Protecting raspberries
 

Has anyone had success using weatherization fabric, or Remay (sp) on
raspberries? That's the stuff that's white, very lightweight, and thin. Some
sort of a spun fabric. I bought some and within in a day or two plan to
simply drape it over the plants. I'm aiming for protection from birds and
Japanese beatles.
Ken

Protecting raspberries
 

Ken, I think that would work just fine. The only problem that comes
to mind is the durability of the Remay. If you live were there is a
lot of exposure to wind, I could see the Remay getting shredded on
the raspberry plants. I say try it.

Steve

Ken Anderson wrote:
Has anyone had success using weatherization fabric, or Remay (sp) on
raspberries? That's the stuff that's white, very lightweight, and thin. Some
sort of a spun fabric. I bought some and within in a day or two plan to
simply drape it over the plants. I'm aiming for protection from birds and
Japanese beatles.
Ken

Protecting raspberries
 

Ken Anderson said:

Has anyone had success using weatherization fabric, or Remay (sp) on
raspberries? That's the stuff that's white, very lightweight, and thin. Some
sort of a spun fabric. I bought some and within in a day or two plan to
simply drape it over the plants. I'm aiming for protection from birds and
Japanese beatles.

Birds will peck through spun-bond fabric. At least, that's been my experience
when I've used it to protect cucumbers and melons from cucumber beetles.
(And I have *no idea* WHY they pecked through it!) It might protect your plants
long enough to get you through the Japanese beetle 'season' -- may be worth
trying.

I think if you built a support of PVC pipes over the raspberries and draped
that first with bird netting, then topped it off with a light spun-bond fabric
you might get the longest life.

Alternatively, you could go with just the bird netting over a frame and use
a spray that contains Neem (or Neem extract AKA Azadirachtin) to deter
the beetles.

I am lucky in that I rarely see any Japanese beetles on my property, and
the birds, perhaps because of the abundance of mulberry trees, don't bother
my raspberries. Where I used to live, though, I had to keep the raspberries
netted to ward off the birds.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)