[Maryann]

I'm sure this isn't the first time this question has been posed on here but despite a quick search I cannot turn up any relevant posts so forgive me for asking BUT how on earth can you protect your cherries from the birds please?

We have some fleece and some wondermesh debris netting but our tree is only 3 years old and not very big . It's about 6 or 7 ft tall and I just had enough morello cherries on it last year to make 2 jars of delicious jam. The birds got the rest 

It has suffered some wind damage this year and one of the braches snapped which was laden with fruit so I am desperate to save the rest from the birds. The fleece wont stay put - just blows off (how rude) and I worry about trying to put netting on it without damaging the fruit.

Has anyone come up with a brilliant idea I could use - thanks so much.

[ghost61]

I saw some mesh sleeves that you put over the branches that are bearing fruit and then you tie them top and bottom.  They cost a lot of money so I made my own from a piece of environmesh that had a few tears in it.  They have been on for a few weeks now and the cherries are swelling up but the birds can't get to them.  I used some soft wire ties top and bottom to hold the sleeves in place.

Hope I've described it well enough.  Otherwise Google cherry tree sleeves and you should be able to see what I mean!

[Maryann]

That's a good idea - thank you very much. I could make some sleeves with the fleece I have....I think 
It's worth giving it a go as not a huge amount of branches but they are laden with fruit.
Thanks again 

[wasthiswise]

I have a couple of 3 yr old cherry trees about 5ft high and I netted them using hoops made of gas piping which are slotted onto some old metal poles I found on the plot when I first got it. Then covered with a (big) net. See photo.

Last year I didnt get to eat a single cherry thanks to the birds.

[LandShark]

I used 8ft canes made into a tepee and covered it with garden netting. It's working so far and still standing after the strong winds!

[Maryann]

Thanks for replies - much appreciated. I have the same hoops made from pipes but sadly not tall enough for this little tree which is probably about 7 or 8 ft tall. We are going to try the teepee if we can get the canes in the ground. It's so dry at the moment and rock hard even though we water the fruit trees regularly. They are probably in wrong position in garden as we have lots of mature conifers, hazel tree and others to the rear of them which take lots of water from the area.
Also just remembered we have the framework of an old greenhouse stored somewhere which just might be tall enough and we can build it up around the tree and throw netting over it 

I'll let you know how we get on...thanks again 

[wasthiswise]

You might not want to do this but - after this years harvest - why not give your tree a severe pruning so that in future years it'll be a 5ft tree instead? Will make future netting up an awful lot easier.

I have 5 cherry trees on my allotment, two are 3 years old and are limited to around 5ft high by pruning; the others are only 4ft high as they were planted just last year but I intend to prune them similarly. They are planted in amongst various currant and gooseberry bushes, with the intention to build a fruit cage to enclose the whole lot. Then I wont have to worry about netting up at all.

[Hampshire Hog]

Interesting idea by wasthiswise I trimmed my tree as it was around 10 foot tall and "escaping". I think I will also need to shorten the branches too as I can't net the whole tree but would have a better chance if the beaches were shorter. Only thought is will I remove buds etc for next years crop??

HH

[heygrow]

How about CD's to scare the birds like this vPOaVh5Y2UIEasier than netting for trees if it works.

I just put some on my young cherry blossom tree as pigeons are stripping the leaves and breaking the branches. Hope it works!

[3759allen]

i have no personal experience as the birds in my garden don't seem to like fruit, preferring worms. hope i haven't jinks it now.

i have seem a few commercial growers that lay bird netting over the tree and peg down. i guess the fruit at the end of the branches will still get pinched but should limit the loss.

as you said one of the laden branches broke it may be worth (if you have the space) training it along a post and wire system, this way you should be able to train along rather than up. you can support the branches to stop the breaking and it will also make it easier to make a net tunnel/ cage as it will be lower. does involve time and cost but may be worth it.

[Maryann]

Will definitely be pruning it back to about 5ft for next year - we are also hoping to build a fruit cage as we have currants, raspberries, gooseberries and strawberries to protect.
I think the greenhouse plastic frame will work if we can make sure it is clamped to ground firmly enough and then just throw some netting over it.

[Maryann]

Oh - just remembered.
For Heygrow)
Whilst trawling the internet for a solution to this problem I read suggestions using CD's - all sorts of configurations with them but the general consensus was they don't work. Seems that the birds just get used to them.
Sorry for that but you never know they might just work for you - hope so.

[BumbleJo]

This is so funny, we've just this afternoon been struggling to net our young cherry tree, we made a tepee thing and netted it with a struggle - wish I'd thought of the cd thing especially as I slung a load away not long ago!

[ghost61]

All I can add is that with the mesh sleeves our cherries are ripening and untouched!

[cadalot]

I've covered one of mine yesterday using a blowaway frame someone else on the allotment had chucked by the front gate and some debris netting, It will do this year but next year perhaps the mesh sleeves.

Behind in the picture is a frame I made using solvent weld waste pipe you could make a frame using that and cover with netting. see thread http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=119685.0