Preventing cicada damage. Gardener wants $600 to net a small new tree. Can I do it for less?

[Anonymous]

FWIW 17 years ago my young tree was killed by cicadas, so I don't think it's crazy to net it, but I can't believe the net would cost more than $20.

[Anonymous]

Did your tree cost $600? Why would you pay that much to net it?

[Anonymous]

Do you think I need netting or greenhouse type for my vegetable garden?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you think I need netting or greenhouse type for my vegetable garden?

No cicadas won't bother gardens.

[Anonymous]

Just buy the cheapest window screen you can find and zip tie it to the trunk. It’ll look stupid for a month and then you can remove it. $10

[Anonymous]

I get where the gardener is coming from if he’s not your regular guy - you’re talking about a trip to net it and a trip to take it down. Just showing up costs $300.

[Anonymous]

I have a dwarf Korean lilac tree. You can bet I’m netting that scrawny beautiful thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get where the gardener is coming from if he’s not your regular guy - you’re talking about a trip to net it and a trip to take it down. Just showing up costs $300.

+1. You are not being "scammed". Garden service didn't want such a small job, so they quoted you a crazy price. You might be thinking you should have taken them up on it, once you buy the netting and start getting it on the tree. 6 ft. tree doesn't seem that big until you are actually doing the work.

[Anonymous]

I bought mosquito netting off Amazon and I plan on netting my young trees myself. It shouldn’t be too bad—will need a ladder and maybe some staples to seal the seams. Planning on using landscape wire to secure the netting around the tree trunks. It will look ridiculous for a few weeks, but at least it should protect my expensive young trees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just buy the cheapest window screen you can find and zip tie it to the trunk. It’ll look stupid for a month and then you can remove it. $10

In this extreme case, we can say stupid is good.

[Anonymous]

We netted 2 newly planted trees 17 years ago. We just went to the garden center and bought the net and did it ourselves. The trees were small enough that it wasn't hard to do. I don't remember what we spent on the net but it wasn't much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get where the gardener is coming from if he’s not your regular guy - you’re talking about a trip to net it and a trip to take it down. Just showing up costs $300.

+1. You are not being "scammed". Garden service didn't want such a small job, so they quoted you a crazy price. You might be thinking you should have taken them up on it, once you buy the netting and start getting it on the tree. 6 ft. tree doesn't seem that big until you are actually doing the work.

You have more money than sense, then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did your tree cost $600? Why would you pay that much to net it?

That’s what I was wondering!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seem to be a good number of posts online about putting the netting on trees. The keys seem to be getting the right netting (holes less than 1/4 inch), and securing it well at the base of the tree (since the cicadas crawl up the tree. You need to block their route up).

https://www.industrialnetting.com/cicada-netting.html

If you are concerned OP, do it yourself.

I've never seen the cicadas as much of an issue. So unless this tree is made of gold or something, I wouldn't worry about it

[Anonymous]

I’d get to netting if that’s your plant. I found holes and cicadas already emerged when gardening over the weekend.