Netting a large fruit tree takes more planning than draping a sheet over a small dwarf variety. You need the right mesh size, enough material to cover a wide canopy, and a way to get the netting up and over a tree that may be 15 to 30 feet tall. The payoff is real: properly installed netting is the single most effective way to protect a harvest from birds, bats, and possums without harming wildlife or using chemicals.
Mesh Size: The Most Important Decision
The mesh opening on your netting determines what it keeps out and whether it traps wildlife. These two concerns pull in opposite directions, and getting the balance right matters more than any other specification.
Wildlife rescue organizations report that birds, bats, lizards, and snakes regularly become tangled in netting with openings larger than 1 cm. As the animal struggles, the mesh cuts deeper into its body. Wildlife-safe netting has a mesh size of 5 mm x 5 mm or smaller at full stretch. A quick way to check: if you can poke your finger through the mesh, it’s too large. This isn’t just a best practice in some regions. In the Australian state of Victoria, household fruit netting must have a mesh of 5 mm x 5 mm or less under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 2019, and fines apply for noncompliant netting. Other jurisdictions are moving in the same direction.
If your goal goes beyond birds to include insects like the spotted wing fruit fly, you’ll need much finer mesh. Research from Wageningen University found that mesh openings smaller than 1 mm² completely block the spotted wing fruit fly. Netting rated at 40 mesh (roughly 0.33 mm x 0.77 mm openings) stops these pests entirely. The trade-off with ultra-fine mesh is reduced airflow and light, which can affect fruit ripening and promote fungal issues in humid climates. For most home growers dealing primarily with birds, the 5 mm wildlife-safe mesh is the practical sweet spot.
Choosing the Right Material
Most quality fruit tree netting is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with UV stabilization. This matters because untreated plastic degrades quickly in sunlight, becoming brittle and tearing within a season or two. UV-stabilized HDPE netting typically weighs around 65 grams per square meter, making it light enough to drape over a tree without damaging branches yet durable enough to last several years with proper storage.
White netting is the preferred color for wildlife safety because it’s visible to nocturnal animals like bats and possums. Dark green or black netting blends into the tree canopy, which looks tidier but becomes nearly invisible at dusk. If wildlife is present in your area, white or light-colored netting is worth the aesthetic compromise.
How to Calculate the Netting Size You Need
Getting the dimensions right saves you from buying netting that’s too small (leaving gaps at the base) or so oversized it tangles on the ground. The calculation is straightforward but easy to underestimate for large trees.
Measure two things: the total height of the tree from ground to crown, and the widest canopy spread. The netting needs to drape from one side of the ground, up and over the top, and back down to the ground on the opposite side. So the minimum width is the canopy spread plus twice the tree height, with an extra 2 to 3 feet on each side for securing the base. For a tree 15 feet tall with a 20-foot canopy spread, you’d need roughly 54 feet of netting in one direction (15 + 20 + 15 + 4 feet of ground overlap). Repeat this for the perpendicular direction. Many growers use 34-by-34-foot panels for medium-large trees and join panels together with clips for bigger specimens.
Building a Support Frame
Draping netting directly onto a large tree causes problems. The mesh catches on every twig and branch stub, fruit pressing against the net is still accessible to birds, and removal becomes a wrestling match. A support frame that holds the netting above and around the canopy solves all of these issues.
The most popular frame materials for home growers include PVC electrical conduit, galvanized steel tubing, fiberglass poles fixed to T-posts, and bamboo. PVC electrical conduit stands out as the top choice for several reasons: unlike PVC water pipe, electrical conduit is UV-inhibited for outdoor use. The lengths come with swaged (flared) ends that slide together without separate connectors. It’s lightweight, needs no bending tools, packs flat for off-season storage, and costs relatively little.
One proven approach uses what growers call a “spider-house” framework. You take pairs of 30-foot conduit lengths (made by gluing three 10-foot sections end to end), mark their center points, and lash the two lengths together at the center in a cross shape using a square lashing knot. When you stand this cross up and splay the four legs outward, you get a structure that’s significantly stronger than a simple arch. Set up a row of these spiders by popping each leg over a 2-foot section of rebar hammered halfway into the ground. Three or four spiders in a line create a tunnel-shaped frame that clears even a tall tree. Drape the netting over the frame and pin it to the ground every 18 inches with landscape staples.
When a Frame Isn’t Practical
Some trees are simply too large for a frame structure, and draping directly over the canopy is the only realistic option. In that case, pruning is your best preparation. Before netting, walk around the tree and clip any branch stubs, water sprouts, or sharp twigs protruding from the canopy surface. These snags are what catch and tear netting. Experienced growers bring pruners with them on netting day and trim snags as they go.
Getting Netting Over a Tall Tree
The physical act of lifting a large panel of netting 15 or 20 feet into the air and pulling it across a canopy is the step that intimidates most people. A simple tool makes it manageable: a 10-foot section of 1¼-inch or 1½-inch PVC water pipe with a 90-degree elbow on one end. The smooth surface lets netting slide freely without snagging. File off any mold seam bumps on the pipe before you start.
Fold the netting in half with the fold facing the tree. Using the PVC pole, hook the folded edge and lift it up and over the top of the tree until the fold line sits roughly at the midpoint of the canopy. You’ll need to do this from both sides. Then unfold the netting so it falls over the remaining half of the tree. For trees taller than your pole can reach, a ladder positioned above the canopy line lets you guide the netting from a higher vantage point.
A few things that make this easier: wear smooth-soled shoes and clothes without buttons, snaps, or anything that catches on mesh. Keep your fingers out of the net as much as possible and let the pole do the work. Two people working from opposite sides can net a large tree in 15 to 20 minutes once they’ve done it a couple of times.
Securing the Base
Netting that isn’t secured at ground level is an open invitation to birds, possums, and rodents. It also catches wind and can lift off the tree entirely during a storm. The simplest method is 1-inch landscape staples (also called sod staples) pushed into the soil every 18 inches around the perimeter. On hard ground or paved surfaces, you can weigh the edges down with lengths of pipe, bricks, or sandbags.
Clothespins and binder clips work well to gather excess netting around the trunk or to seal seams where two panels overlap. Some growers sew or cable-tie a drawstring channel along the bottom edge of the netting so it can be cinched tight around the trunk like a bag. This “tree bag” approach works especially well for trees with a single clear trunk and provides easy access: just loosen the drawstring, reach in to harvest, and cinch it closed again.
Maintaining and Storing Netting
UV-stabilized HDPE netting lasts many seasons, but only if you remove it after harvest and store it out of sunlight. Netting left on trees year-round degrades faster, collects debris, and can girdle growing branches. After removing the net, inspect it for tears and patch small holes with cable ties or fishing line before folding it for storage. A clean, dry shed or garage is ideal. Rolling the netting around a length of PVC pipe prevents the tangling that makes reinstallation miserable the following year.
Check the netting daily during the fruiting season, especially in the first few days after installation. Look for any wildlife that may have found a gap, and inspect the base for signs that animals are pushing underneath. Tightening loose spots and re-pinning lifted edges takes minutes and prevents the kind of damage that ruins both the harvest and the netting.