Protecting Peaches From Birds - Organza Bag vs Netting

[@LeiLeiHill77]

Been there, done that with the organza bags! I haven’t used the bird netting but, I did find success with lunch size paper bags that I tie on with twine. Not one of the bags have been pecked. I left out only a few fruits for the birds and observation of the plant. Then I compost the bags when I’m done with them! This has been the best method for me.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

LeighAnne, that's a great suggestion on the paper bags. For larger trees that would be the only realistic way to hang on to some of the fruit. Love the idea of using it for compost when you're done!

[@LeiLeiHill77]

Thanks! Hope you have as much luck as I have! Have you guys ever tried growing plums? Do you know a good resource for growing them here in Arizona?

[@julietteyork6293]

I’m new to this so thanks for answering: Is it ok for the paper bag to cover leaves that are surrounding (or close to) the fruit or should the bag only enclose the fruit and allow the leaves to be exposed?

[@geekasauruswreks8789]

@@LeiLeiHill77 I know its been 3 years, but does covering them with paper bags effect their blush?

[@LeiLeiHill77]

Honestly, I don’t know! I haven’t used the paper bags for peaches yet. I use the paper bags for grapes, tomatoes and figs. If I were you, I’d try it on a few fruits and see!

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

True; netting can work but can kill wildlife by tangling them up including lizards while organza bags are not always full proof. I personally have no rat issues but birds seem to peck at fruit because they are thirsty. I have two large cast stone running fountains that I keep clean daily (flush and periodically treat with hydrogen peroxide to sanitize) for them year round offering cold refreshing water. I will be adding a pond with waterfall in Fall that should help as well. Just a thought--but you may want to add some water sources at your new property to held dissuade wildlife from helping themselves to your fruit.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a great suggestion on the water features. We have a small bird bath now that gets used heavily, but with so many birds it's just not enough. What kind of pond are you going to put in?

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Edge of Nowhere Yes even 2 large fountains can get overrun at this hot time of the year. Still deciding on an installer but it will be an aquascape ecosystem pond that will house fish and plants. size will be roughly 11' x 11' x 3' deep. www.aquascapeinc.com/koi-ponds

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, gonna have to check them out. I'm sure that will look beautiful in your food forest!

[@davidguerra4183]

this is perfect, im preparing for our FFA state finals in tree pruning

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Woohoo!! Fingers crossed for you!

[@maryfisher9888]

Thanks! I was considering these for my grapes but wondered if the birds would peck through them. Last year I wrapped burlap around several clusters and that worked- but I hate sewing!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Wow, that is dedication to your harvest if you're going to sew bags together to save them!!!

[@ImJerrySmith]

I saw another video regarding the organza bags where they said to use green organza bags to cover up the color of the fruit to keep the birds from eating them.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We've tried a rainbow of colors and we don't see much difference from one to the next. We tend to shy away from the green only because they get lost in the green of the tree and that can be an issue with things like figs where they ripen in a day or two and you need to make sure you can find them all after covering them! As for using them on peaches, they simply don't work no matter what color the bag. The birds seem to sense there is juicy goodness under the bags that they want badly!

[@alisonwhite6186]

Thank you for helping me decide the approach for my peaches this year.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Sure thing Alison. This is the only tree we net as opposed to cover with bags. With that you should see a lot more fruit on your counter vs in a bird's belly!

[@cactusbug]

So I got some non-see through cotton fabric bags and put them on my peaches- aaand it seems to be working. Also for anyone that has rats or rodents eating their fruit- I went to home depot and picked up an aluminum air vent and put it around my tree (make sure its at least 2 ft however, 3 ft would be even better) - worked great- in fact U could hear them try and fail. Take that you rats! 💪

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great to hear that Priscilla and glad to hear your socking it to that those rats! Love it!!!

[@julietteyork6293]

I’m new to this and would appreciate clarification. Can you please explain the aluminum air vent - is it one of those flexible air ducts or a flat metal vent...and how is it installed under the fruit tree. Thank you.

