Estimated reading time: 15 minutes

Fruit damage from birds, bats, and possums is high on the list of complaints from home fruit growers. Netting is by far the most effective option to prevent damage and is one of our top three tips to protect your crop.

Sometimes it feels like we’ve grown more fruit for birds than ourselves! And it definitely feels like we’ve had every type of fruit-eating bird in our fruit trees at one time or another.

We’ve learned the hard (and heartbreaking) way that the only way to protect your precious crop from birds and other critters is with netting. If larger animals are the issue you might need to consider more serious enclosures.

Making the decision to net your fruit trees

For many gardeners, the thought of netting feels impossible. Or, they have the generous thought that they’re happy to share some of the fruit with the wildlife.

Unfortunately, the wildlife has different ideas.

Birds and other wildlife are quick to make the most of a handy food resource like a fruit tree. They will usually spread the word within their flock and bring their friends.

Once the birds have found your tree, there’s a good chance they’ll eat every piece of fruit. They also have long memories and will return year after year to the same spot.

if you want to reliably pick fruit from your tree every year then netting your fruit trees is often the reality. It’s also a key strategy for preventing fruit flies from ruining your crop.

In this blog we look at some netting options, and how they can protect your crop from most pests.

An upright branch in a cherry tree that has green leaves and stems where the cherries have been removed by birds
The birds left us the stems!

Enclosure nets

Birds just LOVE cherries. We grow cherries here on the farm and have always netted the trees. It’s been a good chance for us to learn a lot about different types of netting.

For our first cherry orchard (which had about 1000 trees), we built a complete netting enclosure around the whole orchard.

Full enclosure net over the cherry orchard. Upright metal poles support a roof of white net that is supported at intervals on cables.
Full enclosure net over the cherry orchard

Building the enclosure and working with it over several years and through a number of storms was a fascinating experience. We learned a LOT about nets during that time.

But this is beyond the scale that most home gardeners are interested in. The next type of netting system we tried, on the new cherry orchard, is much more relevant.

Drape nets – a simple solution for backyard fruit trees

Our current cherry orchard (planted after the 2011 floods) has been protected with a simpler system called “drape netting”. It’s cheaper than a full enclosure and relatively easy to apply but has some downsides.

One is that the type of birds that love to eat cherries are particularly clever at getting under drape nets. Two of the common culprits are parrots and silvereyes.

A plump red cherry that's been pecked by a parrot being held between thumb and forefinger.
A cherry that’s been pecked by a parrot

Drape netting also puts quite a bit of weight on the tree itself. This can result in branches being bent over during the growing period.

This can alter the shape of the tree, and work against your intentions for the shape. However, the effect is only seen at the top of the tree. Most of the bend can usually be removed when pruning.

The tops of the branches on this peach tree have been bent over by the weight of the net. The photo was taken in winter when there were no leaves on the tree so the bent branches at the tops of the tree stand out.
The tops of the branches on this peach tree have been bent over by the weight of the net

Unless you are diligent about tying off the net around the trunk, drape netting often won’t stop smaller birds. Smaller birds like parrots are more inclined to nip under the edges of the net and help themselves.

The last thing on the negative side of the ledger is that nets need some care and attention. However the investment of time in looking after your nets will repay you quickly with better harvests.

The positive side of drape netting

Having told you all the bad things about drape netting, we don’t want to put you off, as it’s a useful and simple technique for lots of gardeners. So, let’s look at the plus side!

Firstly, it’s very effective against big birds like crows and cockatoos. That’s because they usually feed from above, and won’t get under the net even if there are gaps at the bottom.

Drap nets can also deter fruit bats. Like big birds, they descend on the tree from above and don’t like to get in under nets.

Despite the drawbacks, drape netting does keep the damage to a minimum and is definitely worthwhile.

A large quince tree in the middle of a dry paddock with gum trees in the background. The tree is covered with green leaves and large unripe quinces and the tree is covered with a white net that has been gathered in around the bottom.
A well-netted quince tree

Variations on hoop nets

If you’re serious about protecting your fruit trees with nets and have the capacity to build a small enclosure, a hoop net might be just what you’re looking for.

This simple hoop net (below) has been built from star pickets and pipes. It’s one of the easiest and most effective solutions we’ve seen (and used).

A tunnel made from hoops of white polypipe stretching about 50m into the distance. The hoop tunnel is covered with black netting at the top and chicken wite at the bottom.
Netting over cherry trees at Kalangadoo orchards

It’s easy to put up (and take down again if you choose), and easy to peg down around the perimeter to stop persistent smaller birds from getting in under the net, which can happen with drape netting.

This particular design also has wire netting around the base, which can be useful for stopping larger animals from getting into the enclosure.

The “cross-bar” system in the photo at the top of the blog is another variation on the hoop system. The key similarity is building a simple structure to hold the net off the trees.

The variations are limited only by your imagination.

How to choose the right netting system for your garden

As you can see, there are many different netting systems available, and lots of variations on the theme. Choosing the right one for your garden will depend on lots of variables.

Here’s a list of “testing questions” to ask yourself:

How many trees are you trying to protect?

The more trees you have, the more worthwhile a large enclosure becomes.

Which specific pests are you defending against?

If you’re not sure, it’s worth doing some detective work to find out exactly what’s eating your fruit. If there’s nothing eating your fruit, you may not even net to net your trees at all!

Do you have any materials available?

Access to second-hand net or having a few star pickets lying around can give you a place to start.

What’s your capacity to invest in a netting system?

They’ll almost always pay you back in the long-term, but need a capital investment to start with if you’re getting something built for you, or even if you’re buying the materials and doing it yourself. Which leads us on to…

What’s your capacity to build a netting system?

Is it something you can do yourself, or will you need to pay someone to do it? Can you hold a working bee and get some friends involved? If you’re planning to build it yourself, do the research first and look at as many different types of netting systems in other people’s yards as possible.

How big are your trees?

Even if you’re planning to build a netting enclosure eventually, when the trees are mature, you can often get away with drape netting or simple hoops for the first few years. And of course, there’s no need to net if there’s no fruit on the trees.

What other animals and plants do you have around your trees?

If you have chickens or other animals, you may want to build an enclosure to keep them inside, under your trees. Or if you’ve built beautiful beds full of a diverse mix of understory plants, you may want to keep the chickens out!

The answers to these questions will help to point you in the right direction. Once you figure out the right way to net your trees, half the work is done.

And don’t stress too much about getting it “right”. If you’re not sure what to do, start simple and invest minimally with drape net. Your netting system can evolve over time, but you have to start somewhere.

Related Articles

Get our FREE ebook – 10 Key Steps to Growing Great Fruit

This useful ebook will give you answers to all the topics you need to know, from pests to pruning, and it’s completely free!

You'll soon be enjoying abundant harvests.

When you download the ebook, you'll also get our free Weekly Fruit Tips newsletter to help you stay on track with the little jobs that keep your trees healthy and fruitful.

Just hit "Get my ebook!" to download your free copy.

You have Successfully Subscribed!