I don’t see a general thread for building netting systems over anything. Please move this if there is and I missed it. I know there are a lot of DIY netting suggestions in all the threads, but thought a localized place would be a lot easier. Please post your creative netting solutions.
I am in need of a good netted structure for my raspberries. I am planning on using a concept I saw in a fruit tree protection video: 3/4” conduit on either side of the row with 1/2” pvc arc at the top and fed into each side. I used to protect my veg gardens with the 1/2” arced over and attached to the sides, so I have a lot laying around. I need to put a bolt of some sort through to stop it the pvc from sliding down (if they slide?) and then will net over it all. The goal is to make a structure that leaves enough room for everything to grow and is easier for me to get int and stand up underneath.
Indeed. This year the good crop of blueberries literally went to the birds. Definitely will be interested how netting and crop protecting tactics are working for everyone.
My recommendation is a woven polyethylene (PE) net with a 3/8-inch mesh. 3/8-inch mesh is stronger than 1-inch mesh and it goes nicely on any tree structure, it doesn’t tangle much with branches. It stretches well, making it easy to put on and take off.
You can tie knots to secure it, and they’re easy to untie when it’s time to remove the net. Overall, I’ve found this type of net much easier to work with than other options.
Amazon sells them, some nets of this type are advertised as pool leaf covers.
I usually go with 30’x30’ size for cover entire tree with a single net.
Good idea for a thread. I lost most of my blueberries to blackbirds last year and finally rigged up a PVC frame with 3/4 inch mesh this season. Held up well so far, the key for me was making sure the net sits away from the fruit rather than draping directly on the bush. Birds just peck through anything that touches.
My berries protective system. Bottom 4 ft is covered with hardware cloth, top half and the top are covered with cheap bird nettings. It has protected my raspberries for 2 years now and hopefully will do the same for the blueberries when they fruit. Will also trial some strawberries under the blueberry plants in the near future.
When driving to a friend’s house I’ve often passed Rocky Point Blueberry Farm in RI. I used to be confused by the extensive netting over the whole thing:
DannyToro, I’ve getting up and going out between 6:30 and 7am to pick so that I can beat the birds. I’m out there in a tee shirt nighty, but my neighbors can’t see me! I’ve found it to actually be much more pleasant to pick at that time of day. It’s still cool and the bugs aren’t as bad as I would have thought. The birds arrive and scream at me from surrounding trees–grackles and blue jays mostly. I’m thinking that Eme’s setup might be a great solution. I have forty blueberry bushes with ten or so in other locations, but the main bushes are probably about ten shrubs in each of three rows. Others are around the fence to the vegetable garden and by the driveway between my neighbor and me.
When I first planted them, I tried using that bird netting that has one inch or so squares, sort of like a badminton net. I took it off because the birds were able to get in underneath and then get trapped or twisted in the netting. it was awful and made picking very difficult, too.
The cane fruit row behind them are getting hit pretty hard, especially the blackberries
I’ve been pondering the best solution to cover both. I’ve been thinking of placing a 10ft 4x4 at the end of the rows and running a wire between them. And draping the net over the wire.
Here’s how NOT to net- don’t do a fast fix solution in the beginning of summer and then think your pruned primocanes won’t grow up to and through it, and fruit before you blink. Irritating. No idea how I’ll get to fruit under the net now. So much for fixing it this weekend, now a winter project.
The wire-between-posts idea works well for cane rows, I ran a line about 6ft up and just drape the netting over it each season. Easy to pull off for picking and back on again. Main thing is getting the net all the way to the ground and pegging it, otherwise things get under it anyway.
This worked well for protecting my tifblue rabiteye blueberry… just tposts, garden stakes and bird netting.
But it was a pain to detach the sides from the bottom rods and raise them up for picking…. one side at a time… My wife and I had to work together to get that done.
I have a row of blueberries there 16 ft long…x 7 ft wide. I need a good way to protect all that… that allows for easy harvest (picking).
Without protection we get a small fraction of the berries.. the birds get the rest. With protection we get the large majority.
The best solution to protective netting is post 8. Cover everything with overhead netting. No moving it around or taking it off to pick.
And I can only think of one solution ever presented here that was better: my greenhouse in Alpine TX. It virtually solved every issue and gave me control over season length and temperature. No damage or losses from freezes, wind, birds, coons, insects, diseases, etc etc. And all done organically.!! Everywhere else on this forum there are piecemeal solutions to every problem under the sun: birds, dozens of diseases, animal issues, weather issues, insect issues, etc, etc. The only thing that solved all of these and gave me control of chilling, heat, and season length was my greenhouse.
Think about a bigger integrated solution that covers more bases, That’s what I’m going to do in my next setup in a bit different climate.
About twenty years ago I was in Japan in a small city north of Tokyo and almost every vacant lot in that area had either vegetable gardens or orchards. The orchards were mostly netted with approximately ten foot posts and netting. I wasn’t growing anything then or I would have taken better notes.
Thanks Joao, I will proceed with the wire idea next spring.
I took down my net from the temporary structure today. It’s the woven polyethylene kind (American nettings). It had a lot of holes in it and took a while to go through and do repairs with zip ties (no idea if this is the best way but seemed reasonable).
I’m not sure if the netting is just fragile or the birds are making the holes. It might explain why I had a lot more success with doubling up on the nets this year
