Netting Your Fruit Trees

I planted a dwarf Bing Cherry in my back garden shortly after moving into this house 15 years ago. In couple of years I noticed that the dwarf tree was no dwarf at all but a full size cherry and by the time it began baring fruit it became obvious I was going to get very little of it. Due to the position of the tree in the yard and the height of the branches the birds and my squirrel friends were getting most of the beautiful deep red fruit. Nothing to be done.

As I planted other fruit trees over the years, I more carefully made sure they were all dwarf stock and in some cases trees that had multiple varieties of the same fruit grafted onto them. As each tree began to bare fruit however, my bird and squirrel friends decided to help themselves to this fruit as well. Enough was enough.

I researched possible solutions and found netting to be the best answer. So a stop at the hardware store and I was on my way home with a big roll of black poly netting. You cut this stuff with scissors or a razor knife and with the help of a friend drape it over the top of the branches. I also use twist ties to connect the overlapping pieces of the netting. To dissuade the squirrels from simple climbing up the trunk of the trees I use garden yarn to loosely tie the netting to the trunk.

I have had no further issues with birds or squirrels getting to my apples, cherries, pears, plums, blueberries or hazelnuts. So, for now at least I seem to have solved my problem. The original cherry tree? I have given it over to my furry and feathered friends who annually enjoy its fruit.

I'd like to address the one issue I have heard marks the netting as a hazard for wild creatures. I have read about and even seen photos of critters that have become ensnared in the netting. I have yet to have any birds or any other critter become ensnared or if they have they were able to disentangle themselves in which case I imagine they learned their lesson.