[@cactusbug]

@@julietteyork6293 -Cotton muslin drawstring bags- make sure your fruit will fit in them when ripe, vent- snap lock (it snaps open and snaps closed) round duct sheet metal pipe- aluminum or galvanized- your preference. You will have to replace it some time due to the bottom touching the ground. Oh and make sure your tree fits inside the pipe with enough space to thicken up- it shouldn't choke the tree (unless you get one that doesn't snap and you put a young tree through the pipe) since it snaps off but you will give it room to grow without having to replace it as fast. Usually the thicker your tree the more expensive the pipe will be, my peach tree is about 5 inches in diameter and my duct pipe is 8 inches in Diameter.

[@cactusbug]

If you have squirrels U will need a taller pipe because they jump higher. My rats don't jump 2 ft (Google says they can jump vertically 36 inches but mine don't... U might have to experiment) I believe you can also stack the pipes on the tree if the ones you find are too short. Also the cotton drawstring bags are NON- see through otherwise the birds will poke into them.

[@julietteyork6293]

@@cactusbug Thank you

[@abc_cba]

Again, new to see Peaches. We need a video compilation of all the fruits in your farm stitched into one. Thank you. Subscribed !

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you're enjoying the content! We just moved onto a new, larger property and are starting over, so you'll be able to see all of the trees we're planting and see them grow from just small starts.

[@MarkBianchi-ez9xr]

Trying GREEN organza bags (maybe double bag)this year. Read somewhere the green color throws the birds off. I also may try the tulle this year as I’ve heard that works very well. Actually my bigger problem is squirrels!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We've tried every color bag under the sun and it doesn't seem to make much difference in our experience. The green bags get torn through just as much as the other colors. The Tulle might be a better option for the birds, but squirrels are a whole different ballgame. Those little demons tear through just about everything!

[@cjr4497]

I have to net my citrus trees. For some reason there is a flock of blackbirds that come to them every year and destroy the fruit. I am trying bags on my chandler red pomelos this year since the tree only holds on to a couple fruits a year. This year is looking good for it though. I had 8 growing well and the birds knocked two off before I could get the bags on them. I have three large in ground fig trees that are getting netted too. I didn't get a single fig last year due to birds. I don't know what changed. I know several in my area with citrus and figs and they don't have any problems.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

My goodness this is just frustrating and we feel your pain! The challenge for all of us growing edible plants here in the desert is we're in the minority. With that we attract life looking for food (either the fruit itself, or the insects they also attract) and we're either the only game in town or there is just more wildlife looking for what we have. It is strange however that your neighbors are not seeing the same problem. Do you guys have any type of water feature in your yard? We've started using water troughs and a bird bath around the orchard areas to see if giving them free access to water will help. I'm really not sure whether it will be a benefit (it may just be bringing the birds in heavier!), but it might be worth considering. That and netting the trees, which we have found to be very successful with certain types of fruit. Peaches is definitely one of those, because of the short ripening season. Figs have proven to be more challenging because they ripen over a longer period of time and the tree is also growing rapidly during the same time period. Too fast for us to keep the tree from growing through the netting.

[@MattyDemello]

Im thinking about making something like a circle bendable bar to put inside the bags. To keep the bags off the fruit. Make the bag tight so the birds can't peck to the point of touching the fruit. Ya it stinks we have to do this. Its so frustrating and sometimes unmotivating when wildlife gets your hard work. Its bad enough we had to wait 2 to 4 years to finally get a crop only to lose it all. I built netting around my blueberry bushes using electrical pvc uv rated. So no blueberries are touching the net. I made the structure like 3ft bigger in each direction to give plenty of room. Ive seen birds trying to push through to get the blueberries but got stuck instead lol. Don't worry. I helped the bastard off lol

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It is very frustrating and they know EXACTLY when to strike. This year we harvested our first peach well before it was ripe just the birds didn't get the first crack at them!

[@kimchee94112]

I hear from another KZbinr once a birth bath is installed much less birds attack his fruits. I got some black organza bags to protect my figs, hope that works. Didn't want red or other bright colors. This heat is making my fig trees grow like nuts just overnight.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yeah, we're going to try additional water features on the new property. We did keep a bird bath on this property, but it wasn't all that big given the space. And yes, fig trees LOVE this heat! Glad to hear yours are responding to the prodding by the sun.

