Whilst the net is prone to being chewed by rats and possums, it does provide a deterrent, and it is absolutely essential for avoiding fruit fly.
On our peach tree last year I noticed that fruit pressing against the net at the top of the tree were damaged through the netting. The net didn’t have a hole in it, but was stretched where I think bats were sucking the fruit!
The netting I’m using is from Netpro on eBay, and has 2-3mm holes. I get the 6m wide x 20m long nets because they are versatile. I cut them up into three pieces for trees, and they can be left longer for rows of trellis crops such as tomatoes.
The one inch/25mm clamps are about the right size for me, and have a great grip (and are cheap). I use about 6-8 per tree.
I’m always struck how much effort we have to go to in order to get some fruit for ourselves, and how much plastic is consumed in the process. These nets last at least 5 years depending on rat chewed holes. The pests ruin the net quicker than it deteriorates in the sun…. Short of building a 13mm wire mesh enclosure for the whole garden I’m not sure how else to manage it!!
