bird question

[reisjdmd]

advice please. we have a small east centralwisconsin home vineyard, and i am wondering about bird control. what are the thoughts about using netting, and what kind of netting to use? is everone using netting, or are birds not so much of a problem for the home grower??? we have 8 40 foot rows of grapes.

 

[NorthernWinos]

We put up bird netting....Have many Cedar Waxwings about ripening time.

We have pieces 7X20' and put a net on each side of the grape rows and pin them together with clothes pins, top and bottom.

Have a friend who has netting he puts around big bales of hay and he has offered a roll of that stuff...It seems pretty flimsy and I have read on another Forum that birds get caught in it....so haven't taken him up on a roll he has that doesn't fit in his baler....I may take it and try it this fall and see how it works.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

Where have you been? I was wondering how your vines were doing.


Yes, we need netting here to keep birds and other wildlife out of the grapes. We have been using 14 foot netting draped over the top and closed at the bottom with skewers or clips. I may try some Vineside netting this year. It is similar to bale nets, but heavier and lasts longer. The holes are also smaller. You clip it at the top and bottom after running it down each side of the grapes.

 

[reisjdmd]

well, that settles that. hello netting-good bye birds. thank you both for the excellent advice.
appleman-suffered frost damage this winter. swenson red; es 540; aurore; baco noir; verdelet; reliance; all suffered some damage, maybe due to a late season ice storm. however, the frontenac and marechal foch did well are are loaded with grapes in their third growing season. hopefully, we will make some wine this fall. i did prune the damaged vines heavily and will give them another season. if no luck, will replace them with frontenac and marechal foch cuttings, as they are hardy in our micro, micro climate. the ice storm looked like that scene from dr shivago when everything is covered with a gorgeous layer of shimmering white crystilline ice. i loved it, a real natural high. it never dawned on me the grapes might suffer.

 

[grapeman]

I lost 500 grafted apple trees here in the '97 Ice Storm. It looked beautiful, but like a war zone- I broke 90 percent of the tree tops off so they all looked like they were nuked. The National Guard patroled the strees in large trucks with chains. Out here in the country we were on our own for the wee to 10 days to get any power back with sub-freezing temps.
Better luck next year!