Tap
5 year old buck +
You don't need any zip ties.pound the stake through the bottom square of mesh, and then thread it through the square at the top of the post. Holds it tight.
SW Pa
Tubes vs cages
- Thread starter nateb440
- Start date
SW Pa
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
My biggest cages go on fruit trees with one t-post. If I want to get inside I just pull the cage over the top. The t-post only goes through the top holes on the cage.
Smaller cages for trees that aren't targeted by deer so much. These save wire but certainly need staked down as they are too narrow to stay up in the wind.
I have larger diameter cages that are shorter than 6ft. They don't tip over easy and have no stakes. I don't think these would work for my fruit trees (lots of damage to a mulberry that they pushed the cage over and ate/rubbed on) but seem to be ok for sawtooth, other oaks, persimmon, and chestnut.
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Smaller cages for trees that aren't targeted by deer so much. These save wire but certainly need staked down as they are too narrow to stay up in the wind.
I have larger diameter cages that are shorter than 6ft. They don't tip over easy and have no stakes. I don't think these would work for my fruit trees (lots of damage to a mulberry that they pushed the cage over and ate/rubbed on) but seem to be ok for sawtooth, other oaks, persimmon, and chestnut.
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H20fwler
5 year old buck +
I just bend the remesh wire back into itself top and bottom to hold it together, and have post on opposite side. Easy to open if I need to get into cage to work on anything low.
Weed Wacker
5 year old buck +
Tree protection is a pain in the butt. Mice, rabbits etc can still get inside concrete mesh and gird trees. I often make a wrap of window screen or hardware cloth around the lower trunk to protect that.
Even welded wire can get mice damage.
Tapp, did i read this wrong or do you have some REALLY BIG mice your neck of the woods?
I have 5' x 10' sheets in stock at my shop but i think one pcs will give me to much diameter and if i cut in in half it will give me two to small pcs. I will end up buying a couple rolls, we dont use them for concrete work, they are a pain.
Thanks,
Even welded wire can get mice damage.
Tapp, did i read this wrong or do you have some REALLY BIG mice your neck of the woods?
I have 5' x 10' sheets in stock at my shop but i think one pcs will give me to much diameter and if i cut in in half it will give me two to small pcs. I will end up buying a couple rolls, we dont use them for concrete work, they are a pain.
Thanks,
Tap
5 year old buck +
Don't confuse concrete mesh with welder wire mesh.
Welded wire mesh (the holes) measures approximately 1 inch by 4 inches.
Mice need an opening about the size of a dime to squeeze in...that's a fact. Rats need an opening the size of a quarter. If they can get their skull through an opening, then the body will contort and squeeze through.
Did I mention how much I despise rodents? I'd kill 'em all if I could.
Tap
5 year old buck +
Depends on the diameter of the cage. Different opinions are posted above...
Tap
5 year old buck +
That's how I do it.
Weed Wacker
5 year old buck +
Ok I read it as the rodents are damaging your wire, not your trees. There's no rodents damaging the wire I plan to use.
Tap
5 year old buck +
Huh?
My point was that mice can get through holes smaller than chicken wire.
Cages keep the big critters out but the little ones can still get in.
Trunk protection is sometimes needed too. I use window screen or hardware cloth for that.
SW Pa
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
One advantage of using a single T-post to hold a remesh cage is that one end can be tied to the post and the wires from the other end can be bent back around the post. This allows the cage to be easily opened if you need to get in. When I planted crabapples grown from seed in the fall and then grafted them over the following spring, it was much easier to open the cage and graft from inside than try to reach over the cage.
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks,
Jack
Tap
5 year old buck +
That's pretty much what I do (h20fowler too?) only I use rebar.
The only difference with my approach is that I don't tie the cage to the stake. I just insert the stake through the bottom square and again through the square at the top of the stake. Very simple.
I guess I should have a photo to better explain it.
SW Pa
Tap
5 year old buck +
Most years it freezes but I'm sure not to the depth that yours does.
I will admit that maintenance is not my strong suit. I do try to set up my cages to minimize maintenance. Which is another reason why I like concrete mesh better than welded wire...I can reach inside the concrete mesh to prune or whatever.
There are a few creative ways to cut the mesh so you have tag ends of the wire that can be wrapped around the stake so it can be easily removed. When I cut the mesh, I usually favor cutting the horizontal wires close to a vertical wire so I have tag end of wire to use for wrapping, attaching to posts, etc.
SW Pa
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
These work well to hold the cages to the ground ... inexpensive too
http://www.benmeadows.com/ground-cover-staples-pkg-of-1000_s_60919/?searchterm=ground+cover+staples
http://www.benmeadows.com/ground-cover-staples-pkg-of-1000_s_60919/?searchterm=ground+cover+staples
M
MoBuckChaser
Guest
If I didn't cage them, these deer would wipe them out!
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
So they don't get blown over or bumped by deer. Also keep coons and other larger varmints from climbing up into the tree.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Remesh is heavy but it can be pushed by deer leaning on it if it is not connected to the ground in at least one spot. It comes in 5' height which is plenty for me. I have no issue with deer doing a little pruning for me as long as they can't damage the tree.
