Grid for strawberries from birds: features of choice and installation, rules of operation

Gardeners spend a lot of effort to get a good harvest of berries, including strawberries.But even if it was received, if it was possible to avoid diseases and attacks of insects, if the weather was good, it would still be less than normal to pick berries. The reason for such lovers of all sweet, like birds. And one of the most effective solutions against them - just covering grid for strawberries from birds.

There is a whole arsenal of tools that are designed to protect landings from beaks aiming from heaven. But nevertheless, it is precisely mesh constructions that should be recognized as the most effective variant of “garden defense”. The danger to the fruits are almost all known species of birds that live in Russia. The only exceptions are predators. High-quality protective solution should equally well stop the crows and sparrows, rooks and cranes, pigeons and tits.

In comparison with the grid, all other solutions to the problem lose:

• keeping birds of prey is expensive;
• cats and dogs trample the beds more than drive away the crop fighters;
• birds get used to bogey and sound signals quickly;
• tapes and old disks work only in sunny weather, and rattling banks - in the presence of wind;
• no one will watch the garden continuously, then you have to devote your whole life to it.

To cover the garden from birds suitable polypropylene and steel nets to the same extent. It does not matter what the configuration of the cell is: a rhombus or a rectangle. If the design is made and designed correctly, 100% protection is guaranteed while passing through heat, water and light. Also all insects moving pollen can easily penetrate through the cells. There are several ways to install a grid to protect against birds.

Most often they start by driving pins along the outer border of the bed. Already they stretch the net, raising it to 300-350 mm above the strawberry bushes, so as not to interfere with their growth. In another embodiment, a structure similar to a greenhouse is created. Similarly, arcs of metal or plastic are taken. They already become a frame for the fence.

In addition to the simple mesh design, often try to secure the covering material, impermeable to sunlight. Such materials are supplied, for example, under the brands "Spunbond", "Agrospan". Birds simply can not see what exactly is on the garden beds. However, such protection, for all its effectiveness, cancels natural pollination and reduces the quality of the crop, because strawberry insolation is also reduced.

When closing the beds, it is required to hammer in the pegs with a spacing of 450–500 mm. Below the material is fixed using bricks or other holding product.

It is possible to hide strawberries from birds in this way, and it will be difficult for them to get to the protected berries. But there are a number of disadvantages:

• have to use the most dense mesh with a small cell (fishing is not suitable);
• the search for the optimal material is very difficult;
• to protect a large garden, the construction is expensive;
• it will be more difficult to care for landings;
• it does not work out just like that, walking along the path, pick some passing berries;
• frequent lifting of covering material in everyday use wear it out quickly;
• many birds get entangled in the nets trying to get to the harvest, and when they try to free them, they can bite and scratch;
• the simplest drawing of a grid over the beds may not seem aesthetic enough, and it can be more difficult to fix it in a more beautiful way.

Because the use of special sets of arcs for the formation of the frame is quite an attractive solution. These arcs can be made from:

• quality steel;
• bamboo;
• various types of plastic.

In any case, the arc light and put without preparing the foundation. The number of arc elements is determined by how long the bed is formed.The distance between the individual arcs varies from 0.6 to 0.8 m. When the necessary fasteners are set, you can already use them to tighten and attach the grid. In the end, you should get a semblance of a fragment of the tunnel.

If high arcs are set, it will be possible to move inside, as in a full-fledged greenhouse. Then the subsequent care of strawberries and the removal of ripe berries are noticeably simplified.

In this case, a plastic net is made with a small cell (in which the birds are not tangled). It is recommended to pick up a material of high rigidity, which sags a little. Several pieces picked up, closing the end part of the "tunnel". If this is not done, all the work, in principle, loses its meaning, because the birds simply bypass it on the ground, very quickly finding an accessible loophole.

There is a solution that is completely devoid of such shortcomings. However, it is necessary, to embody it, to have specific skills. Those who know how to handle carpentry and carpentry tools can easily do the work. Begin with the selection of suitable size boards. A box is already being formed from them, in which jumpers are set, directed transversely, in increments of 0.6–0.8 m.

To connect the boards fit corner bars attached to the screws. The design should be of moderate height so that the strawberries do not lose access to the sun and air. If the cover is not in contact with the tops of the bushes, this is enough. Other sizes are selected every time individually, taking into account the dimensions of the bed. Corners are equipped with peculiar legs from pointed shortened bars.

Important: with a very large length of the bed, auxiliary legs are put, which drive into the ground every 1-2 m on a long face. Since the supports will go into the ground, they are burned slightly or (which is much preferable) treated with drugs that stop rotting.

For information on how to install a bird net, see the next video.