North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Neil T Lewis <lewisn@georgetown.edu>]

> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:54:02 -0700 (PDT)
> From: John S <swim_at_svc@yahoo.com>
> Subject: [NAFEX] Screen Enclosures - the war against the pests
> To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> Message-ID: <565909.44994.qm@web39108.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> This year, fruit eating wasps decimated my gooseberry and blueberry 
> harvest.? As a backyard gardener, I do not have that much 
> production available to share.? I routinely screen for birds, but 
> the mesh size of this is large enough to pass the insects that do 
> the damage.? My harvest was probably about 20% of what it could 
> have been.
> 
> I am considering changing out the bird net for fiberglass screen, 
> which is easier to use and lasts longer than bird net, but am 
> concerned about light penetration through the screen.? Does anybody 
> have a feel for how significant screen is in shading?? The standard 
> size is a lot more cost effective than the custom meshes and there 
> is also the issue of getting the right mesh size.
> 
> I've tried the spun poly barriers, but cannot see through them.? 
> there is also the issue of watering concerns.? Water wets the poly, 
> then runs down the sides.? I had some losses this late summer when 
> some plants did not get enough water due to this uneven 
> distribution and could not see their stress.
> 
> I was thinking of trying hoop houses with screen on top for water 
> penetration and poly cloth on the sides for additional light 
> penetration.? Since the poly is not resiliant, it is more difficult 
> to work with and tears easily with handling so side access would 
> not work out well.
> 
> Has anybody out there solved this problem ahead of me?
> 
> Thanks
> John
> 
John,

My neighbor covers his blackberries and blueberries with shade cloth. Get the 
kind that lets the most light through. Although the cloth lessens the light 
that gets through, it seems to have no ill effect on the size or flavor of 
the berries. I think the mesh on this cloth is sufficiently small that it 
would keep out wasps -- someone correct me if I am wrong.

Neil