I planted a sweet cherry tree last year, after reading what I thought
was a lot about cherry trees. This winter I read that I need bird
netting or the birds will eat all my cherries.
So I put the netting on and now some of the leaves are upside down. I
tried to get them right side up, but can't get them all so far.
Will photosynthesis still work if the leaves are upside down?
Or will my cherry crop be less because I did this?
Last summer I had about 2 cherries, but this year there are about 40
or 50, about 1/2" in diameter now. I'd hate to lose many. (I
knocked 2 off while putting the netting on.)
It will work as long as they get light, direct or indirect.. You
don't need the netting until the fruit is nearing ripeness. If you
don't net, chances are, you will find the put hanging from the stem or
just a bite or two that will ruin the fruit.
Good. Turning some leaves upside down certainly hasn't cut down on
how much light they get.
It's probably early to put the net on**, but I'm going away for 9
days, and if there is no net, I'll be imagining all day long that they
are being eaten. I'm still mourning my two apple trees so I would
like a decent harvest of cherries.
**Although I bought the tree last April or May and it had 3 or 4 ripe
cherries on it already. I went back to the nursery and others there
had even more by the middle and end of May. I don't know how long it
takes from 1/2" to ripe. I'll be back by late May 30 and I was
thinking of telling my neighbor to eat them if they ripened before
then.
BTW, I ate one of the little cherries that fell on the ground. All
green, no pit yet, didnt' taste very sweet, but didn't taste bad.
OTOH, not good enough to pick up the other one.
As to humming birds, I think I've seen one around here in 30 years,
and when I had a humming bird feeder with liquid food made according
to the directions, I don't think I got any. So I'm hoping for the
best as far asa they're concerned. Are they more vulnerable than
other birds?
Thanks to Ed and Rec.
BTW. I remember a sketch I saw, maybe in the 7th grade, about
photosynthesis, and that's what made me thing maybe right-side up
mattered. That wasn't the topic of the sketch, but I wanted to be
sure.
It probably doesn't matter all that much to photosynthesis but it
might matter to water loss or cooling of the tree. If the leaf
bottoms are forced to be sun-facing, the tree might shed them.
Hummingbirds don't eat fruit (if that's what you're thinking).
Lots of other birds do, though. Not to mention deer, squirrels and
raccoons, if you have those in your neighborhood.
On Sunday, May 19, 2013 11:45:02 AM UTC-7, micky wrote:
Something I’ve been wondering about:
Do you have hummingbirds where you are, and if so how will you keep them fr
om being trapped and killed by the netting?
Yes photosynthesis will work by the way.
Don't worry about it !! Trees are smart... they will figure it out
and do the appropriate action...
In fact, except for Ohio and Georgia, not one single tree
voted for Obama.....
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