How to Net a Citrus Tree

Keep birds out of your citrus tree by covering it with protective netting.

Cultivating citrus trees is a great way to ensure that you always have a supply of fresh fruit on hand, but ensuring that the fruit makes it from the tree to your table is not always easy. Birds feed on overripe as well as developing fruits and, in addition to damaging your citrus, they can make a mess of the area around your citrus trees. There are many ways to deter birds from landing in your fruit trees, but one of the most effective methods is to protect the entire tree with a net.

Things You'll Need

• Bird netting
• Four long wooden poles
• Rope
• Lightweight pole (optional)
• Stakes or bricks

Instructions

1. Prune back any unruly or over-long branches that might interfere with the hanging of the netting.

2. Measure the height and width of your citrus tree to determine how much netting you will need.

3. Select a package of netting. Tree netting can be found online and at garden supply stores. Check the package to see how much area the netting covers and compare it to the measurements you took of the tree you intend to cover.

4. Remove the netting from the package and unfold it on the ground beside the citrus tree.

5. Drive four long wooden poles into the ground around the tree and angle them toward the center. The stakes should be spaced evenly around the tree and should form a teepee shape, crossing just above the center of the tree. Wrap a length of rope around the stakes where they cross.

6. Drag one end of the net up and over the top of the wooden stakes. If the tree is too tall, use a lightweight pole to pull the netting over the tree. The netting should rest on top of the wooden poles and should not be tangled in the branches of the tree.

7. Distribute the netting around the fruit-bearing part of the tree. Spread the netting to cover all the leaves and branches. Bring the corners and drape the edges down toward the ground.

8. Secure the corners and edges of the netting on the ground around the trunk by driving stakes into the ground or by weighing the netting down with bricks. The netting should be spread loosely over the tree, forming a sort of cage around it.

Tips & Warnings

• Simply wrapping a tree with netting may keep birds from getting at the fruit but it can also pose a danger to birds and other small animals. Bats, flying foxes and birds often get trapped in loose netting and, as a result, may become injured or die. Keeping the netting pulled taut around your tree is not only a more effective way of keeping birds out but is also safer.

References

• Queensland Government; Netting Fruit Trees; August 2011
• Office of Environment and Heritage; Netting of Garden Fruit Trees; February 2011