[@jeetskeshaw]

Thank you, im gonna try the organza bags on my pomegranites. Usually just close to ripening, some flies with actually pierce the fruit and lay eggs in them.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Jeetesh, that sounds like a great plan. We use them on the pomegranates as well and they do the job just fine. The only issue are the larger Wonderful pomegranates that are sometimes a bit too large for even the largest Organza Bags.

[@julietteyork6293]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Get out the sewing kit - sew 2 bags together

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@julietteyork6293 now that's dedication!

[@SAlvitre29]

Hey Duane - have u tried a different color organza bag? Wonder if blue or brown would stave them off. Bird netting just freaks me out - last time I covered a tree I had a dead CB thresher hanging from it the next day. Like you, I think the CB thresher should be banned to CA, but I felt bad when one died. :/

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Kingman. We are trying different color bags with our white peaches that are starting to ripen now. So far it's better, but we're really not hitting the stride with ripening yet. We haven't had any birds die in the netting yet (fingers crossed) and as much of a pain as they are I wouldn't want to have that happen to those little mongrels.

[@fortuneflux]

I've been thinking of using food grade / edible green paint and just going to town on the fruit. Birds seem to be attracted to the red colour, but not sure if spraying them all green would work.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Now that's an interesting way of going about this. If you try that out, you'll have to let us know how it goes!

[@kandkpop]

I had peach, nectarine, plum, apricot trees at my previous home and used netting on all of them. It was pretty effective with only the fruit on the outside edges of the tree being damaged by birds. I think the organza bags would take too much time to install on a tree with hundreds of fruit, and they also cost about 10 cents each so it would cost way too much compared to a net.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great points here. Netting really does seem to be the best way to get peaches to harvest.

[@stmcgarret]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm For birds, but not insects. Birds are not the issue for me but insects like stink bugs. They destroyed my crop last year. I literally lost every peach. I'm going to try to bag this year. I might try the Clemson Univ bags.

[@vistaprime]

We usually have a 100% coddling moth rate in our apples. no issues with birds (we have feeders for them) and birds in our range are not fruit eaters except Baltimore orioles. many birds will only go for dark fruit and will not go for yellow, green or white fruit, so that could be a factor including for lightly colored peaches. Can you tell me the ideal time to place bags over fruit to protect them from the worms. As soon as the blooms drop or is it better to wait until the apples start to form. We are using the similar organza mesh fruit protection bags you used which allow full sunlight through. But we want to time this perfectly so the blooms are pollinated and spent and not enough time for moths to have laid eggs. Can you provide some guidance to me on this. thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Ok, so I'm not really sure exactly when that moth invades the fruit (we don't have too many pests that can survive our hot, dry weather). I would think it would be earlier on in the ripening stage. If I were in your shoes I would test out different stages of ripeness to see what works best. The bags will work on small or large fruit and can accommodate the fruit as it grows, so I imagine you can place them pretty early on. I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance on this one.

[@bionicle37]

What do you suggest for wasps and hornets. Basically all of mine fruit trees are eaten by those

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, we have not had any issues with hornets or wasps when it comes to the fruit on our trees. Are you sure these are what is eating your fruit? My understanding is they can, but it's not their preferred diet.

[@dalexfilms]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Wasps, hornets, and other flying insects love grapes, figs, and other fruit. They are a minor nuisance at my place in NC, but other locales may have many more of them. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have found the bags to be of little help with my grapes, so I am planning to net nearly all of my fruits (including berries) in the future.

[@chopnchannel]

I use only green organza bags to blend in with the foliage. Also, have you thought about aroma? Not sure if birds pick up on smell, but my Desert Gold Peach is very aromatic.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks for the suggestion on the green bags. We're trying out some different color bags on our white peaches now. Too early to tell, but we do have some green bags on a plum variety, so fingers crossed. I'm sure smell has something to do with it also. The FlordaPrince and the Desert Gold have a very strong smell.

[@pauliewalnuts2007]

Hi Duane, Maybe they are thirsty and going for the juiciest fruit. Do you have a birdbath anywhere on your property? I know birds poke tomatoes as well when it get really hot. So it might be water that they are after. Just a thought.

[@allanturpin2023]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a great suggestion. We do have a bird bath, but only 1 and it gets used so much that it usually runs out of water during the day. Plus there are birds that hog the thing and keep others away. Definitely need to consider adding more on the new property.

