I've got about a 4 year old peach, and a few blueberries.
Last year, the peaches mysteriously vanished one day, even though I had sorta draped netting over them.
Is there an alternative, and when should I be ready for the assault?
Netting an 11' tree is no easy matter!
Also, I have some clusters of peaches, should I thin out the extras?
Jeff
Possible deer problem. If so, netting will work used as a fence around the tree. You want space between net and tree.
I've also seen fallen peaches eaten by groundhogs but never had a bird problem when I had peach trees.
Not here.
If so, netting will work used as a fence around
Squirrels? The grounds are patrolled by guard cats though.
My neighbor claims it is birds, and she has never harvested a peach. Other neighbor has a dwarf that has no problems.` Maybe rug rats...
Jeff
I would suspect either squirrels of some variety of 2 legged varmint. With squirrels you would find some evidence of the fruit (skins and bits of pits), only two legged varmints carry away everything. Steve
Guess I'd suspect 2 legged too. I have problems with deer, squirrels, groundhogs etc but they never put a big dent in my peach crop. OP might consider buying a game camera such as sold by Cabela's for getting pictures of whatever is attacking the tree.
If we knew where you are and your proximity to wildlife habitat it would be easier to guess what kind peach eater your have and so what to do about it and when to do it.
D
Here possums will take away everything.
D
There was nothing left last year, it was like they never had fruit.
Possums are not uncommon here. I had several that used the cat door and were perfectly at home with the cats. Took a while to trap and remove. Used to also see racoons, very clever critters. The cats were not friendly to them, but did not pick fights.
I'm on the edge of woodlands here in Atlanta. No deer though.
I do see mass migrations of blackbirds, among others, but I would have thought they were messy eaters and would leave a lot of damaged fruit. Here, nothing.
j
Do you use brooms to help you get it over them? We net several trees of this size and by using brooms have foudn them quite easy to do. I really don't like netting our big trees where we have to get up on ladders to get near the tops.
Are talking about a different species of animal.
I think you have opossums, how different their behaviour is I am not sure. As for racoons I have no idea.
Here the possums would live in the woods and sneak into the orchard at night.
Birds are messy, they leave damaged fruit on the tree and drop bits all over, so do fruit bats. You would see the birds in the day time. Rats will also attack fruit if hungry enough, they are not neat eaters either.
If you have more fruit ripening on the trees you may have to go out with a light at night and catch the rascals in the act to find out what they are.
David.
I had no idea we might be talking two different species. Our (o)possums are marsupials, the only ones we have here.
Fruit is about half size, so still ripening. I haven't lost any this year, but last year I lost it all, and all at once. Went out to check on the peaches, and there weren't any! Nor any on the ground... Came as a shock!
Jeff
OK, here's what worked for me (before I moved to the sandpit, where peach trees come to die).
I made a bunch of panels using 48" wide 1" hex netting (aka, chicken wire) stapled onto 1x2 x 8 foot wood strips. The hex net extended about 1 foot beyond each end of the wood.
Make enough panels to circle the tree. Tied the panels together to surround the tree, with the loose hex net extending outward top and bottom. (It might help to have a couple of stakes or fence posts to help get you started.)
Animals that can push through (or tear through) draped bird netting won't get through wire mesh.
You can roll the panels up to store for next year.
And the panels will also work to protect small block plantings of sweet corn.
I like this. I have a good bit of cypress I can rip into 1x2's, they are
8' long. I've got a few anchor post already, it seems like some tent stakes (or rebar) might help too.Got it. Like it. Thanks. I was thinking of some framed structure, but this is it and it fits any shape or lay of the land.
Will do. It'll be my only real harvest this year, except for my neighbor's tomato factory.
Jeff
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