece. 16 foot gates are way up there also. I was shocked how expensive it all was, once it was said and done. I already had the brace posts and t-posts set for that pasture. Just needed wire stretched, tied & clipped and gates.
T-posts run about $1.00 - $1.25 per foot. You can get a 1/4 mile (1320 foot) of barb wire for $60 - $70 a roll. Space the barb wire on 1 foot centers to build your height. Barb wire might be the cheapest and just as effective route if all your trying to do is discourage deer. Be careful with barb wire it can be pretty dangerous to install.
Bush hogging/mowing a woven wire fence row is difficult. But with the lowest wire 1 foot off the ground, it’s much easier to maintain.
For rabbits, mice, rats amd other tree girding critters. I use 2 foot tall hardware cloth. I cut it about the same diameter as a coffee can. That way I can reach down inside to pull weeds and prune suckers.
What’s the size of the area your looking to fence off?
Yes a dime a clip is crazy talk but that’s what they cost me.
310 × 95 is more than doable. My garden is 120 x120 I split it down the center to rotate chickens every other year. I did it in woven wire with 2 strands of barb wire 6 and 12 inches above the woven wire. Then I J clipped 2 foot tall chicken wire around the entire outside. We havent seen any evidence of rabbits or deer in there at all.
J clipping chicken wire to the woven wire was easy, but it was time consuming. This set up does not deter racoons when the sweet corn is coming in to ready. I put my dog in there at night and take him out during the day. His presence alone is enough to deter racoons.
I dont bury the hardware cloth because the tree roots would most likely try and grow through it. I push it down just enough to free stand and can still be pulled up easily. It really stays in place by a good thick layer of mulch. I suppose that’s another benifit to hardware cloth it helps keep much away from the tree trunk and allows the trunk and graft union to get airflow.
Have you thought of using 6’ plastic tree tubes. Cheaper and far easier than using t-post & fencing on each tree. Also far easier to maintain as you can mow or weed whack right up to the trunk as the plastic protects the trunk from damage. I recently started using them on my new plants, and I far prefer them to the old school method of fencing each tree.
I have saved money on posts by using 1/2" rebar. I buy a 20’ piece and have it cut into 3 sections by the store. Cheaper than t-posts. This year I used 4 sections around a couple of plums and wrapped with plastic netting like you use for strawberries. I use string or baling twine to tie wires and netting on, easy to remove and reposition. So far it has worked to keep out deer. I don’t have rabbits and once in awhile a raccoon wanders through but don’t seem to stay. I also raise my wire, 2" x 4" x 4’, off the ground so I can use weed whacker.
Also, I use a chunk of about 1" pipe with a cap to pound in rebar and if it is tough to pull up and move I use a pipe wrench to loosen it.
The model I ordered was the split tube that you wrap around the tree and zap strap it together with removable zip ties. I didn’t want the solid tubes that you have to slide the tube up/down over the tree to see how the tree is doing inside. With the split tubes and removable zip ties you can easily open the tube if you want to peak inside to see how your tree is doing.
Search the forum for threads regarding tree tubes. There are plenty of comments regarding their usage. I don’t recall anyone complaining about that being a big problem with the tubes. Most comments about using tree tubes were very positive. I live on an island where there are no voles, so I have no worries there. Although I can’t personally see the tubes being any better or worse for nuisance critters than using standard fencing around your young trees. Fortunately I don’t have to deal with voles.
I used half inch rebar for a stake. Pretty simple to install with a pole pounder.
I’ve also used rebar for stakes, as well as bamboo and conduit.
I’m following this discussion because last year I had groundhogs chewing the trunks of
My mature pawpaws. This had never happened before but in the spring I had removed simple 1/2 inch chicken wire “rings” of about 30 inch diameter that had been around each tree for years.
I removed them because leaves would get trapped in them and fruit too etc. they were just a bit of a nuisance.
So I need to either put those back or go with plastic guards. My concern with the latter is cost and unintended damage to the trees…
I plant the trees with a stake and staple a loop of chicken wire around it. 2ft (as was said 3 is better) hardware cloth, pressed into the ground but not burried becuase the roots will grow through it. The loop of chicken wire overlaps starts a foot or two off the ground because the trunk is protected by the hardware cloth. The wire goes up about 6 feet. Deer prun anything low that sticks out and will push the wire to try and nibble on the leaves. The get some but the trees live. Ocasionally the nock the whole thing down but the trees are wrapped in wire so the cant eat them. Its the cheapest option and keeps trees alive.
but 10 cents for a clip is rough. I think I was paying 4 or so cents for a t post clip last season.