Perfectly Plausible Pomegranate Protectors

I have a pomegranate tree that gives me lots of wonderful fruit...if the squirrels don't eat them all. In past years, the squirrel population as skyrocketed, and they destroy many oranges, pomegranates, and sunflowers. I have tried various methods, researched for even more effective protective solutions, but none really seemed to be plausible. I decided to try something that I have thought about, and that is to make a "cage" out of rabbit wire, for each pomegranate. I plan on making a couple of dozen wire enclosures. If I can salvage 24 pomegranates, it will have been worth it! Hence this instructable.

Step 1: The Damage Done

The squirrels thoroughly damage/eat the pomegranates. If left on the tree, the birds come in and eat what is left. So...

Comments

[rowbear]

I live in north central San Antonio.  I put mine in the ground when it was about 2' tall. After about 4 years, it is now over 15' tall and producing well.  I lose a few to squirrels but the dogs do a good job of protecting the tree (and watering it).

[threeme2189]

2 words: Paper Bags. That's what i use...

[wenpherd]

A word and a number............ C-4.

[Goodhart]

two words: 

Heavy rain 

If the bags are not ''waxed'' they will fall apart eventually.

[Creativeman]

Now you tell me....arghhhhhh! Cman

[canida]

Good to know!  I've got a little pomegranate tree that's still getting established - I may let it fruit next year, and our neighborhood has a bumper crop of squirrels.  Looking forward to the juice and jelly Instructables.

[Creativeman]

Almost ready for the jelly! Cman

[neighborhoodfruit]

Hey CMan,
Great Ible!  Thanks for answering my question if your expeiriment actually worked!  I have cross posted your Ible onto my own website in the DIY Infrastructure forum. (http://neighborhoodfruit.com/node/7272)

Thanks!

[neighborhoodfruit]

So, I'm dying to know, did it work?  Did it keep the squirrels out?

[Creativeman]

It has worked perfectly! (I'm such a genius!)...I will have enough poms for two batches of jelley, at leat.  So I am happy with my experiment. Next year, I plan on making many more enclosures, and protecting much more fruit.  Thanks for your interest. Cman

[rimar2000]

Your method is good, but very laborious.
Instead of wrapping the fruits one by one, is it not best to wrap the entire tree?
I understand that my proposal is similar to fighting California fires cutting down all trees, but is more likely.

[Creativeman]

rimar, my man: If what you enjoy what you are doing,and,  even if you don't enjoy it but can see some good come from  your labors what difference does it make? I liked the paper sack solution, but if it rains, that is useless. and I think squirrels would simply chew through the bags.  chemicals?  I don't think so...wrapping the whole tree, cannot be done without major problems, let alone cost. So I want to see if my method works.  It's fun to devise solutions, don't you think? My payoff will be wonderful juice, and fantastic jelly!  The real labor comes in cleaning the fruit and making the juice.  I will have an instructable on that as well.  Thanks for your attention and input. Cman

[rimar2000]

I like to do jokes...

Now seriously. Your method is the best among this three, I think.

I propose you to do a mold for a half shell, it is as easy as find a round stone 8 to 10 cm diameter. After, you can make quickly many shells, then you can cover the fruits easily using black iron wire as hinges / lock.

I live in Argentina, here the "rabbit wire" is little known. Here there are others, I suppose cheaper, example "metal desplegado" (Google translate it as "expanded metal") that is the material used by the roofers as the basis to support the plaster ceilings. Is a iron sheet cutted and expanded as a grid of rhomboid holes, see the attached image. It is very cheap, an very useful for this purpose. If you use it, cut it with scissors (for tin) but warning, burrs are very sharp and they hurt.

[Creativeman]

Thanks for the tips. I will keep it in mind for next year.  Cman

[Ninzerbean]

Here in South Florida when folks write into the paper to ask how to get the critters to stop eating the fruit - mangos, orchids, avocados etc. the standard answer is to spray them with garlic juice. My mom just chops up a lot of garlic, soaks it over night in a gallon of water, strains the garlic out and spays away. This may work for you too - try it on one pomegranate - my favorite fruit by the way. I eat mine with plain yogurt. Yummm

[Creativeman]

Worth a try, I guess. I have read that all the sprays, coyote pee, moth balls, etc do work...temporarily...the squirrels seem to persist though. Do you have poms there? Cman

[lemonie]

I'd prefer garlic over your mentioneds, but you peel them anyway I guess. How does one obtain coyote pee? L

[Creativeman]

Stealthily, and you have to be VERY quick! Cman

[Ninzerbean]

No poms here, I will check into it though as I have lots of weird things growing and fruiting here. I just never saw any trees at the nurseries.

[Creativeman]

They originated in the middle east, I believe, but don't know why fla couldn't grow them. Cman

[Ninzerbean]

I checked it out - it is too humid here. Sad.