WANTED: Good ways to discourage birds

Oh my gosh, where did you get the birdbath???

You need to use woven netting and not monofilament and patience in developing the simple skill of tying a net over (and under) a tree. Nets saved my plum harvest this year and that of a couple of customers. For one of them it was also required to protect peaches. The first round was destroyed there by birds but after netting they got more beautiful peaches than they could possibly use.

A long piece of bamboo is ideal for draping netting over a tree, but any light long pole will do, and if you have a helper it only takes 5 minutes to drape a net over a good sized tree and secure it to the trunk- maybe 15 if you work alone.

This is the best price I could find for adequately strong netting that can be reused. It didn’t trap or kill a single bird at all the sites I used it. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Meanchen+Bird+Netting+for+Garden+50x50+Ft%2C1"+Mesh+Garden

I’m sorry, but in my experience and in the commercial industry, netting is the only viable option. You can’t very well use loud noise methods if you have nearby neighbors or even if you want peace on your property and that is the only other proven option when local birds are eating your fruit. .

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I should add that I’ve been using nets for decades and usually without any kind of framework, but if you do want to use a frame I recommend you use the trees branches and trunk and electric tape to secure pipe or wood to the tree very quickly. There is nothing wrong with draping the netting directly over the tree and that is what I did every time this year. You just sometimes have to be a little patient when the net gets stuck on a small projection on the trees branches and push the net away in the right direction to release it (reverse of the direction it got stuck). Even on J. plums with all their sharp nubs this is not a deal breaker and easy to overcome.

It’s also important to install the nets and remove them within the narrowest time frame necessary to protect the fruit. The net should be removed immediately following harvest. Otherwise it does more damage to the tree, to the net and takes more time to remove.

There are many small skills required to successfully grow fruit in your yard unless you are gifted with a site relatively free from pests. This is why so many gardeners stop with tomatoes and squash.

However, if you can put in the required time the payoff is greater for many gardeners than anything else you can grow. It is the ultimate gardening accomplishment.

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I have done this for blueberries and it’s great. I can walk around and harvest even. Although I use garden staples to hold net down. It is a must to have it closed. I leave one area where net draped a couple feet on ground and lift that area to get in without moving staples. American green netting lasts about five years or longer. Fix holes with zip ties.

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Used to but the stuff has changed. It’s weaker and much more expensive- the source I linked is less than half the price and just as strong. It’s also black which makes it disappear, which is good in my business. The green stuff is pretty ugly. More importantly, you can get it in a larger size for trees that can’t be covered with a 30’ piece. Tying pieces together is extremely time consuming.

Do you have some cats you can let loose there, or put on some body harnesses and long cords?