[@convenienceandpracticality9032]

I would think organza or mosquito net bags would be better for protecting fruit from bugs. I use mosquito netting the way you use bird netting around the whole tree otherwise the Japanese beetles will destroy my nectarine and peach trees. Bonus, it keeps the birds and squirrels out too.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Mosquito netting is a great option as well. Our primary concern is birds, so the bird netting works for us. The organza bags work great on most of our other fruit, but it doesn't stop the birds from destroying the peaches. Can't say for sure why, but that's what we found when we tested them.

[@kiwiscribe]

Thanks for the tip. I'm investigating protection from guava moths which have appeared here in New Zealand in the last few years. Just found a supplier of US ex-army mosquito nets - olive green so will look better in the garden.

[@thetruth392]

Hi I have apricot tree get tons of flowers and in few days all the flowers fall, this happens each years. Can you help me out what should I do to save my tree from these problems, not a single fruit from the beginning

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Ali. We have a 4 year old Katy apricot that sets very few fruit as well. This year has been better, but we also had a very cold winter which they need. One thing that may help is to make sure to prune back nice and heavy in the winter. This may help the tree hold onto more flowers/fruit. Also, how is the bee activity around your tree? If you don't have good pollination the tree won't be able to set fruit.

[@jesurunblends]

ty for the video! what is best way to protect Barbados cherries from birds? they are eating all my cherries lol even before they turn red, bird netting? my plant is about 7 feet tall and wide

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We had a Barbados on the old farm and we ended up netting the bush to keep them from getting to all the fruit. The lighter, plastic bird netting is your best bet for your Barbados, so it can hold it up.

[@sissy1339]

I typed in "how to use bird netting" on you tube 8/8/2020 and there you are, HI! Also enjoyed reading the comments!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there "Sissy" :) Did it surprise you to see that face on your screen?

[@sissy1339]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Yes! I started scrolling down looking for a title that would match more about what I was looking for and there you were! hahaaha! I watched another video of yours about collecting rain water from your rain gutters and wow, that was hard work!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@sissy1339 we're getting used to hard work every weekend these days! What are you using the bird netting for?

[@SaintBigAl]

Hi I'm new to organza bags, but did you try the green ones? Sopposedly that it will trick the birds and bugs in thinking the fruit and vegs are not ripe yet. What do you think.? This vid was posted four years ago have you tried the green ones?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there! Yes, we have tried pretty much every color bag and it doesn't seem to make much difference if a bird is going to go for it. In fact, about half of our bags that we used this past season were green and the birds were HORRENDOUS! They tore through purple and green alike.

[@SaintBigAl]

ok thanks@@EdgeofNowhereFarm

[@julcosmo]

I have several fruit trees but the Florida Prince is the one fruit thieves love most. Here in Phoenix metro we have roof rats to deal with and those are just plain evil. First tried the bird netting and birds got caught in it and died which was depressing. Next I built a 4 post tent around it with PVC pipe and shade cloth which worked great to protect them from the sun and the birds stayed away. For years this worked until a rat discovered it. I extended the cloth to completely cover the ground giving the rat no opening. Worked great for a couple weeks until he figured it out. So now instead of the shade cloth I use chicken wire buried 1 foot under ground. So far so good but it is a pain to get into to pull the ripe peaches. My theory on why all the animals (ants, birds, rats) seem to like the FP is because it is very sweet and they maybe they can smell it.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

My goodness, you have quite the battle on your hands there! It's amazing what we all go through for the pleasure of a few peaches each Spring!

[@julcosmo]

Gardening edibles in Phoenix is a constant battle with the roof rats...you guys are lucky you are so far out ...best of luck you with your peach trees. @@EdgeofNowhereFarm

[@aliciaguerra-salazar5854]

I love your channel and very informative, just as a comment, I live in Surprise, Az and I have fig trees and I have a problem with birds and rats, they still do not ripen and they eat or chop the fruit, but there is something else, the fruit has double organza bag, and they break it and eat it. I haven't been able to eat any figs for now.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Alicia. Hmm, it definitely sounds like it may be rats getting to the fruit if organza bags are not working. Netting the tree is going to be very difficult because the tree will grow through the netting before the harvest season is done. You may need to prune the tree up to a single trunk and see if you can put a trunk guard of some sort to keep them from climbing up onto the tree. Tree Tanglefoot would probably work or possibly metal flashing a couple feet high around the trunk (not on it) to keep them from getting up in there. Another option may be putting paper bags over the fruit just before it's ripe enough for them to start eating it. This way they won't be able to see or smell the ripening fruit. Boy, this will be a tough one.

