Re- evaluating bagging fruit

[barry]

You’re probably right. Almost every pear on my neighbors pineapple pear across the street has curc scars. I’m sure I’ll get hammered soon enough. I bought some footies too, perhaps those will not advance the ripening as much as ziploc.

[NuttingBumpus]

At least stewed!

[Derby42]

Looking at some different options, anyone have any input on the below?

[mrsg47]

What would stop a squirrel from gnawing through the small mesh and ripping the apple off of the tree? Good for everything else if you spray first.

[Derby42]

Hopefully I won’t have any squirrels when my peaches are on the tree. I try to keep them cleaned out. I was hoping to stop plum curculios

[ltilton]

That’s what the bags are useful for

[Derby42]

The one above is for fish bait and the mesh seems a little large. Also, maybe the bag would not expand enough. Last year I bagged peaches in nylon stockings I cut up. I took a foot stocking and cut it in half. The top half had a thicker cuff and seemed to protect the fruit better

[patrick]

I tried ten types of bags. Some ordered direct from Japan, some from China. Clemson and Footsie and Organza… I think I have used em all over the last four years.
Now I think I have a winner. Squirrel proof!
This is what it looks like. (Heavier mesh than Organza). 15x25 cm size. I get Japanese quality Apples. $10 each in their makets! https://www.ebay.com/itm/192219913513

if link dies, search ebay for “Useful Garden Netting Protect Bag Plant Fruit Against Insects Mosquito Bug”

[patrick]

the BEST

[Ahmad]

I used these for my tomatoes last year to protect them from birds, and the rate of tomato loss to birds dropped by 90%, so I highly recommend them… They don’t work well for peaches though because of the short stem of the peach fruit. Not sure how good they will be against squirrels because squirrels didn’t typically raid my tomatoes (except cherry).

[mamuang]

Patrick,
Were you successful using them against OFM and PC? I could not tell from your post.

[patrick]

We only have PC problem on Plums here; one spray with Imidan at petal fall and one spray 10 days to 2 weeks later usually takes care of them.

Stinkbug is now a big problem but I think I beat these bxxxards with these bags.

Don’t know about Oriental Fruit Moth … maybe they are coming…?

[mamuang]

Thank you for your reponse. You have less pest pressure than me. We have about two generations of PC and several generation of Oriental fruit moths.

We also have coddling moths, stink bugs and apple maggot flies. And they attack all stone fruit, not just plums. Stink bugs and CM esp. do damage on apples and pears, too.

[Quill]

I have had good luck with Surround-soaked footies against CM and apple maggots in my area. I just try to spritz the footie after a hard rain with more Surround. The downside is less colored fruit unless the footies come off a few weeks prior to shipping. They don’t stop squirrels and racoons from stealing fruit.

[Bigdoug03]

I’m trying an experiment this year. It seems like the organza bags work well, with the exception that bugs can lay eggs or bite through them in places where the bag touches the skin of the fruit. I thought I could make a “cage” the went inside the bag and held it off the fruit. I really hate spraying, and it would be really awesome if bagging would let me grow peaches with no sprays.

Here is my first prototype:

!

[Reg]

Ive thought of something like this for peaches n plums, wow. Update after a season, nice idea.

What are the cages made of?

[northwoodswis4]

I had often thought of a device like that, but covered with fine screen wire, like the little sieves you can buy, but two of them stuck together. I figured it would be too expensive to manufacture to make it feasible. This looks like it could be made much more cheaply. Is it big enough to hold a large peach?

[SpudDaddy]

How long do these bags last?

[Bigdoug03]

They are 3D printed PET plastic. I don’t expect them to last more than a year as they’re not UV stabilized.

[patrick]

#Bigdoug03 I think my Coarse Mesh bags may work for you …see my post above … better than Organza