Re Birds in the trees

[Guest guest]

>Four hundred trees twenty years old. Stinging nettles will keep the

>birds off? How? The birds eat half of each fruit starting with the most

>ripe. You will notice I did not say ripe, They start their destruction

>about one or two weeks before the fruit is ready. I don't think the

>nettles on the

>ground will keep the birds on the trees away!

>Carol

 

What a smashing orchard. If I had the proper funding I would come there and

set out the system for you. Simply on the strength of Radhanaths information

that he has no attack from birds in his orchard. He got donated enough

litter to do his entire orchard.

Anyway one would have to experiment as this would be cheaper than netting

and if nettles didn't work in your location and if one wanted to set up such

an orchard from scratch I would be inclined to prune the trees to hand

picking height or box to stand on height and arrange an entire net system

that was supported over the trees. The trees would need to be trellised as

the branches would break off with the excessive weight. Then the Chinese

would wrap a paper bag over every fruit to keep the wasps off!, but they

maynot be a problem there.

There is a lot you can do or you can do nothing and let the birds eat.

I think I would be inclined to do something if it were my orchard.

 

There is the philosophy that if the ground is really fertile your crops

won't get pests and diseases ? MAYBE because Radhanatha has his entire

orchard covered about two feet deep in horse stable litter (wood chip) which

has emerged stinging nettles itself there is some difference and the birds

don't come.