[@mycharmedunicorn8715]

How do you know when peaches are ready to be picked? How is the netting attached at the bottom where trunk starts? What is a good organic pest spray? Neem oil?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Unicorn, that's a really good question and it depends. For us, we like peaches that are completely ripe so we wait until the flesh just starts to give a little and then pick them. They will ripen on the counter, so you can also pick them before that. The netting is gathered around the trunk and then we use metal clips to hold it together. This makes it easier to undo and get into the tree to harvest. We don't use sprays on our trees, but I've been told a combination of neem, garlic, onion and/or cayenne would be a good pest deterrent.

[@mycharmedunicorn8715]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you!

[@robinr.770]

Say, could you please reference the person or company you purchased your peach trees from? Also, do you have a local source near you where you get wood chips from? Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Have a great day.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Robin. We try to source most of our trees from one of 2 places. Either Reed at RSI Growers in Glendale, AZ or from the Urban Farm fruit tree program through Greg Peterson. Both can be found online. Woodchips are tough for us out here, however if you're in the city your best bet is using Chip Drop which is an online service. Hope this helps!

[@stevenjames1951]

Birds need water and eating fruit is a good way to quench a thirst. Try put up birdbaths around the orchard. It might be the thing your looking for.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a solid suggestion Steven. We had a single bird bath on the old property you're seeing here that definitely wasn't big enough to get a good idea of whether or not it would help. We have multiple water sources on the new farm, so it will be a good test to see if it makes a difference.

[@stevenjames1951]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm In not sayin its a cure all but it did make a diffence in my small. Orchard.

[@stevenjames1951]

I have seen your video on you putting in a Chicken pasture, however would love to come see what your doin out there and maybe pick your brain on how and what you did to make it a success Gods blessings to you both

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@stevenjames1951 We do plan on having folks out to see the property once we have all of the infrastructure in place. Hopefully some time this year if we can swing it!

[@Magnusscipioiterum]

I have a pomegranate tree that pest like to eat the fruit. Do you have this problem, and what would you suggest to stop the loss of my harvest. I suspect Rats from a collection pond from just down the street and I need to protect my tree or I have to cut it down. Help.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey George, that's a great question. We had a lot of success using large organza bags (6"x9") for pomegranates. I believe we have them in our Amazon shop so I'll link that for you here. I've had people suggest using metal flashing around the trunk, but assuming your pomegranates are like ours with multiple trunks and lots of branching down low so that wouldn't help. Amazon Affiliate Link; www.amazon.com/shop/edgeofnowherefarm

[@mytech6779]

Might want to try Clemson paper fruit bags.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, haven't heard of those. Now off to Google to see what you're suggesting. Thanks for the tip!!

[@mytech6779]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Clemson university sells them but the style is also popular in japan. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmSpdol7nK-tnMU

[@Bishnoiji129-k8x]

Bro. which tree is most commercially viable in your location.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Any of the varieties we grow would be great options and they are all being used for some limited commercial production in and around Phoenix already. FlordaPrince, Early Amber, Earli Grande, Desert Gold, etc.

[@Bishnoiji129-k8x]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanx for quick response. I mean which plants like apple/peach/almand/pistachio/pears etc. like one or 2 plants which suit most in your climate. And how many chilling hours available.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@Bishnoiji129-k8x that's above my pay grade as we don't produce crops commercially (assuming you're wanting to ship). However, we do have plans for U-pick operations of peaches (FlordaPrince, Early Amber, Earli Grande), apples (Golden Dorsette, Anna) and mulberries (Shangri La, Black Pak and Illinois Everbearing). I don't know the chill hours for each variety, so you'll have to research that.

