Ziploc bag design change for 2020

I have made a few changes to my ziploc bags for 2020. It will take weeks/months to determine if the changes help. I’m attempting to get better water drainage with a minimal bag preparation time. The top cut out is to increase viability of the bag zip on the stem. I used slits instead of clipping the corners. Looking forward to see your design and comments.


After bag preparation.

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Bill,
Love your creativity. I am not sure if slits would work better than clipping of large chunks at both lower corners. There are times when inside of the bag stuck together so tightly I had to pull it apart so air could flow around the fruit. With slits, would it be harder to let air flow during such sticky condition.

I assume this is for apples. I am in colder zone so I don’t worry about sun burn or cooked apples in plastic bags. Please let us know how this new design works out for you this year.

If it does better than the typical two-cut-corner bags, don’t forget to call a patent lawyer :smile:

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I have the same problem with the bag sticking together. It’s easy to cut the corners off 10 bags at a time with heavy shears. I do big corner cuts. Probably 2" to 3" at the hypotenuse. Otherwise many of them seal themselves shut and start holding water.
I’ve become pretty fast at making the bags. Grab 10, snip the two corners off of all 10, then lay them down and get the cut through the zipper just right (not cutting the bag at all) with each bag one at a time. it really doesn’t take that long to do a huge box of bags. I saved tons of bags from last year too- the ones that fell off after just a few weeks. That will save me a little time this year.

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I forgot to mention slits 3 and 9. While the fruit is small and not pulling downward water collects at these places. These two slits should allow the water to flow out at least in theory.

Your design looks interesting especially incorporating the 3/9 cuts. I hope you do a follow up report about your design at the end of the fruiting season.

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This year i’ve gone to cutting off the bottom entirely, leaving the flap above the zipper on there and cutting through only one side of the zipper. I dont have much bug pressure, just a few curcs and no coddling moth (of course they will probably hit this year haha). My main goal is to keep the rain off and keep them as cool as possible. My unbagged apples seem to get summer rot. Very few bagged ones have rotted for me.

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I saw a photo from another thread where the ziploc logo was sun-tanned into the apple. It makes me wonder if it would be worthwhile to intentionally make some designs. Perhaps I could put a Jesus silhouette on my Jonagolds, and sell them on ebay…

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The one side cut is interesting and I will try adding a few with this method. Do they seem to stay on the stem well? My bagged apples are cleaner looking than the ones without bags.

They stay on just fine. Make sure to cut far enough through so the stem doesnt get squeezed too tight. I guess its more work because you have to open the bag to make the cut. But cutting both seemed to leave more sharp edges that damaged some stems for me.

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Some of my goldrush get sunburn in the bags. Anyone figured out how to incorporate a little shade into the bag design?

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These sharp edges may help explain all my drops last year. Plus there’s a lot of wind here.

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What am i talking about. Its not more work to open the bag to cut the one side. You have to open the bag eventually anyway!

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It may have contributed. I know sone of mine even looked a bit fireblight-ish at the damaged stem area.

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Too bad I just finished cutting 240 bags my old way- cutting both sides of the zipper! I can do at least a box of single side zipper cut and compare results.

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Do 67% old and 33% new. then you dont potentially waste as many old ones and you learn something on relative performance.

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Wow, yeah, one side of the zipper is genius! That will make the process go that much faster.

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Four Sundowner apples from a 2019 graft that are somewhat secure in a ziploc bag. Thanks @barry

I’ve used a hole punch in the Center of the bag/ zipper part. Seems to work well around the stem.

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Good idea. I’ve finished bagging but I think a redo with some of the new input of ideas are in order. Is your hole punch the normal notebook opening size?

Yes, just a regular paper hole punch.

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