Nick,

I've asked this before. Didn't get anything. Am very interested in what you find out. I'm in the same boat. I should actually get some grapes this year, more next. I've considered everything from paper lunch sacks, to windsocks. I've read about people "bagging apples" and even seen photos online of bagged grapes, but never found a source for a good "bag" for them. I've considered just going to a fabric store and getting some burlap that I can have sewn into bags, and so far that has been about the best idea I've come up with.
The birds etc seem to leave the fruit alone until it's just right. . . .so I'm not planning on bagging mine until they're pretty close. Unless I find some really cool bags that look neat hanging on my fence. LOL.

dave

You can bag grapes with paper lunch bags - fold and staple on the end to keep them on. Or you can run bird netting along them. Both methods work and both are a lot of work. For the netting it is hard to get the bottom sealed - if you just net the top the birds will come in undernneath. Many people clip the net together below the vines to make a seal the birds cannot get through.

Scott

Any good sources for netting,or just my local Home Depot?
Any estimate for cost of covering my 6ft by 25-30 ft fence?

I don't have a lot of vines, but they're gonna be wired along the top of my privacy fence, so netting is right out. If I get tired of bagging the bunches, the birds can have em.

Scott, how well do the paper bags hold up thru the summer? Pretty resilient? Or is it something that needs to be redone after every rain?

d

I mail-order my netting, type in bird netting in Google and get many options. I think its around $20 for that size plus shipping. Maybe Home Depot has it as well.

The stuff at first is a total pain to try to get on, it gets snagged on everything. Just go slowly and be patient and don't try to fight it. It has taken me several years to get used to dealing with it.

Scott

Dave, you don't need to put on the bags until they start sweetening up, so they only have to last for a couple weeks. I have only used ziplocs myself so don't know as much about the paper bag method, but I have heard several positive first-hand accounts of using them (the ziplocs also work fine but the bigger ones needed are expensive). Some birds are smart enough to rip open the bags; if you get such smart birds you may need to resort to the ziplocs. If you use ziplocs, cut off the corners for drainage.

I Googled and found a Purdue link below which briefly mentions the paper bagging technique.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: Purdue link with bagging description

Thanks a ton Scott.

Netting is a real pain and it takes a very large piece of netting to completely cover even a small planting. When I buy groceries, I usually end up with white plastic bags that have two handles. I'm thinking these might be large enough for all but the biggest cluster. I think the handles could be used to tie them onto the vine. Shouldn't get too hot under the foliage. A couple drain/ventillation holes and they might work.

Glad you brought this up. Has given me some good ideas. I'll have a few outdoor grapes this yr.

The Fruitnut

I guess I'm lucky. Last year was my first with grapes in a very similar situation, about 6 vines along 30+ feet of 6' or so cyclone fence.

I don't recall the birds eating any of the grapes. They do pick at my blueberries but they don't eat them all at once.

I think the birds around here have a lot of choices for food, including my recently deceased neighbor who must have spent a fortune feeding the birds and squirrels.

"I think the birds around here have a lot of choices for food, including my recently deceased neighbor . . . . . . ."

WOW, what kind of birds do you have?

I may have found the perfect bags for grapes. I'll be trying them this year. They are Organza bags. They are used for wedding gifts and are made from a thin nylon mesh with ties at the top. They may look a little "frilly", and the neighbors may give you strange looks, but they should hold up well, breath and not hold moisture, and be easy to install around the developing clusters. They come in lots of sizes and colors and are fairly inexpensive. In cool climates, darker colors may speed ripening, while in hot areas, light colors would reduce sun scald.

They may work well with peaches, apples, etc. too, although I'm not sure how one would make them squirrel proof.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organza Bags

tdave,

That's a rather macabre sense of humor, but I guess I set it up.

Actually, there is an enormous murder of crows that likes to hang out in another neighbor's overgrown Shiro plum tree.

Kiwi,

Those are interesting, any idea which size you're gonna need? Honestly have no idea how big I'm gonna need. The satin bags they have would probably be better, and maybe squirrel proof (thats more what I need) but those are too small. Might just get white paper lunch sacks and draw monster faces on em in crayon. (fun) Or one big letter on each and spell stuff to my neighbors as I hang em. Neighbors I don't like. mua ha ha

Murky,

Sorry for the gallows humor, but that's how I read it the first time through. Understood what ya meant when I got to the end, just thought I'd share my momentary misunderstanding.

dave

Dave,

I guess it will depend on the size of your grape clusters. I have both 5x8 and 6x9 bags. The smaller bags should be plenty big for muscadines and peaches, and the larger ones should work for most grapes. Some grape varieties will produce huge clusters, so you could get bigger bags or prune the clusters down a bit. The diameter of the bags may be more of a problem than the length. The width sizes are based on the bags layed out flat, not the actual diameter when opened up.

The bags seem pretty tough, and look like they will hold up really well, as long as they don't degrade in the sun from the UV exposure. The draw strings should make them easy to attach.

The organza bags look great but are on the expensive side. If they are reused it may average out well. I would say bigger size than 6x9 is needed for grapes since 9" is the flat and not filled length. Another bag to consider is a vented produce bag, a bag with a couple holes in it for ventilation. They are only 2 cents each. I never tried them myself but the price is right! The corners should probably be cut off so water does not collect in the bottom, and some twisties or other method is needed to attach. I think the 2-handled grocery bags would also work with holes cut in the corners. Easy to tie on with the handles over the branch.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: Vented produce bag

i made a lot of organa bags years ago with string drawstrings. The good for nuttin squirrels tore the bags. Just trap the good for nuttin and shoot them in the mouth with a bb gun.....Yeah... the good for nuttin quireels even tore screens on the garage windows to get the black walnuts. So not a bleeding heart here.....

You animal luvers can come and get all the blankety blank squirrels...and deal with them....

wish I would have paper bagged fruit before the Jap beetles and stink bugs.. Hope paper clips work well cause hate to undue all the staples...

I dont know why the laZY WILD BIRDS dont eat all the bugs....I guess they are too busy stealing mulberries etc...

just a saying yall