[@Bishnoiji129-k8x]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm 😃thanx buddy 🤟

[@apal1257]

I’m glad I found your channel. We live in Wittmann too. Unfortunately our trees are dying. Do you consults?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there! Yes, we do consultations. If you'd like to email us we can see if it's something we can help with. Our email can be found on the About page here on KZbin.

[@apal1257]

Edge of Nowhere Farm that’s great. We will be emailing soon. 🌱

[@danielfisch655]

Great information, thank you for sharing. Thank God we have an owl nearby that loves to hunt and eat pain in the neck fruit/vegetable thieving birds.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Love it when you can see nature at work keeping things in balance! Truly amazing.

[@jonathanweaver4504]

Do you have a link to the harvest notch video?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I'll see if I can find them. We've shown them in at least 1 pruning video, but these should help show what we do; kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3qYqWWLnpl9bpo kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6rMc6Fmf5Z4hMk

[@Hoza67]

I have put several of my persimmons in organza bags (4x5) but I think they are too small?? Should I get bigger bags? I also used them for some figs but I find most of the figs have fallen to the ground inside the bags. Did i bag them too early? It is possible that squirrels have pulled the fruit off with the bags? Has anyone had success using organza bags for persimmons?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Rosa. For your persimmons you may need the 6X9 bags. We have those in our Amazon shop along with the smaller bags for figs. If your figs are falling to the ground it may be birds getting to them as they're just ripening. When you cover them are you going all the way up the stem so it's up against the branch? If not, the birds will start pecking the stem and may knock them to the ground as they're ripening. The only other issue you may have with your persimmons is the summer die off that happens with fall ripening fruit. We see that consistently with the fall apples we've tried to get through the summer.

[@gmakinmoney3344]

I’m in Arizona and my problem is chipmunks and desert squirrels. Even if I put netting up, those buggers find a way in but then can’t get out and it ends up a gold mine. I’m going to try the organza bags this year but if anyone has any other ideas, please let me know

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Had another viewer suggest using sheet metal formed around the trunk (but not against it) to deter them. I'm surprised we haven't seen more of an issue with them as they're everywhere out here! Frustrating!

[@Tee-Suber]

Squirrels ate right through the organza bags. Don’t waste your time or money if squirrels are your issue. My neighbor & I both battled with them last year. I have apple trees, nectarines & a lemon tree.

[@julietteyork6293]

@@Tee-Suber Did you come up with a solution?

[@antpoo]

Is the time wrapping hundreds of fruits worth it? I’m trying to protect my 5m fig tree this year from birds

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That is a great question and it depends. Figs are the only fruit we put individual bags on at this point and it's because we can't seem to find a better way of protecting the fruit. Timing is the main issue as our fig trees produce for several weeks during the peak growth season. As such, the tree grows too fast for us to net the whole tree (the branches grow right through the netting causing damage to the netting and the branches). It's a pain and time consuming, but we haven't found a better way to protect our figs. The other fruit (such as peaches) get netting on the whole tree.

[@jesurunblends]

love your videos , will the bags work with figs?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question and YES! The organza bags are actually our go to for all of our figs and they work very well. We tried netting our fig trees, but they grow fast and the harvest season is extended in the middle of that growing season, so the branches just grow through the mesh and wind up getting too big to pull back through the netting. Key to that is putting the bags on the figs just a few days before they're ripe. That can be a challenge on the green/white figs when it's hard to tell when they're that close to ripe.

[@jesurunblends]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm awesome informative information you provide very thankful for your response, do u have plant nursery? How do i water my Key Lime, Pink Guava, Pomegranate, Black Mission fig, the first year? in full sun and they are currently under 30% shade cloth for this first year

[@julietteyork6293]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Is it alright to put organza bags on figs when they’re still green or is it better to wait until they’re further along? My question applies to other fruit as well - apple, nectarine, peach. I’d like to know if there’s such a thing as “too soon” in terms of putting on those bags? Thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@julietteyork6293 we generally wait until they are starting to ripen before applying the bags, but they should ripen just fine either way at least for figs. Peaches/nectarines generally need some sunlight in order to ripen fully, so you may want to wait a bit on those. However, we have not found organza bags to be effective when protecting peaches and nectarines from birds.

