To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Protecting Ripe Fruit
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:17:04 -0500
This is what I did yesterday to protect the fruit on a new fig selection I
have that is about ripe.
I already had some one inch PVC lengths with "T" connectors on one end from
another plant project. It just happened that the length of the PVC was such
that I could put them about 16 inches in the ground and they would be about
3 inches taller than my fig plant. I used a short length of pipe, inch
diameter, to make 4 holes equal distance at the circumference of the plant.
I just guessed at this making the holes at approximately the east,west,
south and north side of the plant. The "T" connectors do not need to be
glued in place, just friction fitted or tape them on with masking or duck
tape. After the PVC poles were in place I used two bamboo poles and placed
them thru the "T" connectors one east to west and the other south to north
and used tape to keep them in place. After bamboo poles in place cut to
length. Next I placed the netting over this. Probably took about 15 minutes
but I had all the material on hand. Instead of placing the bamboo poles thru
the "T" connectors you could run irrigation tubing or a water hose thru the
"T" connectors and make a circle the circumference of the plant. The extra
length of the water hose could be continued around the circumference and
taped to the hose placed thru the "T" connectors and at the end of the fruit
season returned to normal use. You could also add the cross pieces(bamboo
poles) on top of the hose and tape in place if need to keep netting off
plant.
Red neck engineering at work,
Lee
Ocean Springs,Ms. Zone 8b