Introduction
A violent hailstorm, which hit an area of Trentino on Thursday, July 22, caused damage to hundreds of hectares of apple orchards in Italy’s Val di Non-region.
Italian Fruit News reports that the unusually timed storm damaged around 500-600 ha of apple trees in several areas of the region.
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If you are a fruit grower or a small farmer, protecting your fruits during the harvest is extremely important.
The most dangerous times for orchards and crops are right before and after the harvest. You face the threat of a storm, extreme heat, or even hail which can badly damage them. An investment in hail netting can save your entire harvest.
Let’s take a look at how to choose the right type of hail netting for your orchard.
Natural Disasters – Hail
Causes Of Hail Formation
Did you know there are four main factors that cause hail formation?
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The first is convection. When warm air rises, it creates an updraft. If the updraft is strong enough, it can carry water droplets to the top of the cloud.
The second factor is temperature. The higher the air goes, the coldest it gets and this freezes the water droplets into ice crystals.
The third factor is wind shear. This term refers to a change in wind direction or speed with height. Strong wind shear can help create tall clouds and supercell thunderstorms, which are more likely to create hail as a result of this third factor.
Finally, an updraft needs to be able to keep the hailstones aloft long enough for them to grow large and for multiple layers to form around them.
What Season Does Hail Occur?
Hail is a form of precipitation and can occur any time of year, although hailstorms are most common during the spring and summer months. Hail is also referred to as a thunderstorm or ice storm if it occurs in the winter months.
Impact And Damage From Hailstorms
Hail is a significant risk in temperate orchards.
For example, in Argentina and Chile, hail damage accounts for up to 10% of the yearly fruit harvest losses. The main purpose of hail netting is to protect your crops from hail damage.
Once hail stones fall on the branches they cause direct injury to the fruit, shoots, and limbs. The extent of the injury usually depends on the size and shape of the hail and the duration of the event. Injury can range from torn or shredded leaves and small dents that don’t break the fruit skin to effects so severe that an entire crop is lost due to physical damage.
There are two ways that hail can physically damage apple trees:
- direct impact
- windrowing
When hailstones hit a tree, they cause dents in the fruit skin, bruising and cracking of internal tissues leading to bleeding, bacterial infection, and eventual rotting of the fruit. If you have ever heard a child say that an apple looks like it has a bite taken out of it, this is what they are referring to. Hail also causes indirect damage by breaking branches off trees, even going as far as breaking trunks or tearing the bark off completely exposing underlying wood tissue. This type of damage leads to disease, insect attack, and sun-scald.
4 Types Of Hail Nets You Need To Know
If you’re looking to protect your crops from damage, you need to know all about hail nets. There are four main types of hail nets, and the type you use will depend on the shape of your field, the size of your crop, and the weight of your hail net.
If you’re just starting out with a new crop or trying to protect a new area of your existing fields, it can be tough to know what type of hail netting to use.
If this is your first time buying hail nets, here’s what you need to know:
Triangle Hail Netting
A cost-effective hail netting design is the Raschel triangle.
These nets are durable and can protect fruit trees against hailstorms. Despite its lightweight, it is very durable.
Due to its use of Raschel machines, the netting is incredibly productive and has a high manufacturing delivery capacity, allowing you to reduce your net prices in comparison to other types.
Drape Hail Netting
Raschel Drape Hail netting is lightweight and multi-purpose. It is ideal for protecting against hail and wasps.
It has the advantage of being easy to install. We call it “Drape” because it can be put up directly at the beginning of each season, It can be used for protection when the whole support system is not available.
The disadvantage is that it needs to be hung and dismantled once a season, thus incurring higher labor costs. This may be a solution when it is not possible to install a support system or when the budget is tight.
Quad Crossover Hail Netting
Quad Crossover Netting is a very innovative and special design of netting. Besides being used as a hail screen, it is also an excellent bird and shade protection.
Farms in Australia and New Zealand use this option more often.
High initial cost but once and for all.
Perfect for building a microclimate control system from hail, bird, shade, bee, insect, etc.
Leno Hail Netting
Hail Netting, also known as Leno Hail Netting, is an innovative heavy-duty design and is also lightweight.
Leno Weave mesh is strong and durable, making it the ideal material for Hail Netting System. It is more popular in European Market.
The delivery time is long since there is low output for production.
| Type | Mesh Size[mm] | Weight[g/m2] | Width[m] | UV Warranty | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triangle Hail Netting | 8.5×2.5/2 | 60 | 2 – 4 – 4,5 – 5 – 6 | 5 Year | Cost-Effective | Fruit Tree Hail Protection |
| Drape Hail Netting | 4.2×2 | 60 | 2 – 4 – 4,5 – 5 – 6 | 3 Year | Light weight | Low Strength | Hail & Wasp Protection |
| Quad Crossover Hail Netting | 16×16 | 90 | 4 -8 -10 -12 -18 | 5 Year | Multipurpose,Durable | Bird , Hail Protection Shade Protection | Canopy |
| Leno Hail Netting | 8.5×2.8 | 55 | 2- 2,5 – 3 – 3,5 – 4 | 8 Year | High Strength | Durable | Hail Netting System | Low ourput production ,Long delivery time |
How To Choose The Best Hail Net For You?
