Bing Cherry

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SPBZF 26 May 2013 Bing Cherry
There is one Bing cherry tree in the garden. It was planted in 2007, purchased in a pot from a nursery. The fruit is abundant this year. In 2012 frost killed all the buds and there was no cherries within miles. The birds wreak havoc on the cherries,particularly robins. I have to install fibre glass screening before the fruit matures.

[Durgan]

My Cherry tree is a Tehranivee Cherry tree.

Tehranivee Cherry
A new mahogany coloured self fertile sweet cherry with black-red juice. Tehranivee has excellent flavor as well as size, sweetness and firmness.Bred by famed Canadian researcher Gus Tehrani, it was released in 1996, from the Vineland Ontario Station and is a cross of Van and Stella. This beauty will be a winner for American home orchardists.
http://www.raintreenursery.com/Tehra..._Gisela_5.html

[coronabarb]

Once we get moved to southern Idaho, I want to plant cherry trees. Can't grow them here in zone 9b so really looking forward to it.

[coronabarb]

There are areas where cherry trees grow in So Cal but they are at a higher elevation. In fact, there is an area/town called Cherry Valley in the San Bernardino mt foothills where we used to go to a u-pick place to get buckets of them.

[Crandrew]

Lots of Cherries in the Central Valley.

Congrats Barb on the move, I just saw your thread we'll miss ya out here. But it sounds absolutely fantastic.

[coronabarb]

It will be lots of work. Cherries would make it worth it! (yep)

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DLUUZ 1 June 2012 Cherry Tree Cage Bird Protection
Bird Protection.A cage was built 8 by 8 by 12 feet tall covered with chicken wire and roof was fibre glass screening.The birds devastate the cherries without protection. The choice was simple either remove the tree or add protection. The tree is completely enclosed and there is a 4 by 4 foot entrance.

[JiminNJ]

I'm planing on fruit trees for next year, 2 cherry, and a peach, along with 3-4 blueberry bushes.
does regular bird netting work? or do you have to "cage" them like Durgan

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by JiminNJ

I'm planing on fruit trees for next year, 2 cherry, and a peach, along with 3-4 blueberry bushes.
does regular bird netting work? or do you have to "cage" them like Durgan

There is no such thing a regular bird netting. All I have seen is an abomination to manage. Cheap plastic netting snags, and traps the birds feet, impossible to use.

My peach tree is not attacked, but my blueberry bushes must be protected. Here is my blueberry system.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CVLYG 22 June 2012 Bird Protection
Robins were visiting the blueberries,which are beginning to ripen. The top fibre glass screening was installed on the previously built structure. Without this protection the robins eat or destroy eveRy berry by poking holes in the ones not eaten.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RIFCU 3 June 2012 Bird Protection for Blueberry
There are six blueberry bushes in an area 8 by 12 feet which must have protection from birds or there is simply no fruit available. What the birds don’t eat they damage by pecking. The solution chosen was to completely enclose the area.
Four foot wide, one inch metal mesh was chosen. Six foot steel posts were installed at three foot intervals and driven into the ground two feet with a pile driver. The chicken wire mesh was installed and supported with plastic ties. The bottom of the mesh is covered with soil and wood mulch. A removable entry door was made from wood mesh. For the top, fibre glass screening was used, this is used on the strawberries also.This mesh is 8 feet wide and was purchased in a 100 foot roll. The fibre glass is held in place with plastic ties connected to the perpendicular posts. The structure is strong, simple to fabricate, and is completely bird proof.

[JiminNJ]

Thanks Durgan, fencing off the blue berries looks like something I would do, but I might have to rethink the cherries, the trees would be on the edge of my lot near the road, I'm not sure the neighbors or the township would approve of the cages, and after what you said about the bird netting with the birds getting tangled I'm not sure I want to even try that.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by JiminNJ

Thanks Durgan, fencing off the blue berries looks like something I would do, but I might have to rethink the cherries, the trees would be on the edge of my lot near the road, I'm not sure the neighbors or the township would approve of the cages, and after what you said about the bird netting with the birds getting tangled I'm not sure I want to even try that.

Netting can be accomplished if one has money and time. I don't know of any low cost solution for protecting trees. The last place where I lived the birds destroyed the apples. A bird would come everyday and peck holes in one or two. By the time they were harvested all were damaged.