I got tired of birds eating my figs the day before they were fully ripe, so I tried once again to net the tree. First I strung a full net along the back side of the tree, tying it on securely. But I didn't actually think that would do much - they just had to fly in from the other side and they'd be under the net eating my figs. So I got creative and made net booties.
I have my friend Heather to thank for this idea. Apparently in Queensland they make mesh bags you tie over banana bunches to protect them from fruit bats. I asked at the B-store and they didn't sell anything like that, so I made some myself. I took a second bird net and cut out some large squares, then stitched together one side with outdoor twine. I dragged them over the ends of branches with figs that were near-ripe, then closed the end around the branch.
To be honest, it's a pain in the bum. Each of those bags has one, maybe two figs in it - a lot of work for just a few fruit. But that's just the breba crop. On the tips of those branches are another 3 or 4 of the main crop which will ripen in the autumn. So if this works, I can either keep them on all summer, or take them off now and re-use them closer to the autumn.
Unfortunately one bag has failed so far. It wasn't closed all the way and the fig was awfully close to another branch, so either a bird climbed inside the bag or just pecked it through the netting.
But the rest of the bags seem to be working. Here's one of my beauties - it looks ripe but I'm going to give it one more day. I think it's safe, or else it would have been pecked open by now. Next to it are two of the autumn crop slowly ripening.
I can't wait to try them.
I have my friend Heather to thank for this idea. Apparently in Queensland they make mesh bags you tie over banana bunches to protect them from fruit bats. I asked at the B-store and they didn't sell anything like that, so I made some myself. I took a second bird net and cut out some large squares, then stitched together one side with outdoor twine. I dragged them over the ends of branches with figs that were near-ripe, then closed the end around the branch.To be honest, it's a pain in the bum. Each of those bags has one, maybe two figs in it - a lot of work for just a few fruit. But that's just the breba crop. On the tips of those branches are another 3 or 4 of the main crop which will ripen in the autumn. So if this works, I can either keep them on all summer, or take them off now and re-use them closer to the autumn.Unfortunately one bag has failed so far. It wasn't closed all the way and the fig was awfully close to another branch, so either a bird climbed inside the bag or just pecked it through the netting.
But the rest of the bags seem to be working. Here's one of my beauties - it looks ripe but I'm going to give it one more day. I think it's safe, or else it would have been pecked open by now. Next to it are two of the autumn crop slowly ripening.I can't wait to try them.
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