Has anyone had success using weatherization fabric, or Remay (sp) on raspberries? That's the stuff that's white, very lightweight, and thin. Some sort of a spun fabric. I bought some and within in a day or two plan to simply drape it over the plants. I'm aiming for protection from birds and Japanese beatles. Ken
Ken, I think that would work just fine. The only problem that comes to mind is the durability of the Remay. If you live were there is a lot of exposure to wind, I could see the Remay getting shredded on the raspberry plants. I say try it.
Steve
Ken Anders> Has anyone had success using weatherization fabric, or Remay (sp) on
Birds will peck through spun-bond fabric. At least, that's been my experience when I've used it to protect cucumbers and melons from cucumber beetles. (And I have *no idea* WHY they pecked through it!) It might protect your plants long enough to get you through the Japanese beetle 'season' -- may be worth trying.
I think if you built a support of PVC pipes over the raspberries and draped that first with bird netting, then topped it off with a light spun-bond fabric you might get the longest life.
Alternatively, you could go with just the bird netting over a frame and use a spray that contains Neem (or Neem extract AKA Azadirachtin) to deter the beetles.
I am lucky in that I rarely see any Japanese beetles on my property, and the birds, perhaps because of the abundance of mulberry trees, don't bother my raspberries. Where I used to live, though, I had to keep the raspberries netted to ward off the birds.
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