I bought some 5' tall 2x4" 14 ga. welded wire for deer protection around my Apples & Pears. What diameter would you recommend me making the circles? Also, what diameter do you make the aluminum window screen to go around the bottom 2' of trunk? I assume I want the window screen pretty loose once stapled back to itself.
Are you planning to grow the canopy above deer browse and eventually remove the cage? I use cattle panel 4' square on the sides, but the holes are big enough to poke through, so it needs to be a little bigger than 2x4" welded wire.
The lower you want your branch structure the start, the larger the diameter you'll want your cage. If you start lower you'll have more usable canopy within reach.
jafar said
Are you planning to grow the canopy above deer browse and eventually remove the cage? I use cattle panel 4' square on the sides, but the holes are big enough to poke through, so it needs to be a little bigger than 2x4" welded wire.The lower you want your branch structure the start, the larger the diameter you'll want your cage. If you start lower you'll have more usable canopy within reach.
I was just doing what I saw a lot of others recommending & doing. Should I use 6" field fence instead of the 2x4 welded wire fencing? I am worried about deer browse, is 5' too high?
coolbrze said
I was just doing what I saw a lot of others recommending & doing. Should I use 6" field fence instead of the 2x4 welded wire fencing? I am worried about deer browse, is 5' too high?
Here are some pics of some un-fenced apple & pear trees where we've done exactly what you want to do:
The cages are 6' wire fencing, left over from fencing the main orchard (not pictured). I will leave the cages on for several more years to keep the bucks from scraping off the still thin & tender bark. But once the bark is a bit thicker, we'll remove the cages altogether. The cages are not staked at all, so I can shift them around a little bit as I need to work around the trees (weeding, mulching, etc.). We get a wee bit of browse on the lower limbs as they start to droop under the weight of the fruit, and yes, some of the fruit gets "donated".
Let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help.
Mitch
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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