How to ensure your netting structures deliver great results
Ensuring your netting installation enjoys a great lifespan can be made possible by several ways - we unpack great tips to help you get the most out of your netting structure.
Netting is vital to cultivate rich crops and orchards that are both free from pests and can withstand various elements - however, ensuring that your netting installation delivers great results time and time again can be made simpler with sound planning and considerations.
Be sure to use quality materials
The first - and perhaps most important - step when establishing a netting structure is to ensure that only the finest materials are used. At R&B Timber Group, we pride ourselves on producing fine treated timbers through either a CCA or Creosote treatment that can stand up to even the toughest tasks.
When you’ve established your plans and understand what supplies you’ll need, the next step is to determine how you plan to construct your netting installation. Maximising space and supplies can help various crops - particularly citrus fruits - establish themselves quickly and effectively.
Maximise space
When you begin planning your netting installation, consider the space you have at hand and how it can be maximised to deliver greater crop quantities over time. While most farms are divided into working blocks, it may be in your best interests to adjust your space and parameters slightly to better accommodate your installation.
Identify what it is you plan to grow
As you begin to unpack how you plan to manage the space your netting installation will be built in, be sure to consider what it is exactly that you plan to go. Differing fruits, for example, have varied growing requirements and may be prone to facing different pests or growing challenges. Specifically, managing the height your crops will eventually grow to is crucial. Other factors, such as the height of the dusting pumps you plant to use, will also play a role.
Factors to consider when choosing your produce can include:
Extreme temperatures, such as heatwaves or cold snaps
Harsh sunlight
Frost
Hailstorms
Wind
Understand wind directions and strength
One of the most essential benefits of netting is that it can protect crops underneath from strong winds - however, understanding wind directions and strength in and around your installation can assist you in constructing an installation that can best stand the test of time.
Strong winds can not only affect crop growth, but can further affect the tension of wires and supports across your structure and may cause nets or other shaded areas to yaw loose over time. Placing your structure optimally can ensure that your produce and installation will be less affected as time goes on.
Evaluate soil conditions in your area
Farmers and horticulturists manage the conditions of their soil closely, and for good reason. Just as healthy soil is vital to producing fair fruit and produce, soil can adversely affect the use of your netting installation. Clay soil means that the anchors through which your netting poles are anchored into the ground could move or shift over time, requiring additional reinforcement or thought. Tension in the cables mounted atop the netting poles should remain tight in order to ensure your structure is not compromised.
Regular maintenance is key
Just like any property, appliance or asset, regular maintenance can sure that your netting installation will enjoy a long lifespan.
Regular visual inspections can help you inspect any changes in your structure’s integrity, and can assist you in monitoring soil changes, conditions that may affect the wind, and can help you identify signs of overstressing in your netting installation.
