Supplies for Spring -- Little Gudiance

[Travis Aasen]

Good Morning, -

I have 19 Crabapple trees coming from 3 venders this spring. I'd like to start stocking up on Fence & Posts so I don't go dropping 1000$ come spring.

Questions:

60" high fence? or 48" do the trick?
2 t posts per tree
What length of fence to make the circumference and what is a good circumference?

Figured I'd swing by fleet farm, but also have tractor supplies and farm & fleet local as well

 

[Native Hunter]

1. You need to start with a 60 inch high cage, because deer will reach over the top of a 48 inch cage and eat the tops out of your young trees. After the tree tops get out of their reach, you can trim to top of the cage back to 48 inches, which is enough to protect from rubbing.

2. I use two rebar type electric fence posts and have not had any issues. However, T-posts would be better

3. I think a 2 foot diameter is good enough. However, 3 foot will give you some extra room to work. The formula to cut the length you want is C = 2 x pi x radius. Radius, of course, is half the diameter.

Some extra recommendations:

1. Use some fabric on the ground to prevent weeds for the first few years. The fabric that Big Rock Trees sells is really good. Put it down with landscape staples, which you can find at many places. A 3 foot by 3 foot square if big enough.

2. Use window screen to protect from rodents gnawing.

Good luck.

 

[BoneCrusher20]

don't be shocked by fence prices right now...100' roll is nearly double what is was pre-pandemic.

I was going to try see if it comes down at all during winter time or before next spring. In our area 100' roll of 14 gauge 60" is like $200+ and my sweet spot seems to be about 11' needed per tree therefore get 9 trees out 1 roll, 10' for each tree diameter i think gets little too tight.

In a pinch i've taken either 48" fencing or even chicken wire and simply put it like 20-24" off the ground. My trunk is still protected via either screen or i use galvanized wire from rabbits/mice or even white tree tubes, but then also have browse protection from deer as my wire goes up to just under that 6' mark in this case.

 

[Native Hunter]

There is one more thing I will mention - although a little uncommon, sunscald is a real threat to young fruit trees. On the last few fruit trees that I set, I used metal flashing to shade the tree on the Southwest side, but anything that shades (boards, etc.) should work. People also paint the trunks with white latex paint to stop this problem. I personally think if you shade from the ground up to about 18 inches that it will usually prevent a problem, but I do suppose it's possible for it to happen higher on the trunk.

I've had it to happen to one tree. Here are some links:

Case Study of Severe Sunscald on a Liberty Apple Tree | Deer Hunter Forum
3 years later after saving a sunscaled apple tree | Deer Hunter Forum

 

[Travis Aasen]

don't be shocked by fence prices right now...100' roll is nearly double what is was pre-pandemic.

I was going to try see if it comes down at all during winter time or before next spring. In our area 100' roll of 14 gauge 60" is like $200+ and my sweet spot seems to be about 11' needed per tree therefore get 9 trees out 1 roll, 10' for each tree diameter i think gets little too tight.

In a pinch i've taken either 48" fencing or even chicken wire and simply put it like 20-24" off the ground. My trunk is still protected via either screen or i use galvanized wire from rabbits/mice or even white tree tubes, but then also have browse protection from deer as my wire goes up to just under that 6' mark in this case.

Thats what I've been seeing SE WI for price and North central WI. It is what it is. Kind of the reason to start buying supplies now.. Spread it out over the next few months.

 

[Travis Aasen]

if you need wire - Tractor Supply 60" x 100 feet 14 ga $139.. best price I've seen. Something I'm missing with this wire?
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/red-brand-welded-wire-60-in-x-100-ft?cm_vc=-10005

 

[BoneCrusher20]

if you need wire - Tractor Supply 60" x 100 feet 14 ga $139.. best price I've seen. Something I'm missing with this wire?
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/red-brand-welded-wire-60-in-x-100-ft?cm_vc=-10005

Pretty crazy the 72" wire from tractor supply is $210...what a price fluctuation for 12" of wire.

 

[buckdeer1]

I staple window screen around trunk and a 10ft cage out of 4ft 2x4 wire with 2 pieces of either rebar or T post and sometimes conduit.I raise my cage about a foot off ground to give alittle height

 

[M. R. Byrd]

I use remesh. 5'x150' is $279 at Menards, plus I wait for the 11% rebate

 

[Fishman]

Try dumpster diving for remesh if you have a lot of construction sites nearby. You might not be able to get enough for 19 trees, but you may get enough where you would only have to buy one roll of remesh. I routinely find 10-40 foot scraps in the dumpsters after they pour the house slabs. You can sometimes even pick up rebar to serve as stakes also.

 

[Travis Aasen]

Pretty crazy the 72" wire from tractor supply is $210...what a price fluctuation for 12" of wire.

I didn't realize until I got home, but TSC loaded up 2 100ft rolls of 72" rather than 60". Little tall, but I guess the deer will not be getting in those cages.