Cherry growers often face intense competition from local bird populations who view ripening fruit as an easy meal. Successfully protecting a cherry crop requires implementing proactive, non-lethal strategies before the fruit changes color and becomes attractive. This article explores proven methods for safeguarding your cherries, focusing on physical exclusion, deterrent technologies, and smart tree management practices.
Physical Barriers for Complete Protection
Physical exclusion remains the most reliable method for ensuring a complete cherry harvest. Protective netting creates an impassable shield, which is superior to deterrents that birds can easily ignore over time. The material should be UV-resistant polypropylene or nylon, typically in white or black.
For effective exclusion, the mesh size of the netting should be no larger than three-quarters of an inch (1.9 cm) to prevent smaller bird species from passing through. Installation requires careful attention, ideally before the fruit begins its final swell and color change. Waiting until the fruit is visibly ripe significantly increases the risk of immediate bird damage during installation.
The netting must be suspended away from the fruit, preventing birds from landing on the mesh and pecking the cherries through the holes. A rigid framework, often built from PVC pipe or lumber, provides the best structure to keep the net elevated and taut. Simply draping the net over the canopy can still allow birds to access outer branches, especially where the net touches the foliage.
The netting must be secured completely around the trunk base or ground perimeter to prevent birds from crawling underneath the skirt. Checking the net daily for holes or gaps is necessary to maintain the barrier’s integrity, as small tears can quickly be exploited. The net must also be removed gently to avoid trapping or injuring birds that might have found their way inside the canopy.
For smaller trees or individual branches, exclusion can be achieved using organza or fine mesh bags designed for fruit protection. These bags are secured directly around small clusters of fruit, offering targeted protection for limited harvests. While labor-intensive, this method provides a highly effective, localized defense against pests, including birds and insects.
Utilizing Visual and Auditory Deterrents
Methods designed to scare birds rely on triggering natural fear responses through sight and sound. Reflective deterrents, such as holographic flash tape, Mylar balloons, or discarded compact discs, utilize movement and sudden bursts of light to disorient and alarm approaching birds. These items should be hung to spin freely and catch the sunlight, creating unpredictable visual stimuli across the canopy.
Predator decoys, which mimic the appearance of raptors like owls or snakes, are frequently deployed to deter smaller cherry-eating species. These static figures can initially be effective because they suggest a nearby threat that birds instinctively avoid. However, birds quickly learn that a stationary figure poses no actual danger, often within just a few days.
The primary limitation of visual and auditory deterrents is the rapid habituation displayed by birds. Once a bird realizes the flashing light or the plastic owl does not represent a genuine threat, the deterrent loses effectiveness. To combat this, growers must frequently move the deterrents, ideally relocating them to a different branch or section of the orchard every two to three days.
Auditory devices, such as propane cannons or specialized sound machines that broadcast distress calls, can be effective at creating an uninhabitable environment. These systems rely on generating noise that signals danger or discomfort to the species present. However, the use of loud, repetitive noise is often impractical or prohibited in residential or densely populated agricultural areas due to noise ordinances and neighbor complaints.
A combination of different deterrent types, such as rotating the location of flash tape and decoys simultaneously, can help extend the period of effectiveness. The goal is to keep the environment unpredictable, encouraging birds to seek safer feeding grounds away from the cherry trees.
Harvesting Timing and Tree Management
Strategic management of the cherry tree and the harvest schedule can significantly reduce the window of vulnerability to birds. Pruning the tree to a manageable height, often called height control, makes the installation of protective netting easier and more secure. A shorter, more open canopy also allows for quicker and more thorough inspection of the fruit.
Harvesting the cherries immediately upon reaching peak ripeness is an impactful management practice. Minimizing the exposure period is directly beneficial, as every day the ripe fruit remains on the tree increases the risk of damage. Commercial growers often utilize specialized machinery for rapid harvesting, but home growers can achieve a similar effect by dedicating a full day to picking once the color is right.
Another management consideration involves the strategic planting of alternative food sources, sometimes called distraction feeding or sacrificial planting. Planting less-desired berry varieties, such as mulberries or sour cherries that ripen earlier than the main crop, can divert the attention of local bird populations. This approach attempts to satisfy the birds’ appetite before the main cherry crop becomes vulnerable.
Distraction feeding is not a standalone solution for cherry protection, as birds may simply eat the alternative fruit and then move on to the cherries. This method works best when implemented as a supplement to robust physical protection and active deterrent rotation. Implementing these management practices creates a less attractive and more challenging environment for foraging birds.