During the last eight or nine years fruit growers have been complaining about the damage done to fruit buds by birds, particularly tits and bullfinches, while sparrows occasionally cause trouble.
The alternative to the strip of wire netting put around each individual tree is the use of one of the special liquid substances, which can be painted on to the trunks of the young trees late in November or early in December. One of the best of these is Colophene, which is much used in the Wisbech district.
It is applied with a brush and doesn't need warming. It is usually painted on to the stems of the trees up to the height of, say, 3 or 4 feet, and the Wisbech fruit growers claim that the use of wire netting is too expensive and too slow. The danger of these proprietary repellents is that they may have the effect of preventing the young trees from developing properly.
I prefer the wire netting fence which has to be erected all round the orchard. or field. As a result, it is possible to make cultivations much closer to the trees, for weeds have a nasty habit of growing up strongly inside the wire guards and sleeves and these have to be got rid of by hand.
A wire fence must stand about 4 feet above soil level but it should be purchased 5 feet high, so that the lower 12 inches of netting can be buried in the soil, in such a way that it slopes outwards and thus prevents the burrowing-in of rabbits.
Supports have also to be given to loganberries, boysenberries, nectarberries and other similar hybrid berries. Raspberries are all the better for being supported. The canes are thus kept upright so that all of them get the necessary light and air they need.
The alternative to the strip of wire netting put around each individual tree is the use of one of the special liquid substances, which can be painted on to the trunks of the young trees late in November or early in December. One of the best of these is Colophene, which is much used in the Wisbech district.
It is applied with a brush and doesn't need warming. It is usually painted on to the stems of the trees up to the height of, say, 3 or 4 feet, and the Wisbech fruit growers claim that the use of wire netting is too expensive and too slow. The danger of these proprietary repellents is that they may have the effect of preventing the young trees from developing properly.
I prefer the wire netting fence which has to be erected all round the orchard. or field. As a result, it is possible to make cultivations much closer to the trees, for weeds have a nasty habit of growing up strongly inside the wire guards and sleeves and these have to be got rid of by hand.
A wire fence must stand about 4 feet above soil level but it should be purchased 5 feet high, so that the lower 12 inches of netting can be buried in the soil, in such a way that it slopes outwards and thus prevents the burrowing-in of rabbits.
Supports have also to be given to loganberries, boysenberries, nectarberries and other similar hybrid berries. Raspberries are all the better for being supported. The canes are thus kept upright so that all of them get the necessary light and air they need.
About the Author:
Oldtime garden apple fruit trees can be grown through preservation orchards such as the one in Old Sturbridge Village, Massachhusetts, or from specialists who can be reached through local nurseries.
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