Fruit Fig tree

H

Homestyle

Veteran Member
I don't suppose there is anything I can do to keep the birds, wasps and squirrels out of my fig tree. My tree is loaded with figs but as soon as one starts to show any ripeness at all it's eaten. I love figs and it's been a battle for several years to get any from my tree.
 
Firebird

Firebird

Has No Life - Lives on TB
We used to tie pie tins to the tree in various spots, it did help some. They blew in the breeze and scared most critters off.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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Unless it's huge, bird netting will solve the bird problem nicely. This year was the first year we got many blueberries, because we finally set up posts, wire and covered them with netting. The blasted birds get up earlier than I do!!

Squirrels are a problem.. a pellet gun may be the best solution. Wasps can be attracted to a sweet substance in a bottle with a narrow opening... they fly in, but can't fly out. They sell commercial "wasp traps" which work well...

Summerthyme
 
S

spinner

Veteran Member
This was the first year that my cherry tree had cherries. We wanted to keep the birds from taking the fruit and the tree is too large to cover with netting. We hung cds in the tree and waited for the cherries to ripen. The cds fluttered and sparkled pretty colored light flashes and the birds ate every cherry. I did not get a single cherry. DH hung cds around the blueberries and we are buying blueberries now.

I do not recommend relying on fluttery, sparkley things to protect your fruit.
 
H

Homestyle

Veteran Member
I have two yard cats and they are bored of chasing and stalking the birds around the tree. Birds and squirrels don't seem to care about the cats being there. I was wondering how berry growers manage the birds. Too many chemicals in the berries for the birds to not want to eat them maybe?
 
marsh

marsh

On TB every waking moment
I have bird netting over a few of my small dwarf trees, but it is very awkward. I am almost thinking some sort of skeletal square structure around them might hold the netting better.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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marsh said:
I have bird netting over a few of my small dwarf trees, but it is very awkward. I am almost thinking some sort of skeletal square structure around them might hold the netting better.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! We had to resort to that with the blueberries this year... we just draped the netting over the row of bushes last year, and the birds perched on top and ate the berries through the netting (also, the half-grown bantam chicks I had free ranging would sneak under the netting and jump up to pick berries! They got confined in a hurry!)

This year, we set fence posts on each side of the row of bushes, and then high tensile wire was strung along the top of the posts. The netting was draped over the wires, and we clipped it onto the wires with clothespins. Then we used earth staples (with florescent surveyor's tape attached, so we could find them again- a very important precaution as the grass starts growing!) to hold the netting to the ground, to keep things from sneaking underneath. Worked really well on everything except the blasted Japanese beetles... they'd need a screen house to keep out!

Summerthyme
 
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