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nafex - Re: [nafex] smart net for blueberries

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  • From: Scott Breneman <sbreneman@yourgoodwill.org>
  • To: "'nafex@lists.ibiblio.org'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] smart net for blueberries
  • Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 17:14:19 +0000

Hi Michael,

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the netting. We have about 1/3 acre
of berries to protect. Each row is 176 feet long--I was thinking of inside
bracing for equipment operating reasons, like you said.

How tall are the posts you used above and below ground?

Are the braces a wood angled piece bolted to another post driven into the
ground?

Scott


Generally speaking, we have been very happy with this.? There is a bit of
labor involved in sliding the mesh and clipping the panels together at the
beginning of the season and then taking it down in the fall.? Wrapping the
mesh in black plastic (it can still hang from the poles, this is easy to do
if it is all bunched up to an end or in the middle) will help protect from UV
and lengthen the life of the mesh considerably.? It is essential to take it
down over the winter.? A small amount of ice or a moderate snow fall will
cause you more headaches than the amount of work involved in putting it up
and taking it down each year.? There are some variations on exact design for
bracing posts etc (inside vs. outside).? We prefer to have them inside
because it makes mowing and field maintenance much easier.? If you have a
small tractor or riding mower, it is easy enough to have nails on your end
posts to hang the end curtain up for mowing the alleyways and accessing the
rows under the net during the growing season as need be.? We have both 10'
and 20' panels in different fields.? The 20' is less work for clipping etc.
(half the number of panels for the same area) but will sag more and give you
less height clearence in the alleyways.? I am 6'1 and have to duck as I walk
down the rows in our fields with the 20' panels, whereas this is not a
problem in our other fields that are 10'.

Michael

Michael Dossett
Mission, British Columbia
www.Mdossettphoto.com
phainopepla@yahoo.com


________________________________
From: Scott Breneman <sbreneman@yourgoodwill.org>
To: "'nafex@lists.ibiblio.org'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 9:06 AM
Subject: [nafex] Smart Net for blueberry protection

We are at our wits end for keeping birds from eating 100 percent of our
blueberries.
I'm looking at the smart net system:

12 foot posts driven to 9'
high tensile stretched on top
mesh slides on the high tensile suspended over the entire patch side
curtains.

Any experience with this system--much appreciate comments.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott Breneman
Farm Manager
?
Goodwilll at Homefields Farm
PO Box 38
150 Letort Rd
Millersville, PA? 17551
http://www.yourgoodwill.org/farm ?
P:?717-871-3110

Check out our Farm Blog: http://www.goodwillathomefieldsfarm.blogspot.com/



  • Re: [nafex] smart net for blueberries, Scott Breneman, 04/03/2013

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