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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Apple bags vs. nylons

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  • From: Bob Randall <YearRoundGardening@comcast.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Apple bags vs. nylons
  • Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:27:37 -0500

I'm not sure if this will help.

For many years I have protected fruit here from pests with homemade bags made from black fiberglass window screening. I make them by taking a four foot wide roll and sawing it into 8 6-inch wide rolls of whatever length the screening was. Then I use ordinary scissors to cut strips 24 inches long, and then fold it to get a "bag" 6x6 inches that is two thicknesses thick. I then staple it with an ordinary stapler. And put the bag on with a wooden clothes pin.

A roll of the screening costs about $5 at Lowe's or Home Depot. And it probably doesn't take me a minute to make a bag that lasts many years.

The result is a very long lasting bag that keeps both birds and insects off until ripe. They can be moved from peaches to apples to grapes to persimmons as the season progresses.

I have been doing this for more than a decade. Occasionally birds figure it out and certainly they can peck through two layers of screening, but they rarely do if the fruit is covered before it is edible or turns color. We are in a very hot and humid area, so the screening dries quickly and doesn't build up heat.

Of course, this is practical only if bagging is not too labor intensive for your orchard. I mostly eat what I grow, so it is manageable and well worth it, but I wouldn't try for a large planting.

Bob Randall


"Share What You Grow and What You Know!"

Bob Randall, Ph.D.
YearRoundGardening@comcast.net
713-661-9737



On Sep 26, 2009, at 10:59 PM, Michael Dossett wrote:

We tried the nylons at my parent's place in Seattle and I can say it will be the last time, but for a different reason. The nylons did absolutely nothing to stop our Coddling Moth problem. Apple Maggot, yes, coddling moth, no. It seems like they just chewed right through the nylons. On top of that, as the apple expands and stretches the nylon, they get runs in them just like a pair of panty hose. Once that happens, they are worthless. It would be nice if they were reuseable but 90% of ours weren't after one season.. Maybe we just did something wrong?

Michael


Michael Dossett
Corvallis, Oregon
www.Mdossettphoto.com
phainopepla@yahoo.com


--- On Sat, 9/26/09, Jim Fruth <jimfruth@charter.net> wrote:

From: Jim Fruth <jimfruth@charter.net>
Subject: [NAFEX] Apple bags vs. nylons
To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Saturday, September 26, 2009, 7:26 AM
This year I tested
"Apple Maggot Control Bags (nylon)" that I bought
from Raintree versus Zip-Lock Bags with unbagged apples for
a control. It
will definitely be my last purchase of the nylon bags!
Both bag types were effective against Apple
Maggot but fungi was a big
problem with the nylon bags. Blotch and Fly Speck are
problems here that
affect the outer surface of apples. Both wash off
with a bit of 'elbow
grease' and a Scotch Brite pad but having to clean every
apple is a nuisance
and not cost effective.
Surprisingly, there was much more Blotch and
Fly Speck on the nylon
bagged apples than on the unbagged apples.
Predictably, only a few apples
with Zip Lock Bags had any and those that did had a small
amount at the stem
end. An exception was that the earliest summer apples
(Beacon and Yellow
Transparent) were not affected with the fungi.
In conclusion, it is nice that, unlike
plastic bags that break down
after being exposed to prolonged sunlight, the nylons can
be reused again.
I'll be using the nylons on my earliest summer apples and
all others will be
bagged with Zip Lock bags.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies, syrups and more:
www.jellygal.com
1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
1-218-831-7018 (My Cell)

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