[@gardenofthegeeks8277]

Here at out house red equals eaten by birds period, No matter the fruit or veggie. Green organza bags seem to work better for us than the white ones. But i can have yellow mater next to red mater and the red one get eaten every single time without fail. Growing up had lot of fruit trees in my grandmas yard Her Apricots and plums never but Peaches the got red on the tree got eaten. My opionm is that red fruit to birds is as to a red flag(waving) for bulls.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I think you're right with the color. We seem to be having less of an issue with the white peaches using purple bags, but they do get a slightly red tinge and we're still finding bird pecks in them although not as often.

[@lesterauguste]

You I'm so jealous of these fruits, I wish we could grow this in the Caribbean...😔😓😓....I miss Canada..

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

While the fruit we can grow is very good, I imagine there are fruits you can grow in the tropics that we can't grow here because of the cold. Lori is a HUGE fan of Mango and it's VERY difficult to grow here. BTW, what a change to go from Canada to the Caribbean!

[@lesterauguste]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Well I was born and raised in the tropics, but I lived in Canada for about 10 years so it's vise versa. While I'm pretty used to being home, I miss the endless variety of fruits available in Canada; I love nectarines over peach and take about those fat purple plums and Anjou pear growing effortlessly in many backyards 😋😋😋... I believe some of these fruits can grow here, but it has to be a specific location and with a proper setup to imitate cold temperature.

[@lesterauguste]

BTW if you ever visit Saint Lucia, I got all the mangoes for you guys. 👌👌

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@lesterauguste ah, ok. I can't argue that it's hard to beat stone fruit when it comes to taste and versatility. Chill hours are hard to imitate, but it might be worth trying a low chill peach or plum tree if you can find one and have the space. A FlordaPrince peach would be my choice if you're going to give it a shot.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@lesterauguste deal! Same goes for you. If you're ever in AZ, you'll need to stop by!

[@neonhills]

probably eating them for the same reason squirrels eat my tomatoes, just thirsty for some water, getting hydrated with the fruit

[@cheftampa]

I bet you it's the water content in the fruit. Try putting a fresh water bird bath next to the tree to see if that saves some of your fruit.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We're thinking it's definitely part of the issue. We had a bird bath on this property, but it wasn't near these trees. Plans are to have a few water features on the new property. Thanks for the suggestion!

[@ritcheymt]

I've done that experiment in Utah. It had no effect whatsoever on my cherries, peaches, plums, apples, grapes or mulberries. I had self-filling bird baths just a few yards from each, in the shade and out.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@ritcheymt thank for the comment. I (Duane) grew up in Southern California and we had a few issues with bird damage on certain fruits there as well, but not usually as extensive as we seem to have out here.

[@julietteyork6293]

@@ritcheymt Any luck finding a solution?

[@douggief1367]

Cut up some old trampoline safety/surround netting or use fly screen mesh.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, now that's a good way to reuse an errant trampoline that gets tossed around during the monsoon season!

[@hazel555]

Your guyses?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yeah, kinda like 2 yoots.

[@davidbauman7234]

I have been loosing a lot of fruit, the ones chewing through the organza bags are roof rats coming out of the neighbors storage shed in their backyard. I have trapped a dozen and shot several with a pellet gun. I lost half of my peaches, a quarter of my apples, and most of my figs. I just ordered a half a dozen more rat traps and now I'm going to start setting snares. I plan to keep the pressure on them until they are all dead or they figure out that it's not worth coming into my yard.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Wow, now that's serious business! One advantage to being this far out is we don't see rats. Mice we do have though! Good hunting.

[@julietteyork6293]

What have you found is best method for rat control?

[@margaretmarshall3645]

Good for you to be snap trapping your rats rather than spreading around poison! I do the same. Seemed like I had some rats that learned to seek out any fig with an organza bag around it as one that must be starting to ripen! But a piece of fig made great bait in the trap much less messy than peanut butter once the ants would find it.

[@nsap79]

Try adding fake snake balloon or owl hanging on branches

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I've seen people use those fake owls, but what is a snake balloon?

[@nsap79]

It’s like a fake snake, that you actually inflate to scare squirrels 🐿 and birds 🐦

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@nsap79 Hmm, sounds interesting!

