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Our backyard deer fence is going to be started in 2 weeks. It will take me awhile to move daylilies and other non deer resistant plants from the front to the back. So in the mean time I have bought some bird netting to use. I've seen some folks use it over wire hoops to protect low growing plants. I can't figure out what guage or type of wire to purchase. It can't be sold on cylinders or rolls cause it needs to be fairly rigid to stand up to weather. And it has to be bendable to form hoops. I've checked with Home Depot and Lowe's and nothing there. No products mentioned to be sold with bird netting on Amazon.
The next one discusses all the other stuff we have hashed through in the Garden Forum over the last few years for keeping deer out of the garden, but the pictures halfway down show the bird netting in use in a way that you might be able to do. Deer Defenses | NW Farms & Food
It is not perfect, doesn't look all that beautiful and the smarter deer learn to push the netting inward to nibble at the shoots they can get to come through the spaces (ask me how I know that, sigh). As a temporary protection it might just do the trick.
Thanks Em. We have already bought the bird netting. I've thrown some over hydrangeas in the past and it works but i want the supports like this cloche product only lower and not white. This is the closest thing I can find to what i want.
How about... short pieces of rebar stuck partway in the ground, and small diameter pvc bent over and the ends slid over the rebar? Then the bird netting zip tied in place? Make it like a low tunnel?
How about... short pieces of rebar stuck partway in the ground, and small diameter pvc bent over and the ends slid over the rebar? Then the bird netting zip tied in place? Make it like a low tunnel?
good idea. I'll talk to DH. I guess we could get rebar cut at home depot but it would still be so visible. . I think tomorrow we will go to hardware store and see what they have.
Some of my horse fencing is a type of wire called high tensil wire. It comes in a large coil, about 18 in in diameter and is quite stiff. If you bought a roll of that at a farm supply store or Tractor supply, I think the original coil would produce the arc that you are looking for. You would need 14 inch-handled bolt cutters to easily cut it into smaller lengths. It is strong, non-bendy wire.
I have used many rolls of the deer fencing that comes on a roll and is 7 foot X 100 foot long. It is less than $20 for a roll. I try to use stakes to go around our plants. If I just drape it over plants like rhododendron; the plants grow through it before I remember to take it off. Then I damage the plants removing it. I also wanted to tell you to watch out going over top of plants in the winter - especially if you live in snow and ice territory. Ice and wet snow will accumulate on the fencing. The weight will bring it down on your shrubs or just tear the fencing or possibly damage your plants. Either way your plants could be vulnerable to the deer.
The fencing does a good job on stakes. I usually buy 2x4x8's and just rip them in half on my table saw and point the ends. The 2x4x8's are pretty cheap compared to stakes. I then use a long pointed bar and start holes in the ground and pound the 8 foot long stakes into the holes. It last a few years before the non-treated wood rots off. You can cut off the rotted wood on the end and still use them for shorter stakes. I just use a stapler to put the fencing on the stakes.
Deer do not usually jump into tight enclosures. You do have to inspect the plastic fencing from time to time. Buck can get their horns stuck in the mesh and rip down or punch holes in your fence - but it doesn't happen that frequently. The mesh itself starts to get brittle after one or two years. I do like the mess because of the price and coverage I get for my money + it is almost invisible from a distance. You can paint or stain the 2x4's so they do not stand out - they will also turn gray over time.
Thanks Em. We have already bought the bird netting. I've thrown some over hydrangeas in the past and it works but i want the supports like this cloche product only lower and not white. This is the closest thing I can find to what i want.
OK gotcha. I wish I could be more help, I know how hard it is to deal with deer in the garden. The only thing I've seen that would support netting would be something on the order of home batting cages and from what I see the frames and anchoring aren't cheap by anyone's definition. There might be someplace that will have cheap(er) directions for making one but here's some samples of what I mean. They are big enough to stand in and could cover a lot of territory depending on the size you get. I have the feeling 72 feet might be a on the too long side. LOL
Those are kits with netting and frames. The following has hardware for sale for the actual cage frame and it might give you some ideas for what you can shop for at your local Home Depot or Lowes.
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