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Monday, August 5, 2019

BAGGING FRUIT ON TREES

When I was watering the fruit trees, I noticed that the tops of some of the lemons had small scrapes on them.  We were guessing that could be from birds testing them?  

Lemon damaged from birds
 It was just enough to expose the white pith of the fruit and was only on a couple that were on the tops, easily exposed to an aerial assault, ha.  I've read that if the outer layer is damaged like that they may not go on to develop properly.

That led me to articles about bagging fruit on the tree while it is growing. Some people use ziplock style baggies but here in Houston, with our unrelenting heat, humidity and frequent rains, we felt that might create a bad environment for the fruit if we are not there every day to check it. 

So after some online checking, I found these mesh bags that come in different sizes.  They "breathe" and so that lets light through and moisture out while providing pretty good protection from birds, deer and even some pests like caterpillars, etc.

Mesh fruit bags
I ordered a package from Amazon to try out: 


There are various sizes.  I figured with a package of 60, we would be using them next Spring with pears, peaches, plums and apples so we better get a size that would work for those as well.

Fruit bagging
I bagged up a few to test and see how it works. I bagged the undamaged ones and a couple of the damaged ones just to compare and I also left a few uncovered to have a control for comparison.

And now we wait!


14 comments:

  1. Wonderful idea on using them mesh bags. They should help a lot in keeping them birds from pecking at your fruit

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    Replies
    1. I hope it works. I kind of think it can't hurt so we'll see.

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks, I guess time will tell. man vs nature, ha.

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  3. I have three lemon trees in large pots. I have a white fly problem. Is there anything you do to fight flying critters besides spraying neem oil?

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    Replies
    1. Neem oil is all I've used so far. Fingers crossed that's it for now. If anyone else has suggestions let us know!

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  4. nice baggies. you'll be happy you did that

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    Replies
    1. Cool, thanks. They were not expensive and if they work it will be a worthwhile investment, ha.

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  5. Talk about timing. I was just out picking the first of our elderberries and lamenting at how many the birds have gotten. Bagging them crossed my mind but I wasn't sure what to use. These would be perfect because you can see progress on ripening.

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    Replies
    1. Awesome! They make all sorts of different sizes, different manufacturers, different materials. Good luck and keep us posted.

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  6. Great find! Looks like they will be perfect for protecting your fruit.

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    Replies
    1. It was a random find, hope it works, ha. Thanks!

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