Kitchen Garden Forum

What's the difference between enviromesh and fleece?

Hi Heyjude,
Enviromesh is a very fine netting and Fleece is a spun substance. With Enviromesh very little light is lost and rain simply goes straight through. I know that it eventually goes through fleece but the two products are poles apart yet to a degree they fulfil the same function.
JB.

With Enviromesh you get much better air circulation and so less chance of mould and rot. It gives some protection by filtering the wind, and keeps pests out.

Fleece is a closed fabric and better for keeping frost off in really cold weather, but unless you have it raised above your plants is more likely to encourage moulds and rots.

Fleece can also tear very easily and in strong winds can be badly damaged.

Thanks to all.

Next question: can birds see through enviromesh?

I had pretty good results last year training red currants against stock wire with a rail above it and draping fleece over the whole thing as soon as any red showed on the berries.

Not very high tech - anchored to the wire with clothes pegs - but the birds didn't see the berries so they didn't try to get them. I wondered if the limited light slowed ripening but, if it did, it didn't lessen the crop and there was no sign of mould.

The year before I did the same thing with plastic netting but the birds found their way in somewhere and helped themselves. They didn't strip the lot (as they would of done without the netting) but I don't want to share them at all.

The fleece was in its second year (having been bought to cover a hazel bender the year before) but it's now very torn. The web sites mentioned earlier in this thread suggest that mesh lasts ten years which makes it a much better buy - providing the birds can't see through it!

Thanks

Jude

I'm not sure if birds can see through enviromesh but to protect my red currants from them I grow them as cordons against a framwork that is higher than the currants. Draping a fine netting over the top to cover most of the plants that the birds can't get through. Pegging it down at the bottom. Maybe one or two will squeeze under the bottom but I do get to harvest a good 98% of the berries.

Beryl.

It sounds as though we are using much the same principles. Mine are not cordons and probably not symmetrical enough to be called fans.

Spreadeagled maybe??

Currently on Ebay for £23.99 + £6.99 p&p (seems dear postage) for 5x3.25m garden pack. Is this expensive?

Check out the prices as Kays Horticultural Products. They are very competative. Different widths/lengths etc.

www.kaysdiscountgarden.co.uk

Beryl.

Thanks for that. I see they do their own product. As I said in my own thread, I`m going to need some of this, so I will give it a try.

Just a tip-don't leave your Enviromesh in a shed where mice can get at it in winter. Mine is still going strong after seven years, apart from the huge hole eaten out of it by these pesky rodents a couple of years ago!

I've never used this before, but this year we have several brassicas we'd like to grow.http://www.kaysdiscountgarden.co.uk/cgi ... ;pid=71744
I'm thinking 1metre up each side, 1 metre across and the rest buried. Am I along the right lines ?