Author Topic: Fruit netting  (Read 2494 times)

davholla

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Fruit netting
« on: May 14, 2020, 22:13:10 »
We seem to have more gooseberry bushes this year and don't have enough netting.  Is there a good cheap place to buy this from?
We do have Wilkos, Poundland, B&Q, Homebase and Dobbies near us, better to go to one of those or one online?
Or stupid question is it possible to make your own.

Also how long would you take to cover one bush with netting?  It seems to take us a long time - which could be not doing it right.
Also how long do we have to do it before the gooseberries get taken by the pigeons?

Obelixx

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2020, 22:21:44 »
Can you not make a permanent fruit cage over them all or maybe individual frames covered in net?   That way you can either walk in to weed, prune, harvest if you make a cage or just lift off each individual frame to get at each shrub.   https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/allotments/allotment-styles/fruit-cages

I find insect netting isn't that expensive and would last longer and be easier to handle if stretch over and attached to some sort of frame made from wood offcuts, old pallets or just that cheap, green,  treated wood sold by builders' merchants for roofing battens.
Obxx - Vendée France

JanG

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2020, 05:53:12 »
I agree that a frame makes it much easier. Unless you have thornless gooseberries, netting gets horribly caught up in thorns and twigs, and tears are unavoidable in my experience. 
Having said that I don’t find birds bother too much with gooseberries. It’s blackberries that mine go for but that might just be a quirk of my local birds.

davholla

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2020, 08:41:22 »
Can you not make a permanent fruit cage over them all or maybe individual frames covered in net?   That way you can either walk in to weed, prune, harvest if you make a cage or just lift off each individual frame to get at each shrub.   https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/allotments/allotment-styles/fruit-cages

I find insect netting isn't that expensive and would last longer and be easier to handle if stretch over and attached to some sort of frame made from wood offcuts, old pallets or just that cheap, green,  treated wood sold by builders' merchants for roofing battens.

Unfortunately the person who planted the gooseberry bushes didn't think about that and now they are in the wrong places to do that easily.
It was me.

davholla

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2020, 08:43:31 »
I agree that a frame makes it much easier. Unless you have thornless gooseberries, netting gets horribly caught up in thorns and twigs, and tears are unavoidable in my experience. 
Having said that I don’t find birds bother too much with gooseberries. It’s blackberries that mine go for but that might just be a quirk of my local birds.
My local birds love them - I have had 100% losses in the past.

Paulh

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2020, 11:28:21 »
It always takes me too long to net my two bushes (and two black currants), even though they are in a nice straight(ish) line and I have the same net and hoops available each year, because I have to clear out first the encroaching raspberries and Jerusalem artichokes which some idiot (guilty as charged) planted too close.

I net them when the gooseberries are pea size (though it's more the black currants that the birds go for). That gives the birds a chance to get the sawfly grubs first.

davholla

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2020, 11:30:54 »
It always takes me too long to net my two bushes (and two black currants), even though they are in a nice straight(ish) line and I have the same net and hoops available each year, because I have to clear out first the encroaching raspberries and Jerusalem artichokes which some idiot (guilty as charged) planted too close.

I net them when the gooseberries are pea size (though it's more the black currants that the birds go for). That gives the birds a chance to get the sawfly grubs first.

I don't whether to feel happy that someone else takes ages to do it, or unhappy that this is not an easy fix.
Fortunately, I have not seen any sawfly yet this year.

compothefirst

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2020, 13:50:15 »
I find that Screwfix fencing pins with netting from B&M works well.  Just  feed the netting over the pins and secure at base with tent pegs. Easy to remove for weeding.

saddad

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #8 on: May 18, 2020, 19:33:36 »
No sawfly here for a couple of years... famous last words....

davholla

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2020, 09:07:12 »
No sawfly here for a couple of years... famous last words....
I used to have big problems with them, definitely destroyed the crop because of the harm they do.  However I started to check once a week and squash them all and that solved the problem.  Saying that, if they come under netting it would be a pain to squash them but hopefully they won't.
Pigeons are 100x times worse.

ThomsonAS

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #10 on: May 21, 2020, 20:49:18 »
I've just spread a couple of bits of spare netting over some of my gooseberries tonight - nothing thorough, just an attempt to discourage the pigeons! As I have five bushes at the moment, I guess that I factor in losing a proportion of the to the birds.

Deb P

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #11 on: May 22, 2020, 08:36:59 »
I keep my gooseberries and pinkcurrants in buckets, and only had sawfly once which completely defoliate the bushes overnight! At least birds just nick the fruit...
If it's not pouring with rain, I'm either in the garden or at the lottie! Probably still there in the rain as well TBH....🥴

http://www.littleoverlaneallotments.org.uk

davholla

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #12 on: May 22, 2020, 09:52:23 »
I keep my gooseberries and pinkcurrants in buckets, and only had sawfly once which completely defoliate the bushes overnight! At least birds just nick the fruit...
I would love to hear more about to grow gooseberries in buckets - I have been very unsuccessful.  I am quite keen on macro photography so always look for insects in the garden once a week - many years of looking for insects means that I find all sawfly and after making the mistake of being merciful in the past - they all get killed straight away - a bit trickier now they are under netting of course.

Deb P

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Re: Fruit netting
« Reply #13 on: May 23, 2020, 06:19:41 »
I've had mine in some old metal buckets for over 10 years now, I repot or top dress every few years, keep them pruned to keep them manageable sizes and that's it really......
If it's not pouring with rain, I'm either in the garden or at the lottie! Probably still there in the rain as well TBH....🥴

http://www.littleoverlaneallotments.org.uk

 

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