[@seanleith5312]

Obviously, the birds tried and give up because not sweet enough. However, I don't think the color of the bag will help, try green bag instead.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Sean, valid points there. That could make some difference, but we haven't seen that to be the case on the other fruit we use them on. Worth a try though!

[@CopperStateCustomAdmin]

All of the above, its sweeter, juicier, easier to get to and the color is a red flag. Perfect storm.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Anthony, I think you're right. These really are the perfect storm.

[@cassieoz1702]

Cockatoos completely devastate all our fruit and bite off branchlets: rip through exclusion bags! My trees are too large or intertwined to net the whole tree.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Cassie, oh my goodness, cockatoos!? I can't imagine trying to fend off fruit from those birds. Where are you located where you're dealing with cockatoos?

[@cassieoz1702]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Australia. Since we moved here and had the temerity to grow fruit and veg, the cockatoo population has exploded X20 (and they're native/protected)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@cassieoz1702 Ah, that makes more sense. We have a lot of viewers from Australia, but they haven't mentioned this particular issue before (assuming from a different part of the country). Boy, I have no idea how to keep a bird that large from having their way with your produce. I would think chicken wire may not be strong enough, but it might be worth a try. For veggies at least, maybe a raised bed using EMT piping for the frame and attaching chicken wire to keep the veggies safe? As for the trees, I'm really not sure. I've seen people prune the trees heavily so they can build a structure around the tree to hold netting. That may be tough with chicken wire (and pretty expensive).

[@cassieoz1702]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm yeh, all really too expensive. I'm aa rural 'homesteader' with six 1.5x6m raised veg beds (inside rabbit proof fencing) and 40 fruit trees and vines in three orchard areas on the (rabbit fenced) 1.2 acre house garden. I put poly hoops over the veg beds with bird netting or shade cloth (depending on the season) but really cant afford to build enclosures over the trees. We didnt have this problem the first 5-7 years we were here🤬

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@cassieoz1702 My goodness, that is just frustrating!

[@ShesRootedHomeSaffron]

This gets real personal I get the Pellet guns out I’m sorry but it’s them or my fruit.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Chad, that reminds me of sitting under my dad's apricot tree with a pellet gun as a kid and going to town! You get 'em!

[@cactusbug]

So based on the comments if the bags are red, birds are more attracted to them, if they can't actually see the fruit they won't bother it , mhm. I think we need cotton fabric bags that aren't see through.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Priscilla. You may be onto something there. The color definitely makes a difference, but with peaches we've found the birds figure it out no matter what color bag we use. If they can't see through them though.....

[@cactusbug]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I just bought some non see through bags for my peach trees. Im gonna try it. Ill post back for the results.

[@bernadettemcmanus7975]

The possums munched right through the bags on my peaches.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Ooh, yeah that's a tough one to get around. I can't imagine much will hold up to those little marauders. Have you had any luck with bird netting with those varmints?

[@bernadettemcmanus7975]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I'm yet to try bird netting properly. Have now go the 6ft rods but yet to find the netting.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@bernadettemcmanus7975 we have purchased it from Amazon a couple of times. The quality leaves something to be desired, but it gets the job done. I'll leave a link for you here with the one we purchased this last time around; amzn.to/3BZrGMl This is the 200' length, but it comes in 500' as well.

[@bernadettemcmanus7975]

Many thanks.

[@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097]

Fruit will rot inside bags

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Pedro. We've used these bags on hundreds of fruit and found they generally work really well. They are made of a mesh material that allows air to flow through the fruit to keep it from rotting or having other issues. Also, the bags area only on there during the final stage of ripening so it's usually only a few days to a week or two.

[@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm maybe if there’s no rain or you live in a low humidity environment But stone fruit develops Brown Rot very readily Apples , possibly. Figs , no way

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@pedrogonzalesgonzales5097 yes, we're in a very low humidity environment here in AZ. It's not uncommon for us to have single digit humidity during peach, apple and the early fig season. That would definitely make a difference!

[@charleshillman2010]

Australian birds just chew straight through those bags.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We get the same thing here on certain fruit, much like you're seeing here with the peaches. If a larger bird wants to get in, it's going to happen!

[@mixalis6168]

Bags, with 100 peaches 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Can you imagine?