Factors To Consider
Choosing hail netting for your orchard can be a bit tricky, but we’ve outlined the key factors to consider below.
- Denier: The denier is a standard measurement of yarn size and is used to measure the strength of the fabric. A lower denier means a weaker netting, and a higher denier means stronger, but more expensive netting. In order to choose the best hail netting for you, you’ll need to consider how much protection you think your orchard will need.
- Weight: The weight of the netting is also important. Most hail nettings weigh between 45-85 grams per square meter, depending on the material. The heavier it is, the more protection it will offer against sunburn and hail damage.
- Size and shape of hole: The size and shape of the opening in the netting is also an important factor to consider as well as what kind of shading it offers. Some hail nettings have smaller holes with round shapes while others have larger holes with a diamond shape. Both offer different benefits such as temperature control and insect protection.
- Shading: The color you choose will depend on your goals—if you’re concerned with keeping pests away, opt for a darker color, but if you’re concerned with heat build-up, opt for a lighter color! Most hail netting blocks a certain percentage of light from reaching your fruit. If you’re looking for a specific amount of shade, check for this specification on the product
- Color: Hail netting is available in a variety of colors, including white, green, black, and blue. Consider which color will most effectively blend into your landscape
- Tips : What is the optimal shading rate for apple growth?
Comparison Of 4 Types Of Hail Netting
Hail nets are a great way to protect your crops from hailstorms. But not all hail nets are created equal.
Strength, function, Usage life, and budget are the main aspects you consider
Here is a comparison of 4 types of hail netting so you can decide which is right for you.
| Triangle Hail Netting | Drape Hail Netting | Quad Crossover Hail Netting | Leno Hail Netting | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength: | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Multi-Purpose: | ☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆ |
| Usage Life: | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆☆ |
| Cost Effective: | ☆☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆☆☆ | ☆☆ | ☆☆☆ |
How To Choose Hail Nets For Different Kinds Of Fruits？
Fruit is a big business, and it’s only getting bigger every year. Even if you’re already in the industry, though, it can be hard to figure out what kind of hail net is best for your fruit so that you can protect your investment and maximize your profits.
Here are a few tips to help you figure out which type of hail netting would work best for the fruit you’re growing:
For Apple Growers
If you’re growing apples in your orchard, don’t forget that they love the sun! Apples are happiest when they soak up plenty of light throughout the day. This means that your hail netting shouldn’t be too thick, or it’ll block out all the sunlight and make your apples sad, which will reduce their production rate and coloring. Instead, choose a big hole mesh netting with a transparent color—your apples will thank you!
So we recommended the Leno Hail Netting and Triangle Hail Netting with transparent color for apple growing.
For Seedless Citrus Growers
Seedless citrus is a little bit pickier than other fruits. Hail prevention should be considered along with preventing bee pollination, and usually, orchards are designed without upright supports.
For this reason, we recommend choosing drape hail netting for seedless citrus varieties like satsuma oranges and lemons if you want to maximize your yield.
In order to prevent bee pollination, a white anti-bee net can be used for early flowering varieties; for later flowering varieties, it is necessary to use a black anti-bee net or black anti-bird net to completely block bees’ eye vision.
For Cherry Growers
Cherry growers have a lot of the same concerns as citrus growers—bee pollination, hail protection, bird protection—but rain can also be a big problem for cherries. If your cherry trees are vulnerable to both hail and rain damage, consider using our rain cover, which guards against both types of weather damage!
Also if you can build a canopy that would be a perfect system for cherry growing, so we recommend Quad Crossover hail netting as the best solution.
For Garpe Growers
If you have grapevines, there are a few things to keep in mind when selecting a hail net. First, consider how easy it is to set up your grapevines. Grapevines can be easily trained around a trellis or on fences, which makes them easier to protect from hailstones. Birds and bees are also important considerations for grape growers. Because birds and bees pollinate grapes during the fruiting season, it’s important to ensure that your hail net is breathable enough that birds and bees can still reach your plants.
So, we recommended the triangle hail netting for the first choice, it can be made for vineyard side netting, and it could be also be made for vineyard drape netting.
If you belong to other growers such as Apricot,Plums, nectarine, peach, etc., please contact the EyouAgro and give professional advice. At the same time, EyouAgro can also make customized hail nets according to your requirements.
How To Install Anti Hail Nets ？
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3 Types Of Hail Netting Installation
Drape Over Row
This method is less expensive than the canopy overhead method but it is also less effective against hail damage.
This is the quickest installation method of them all, it is typically used in smaller farms or orchards because it’s essentially just throwing the net over the crop. Because this structure is so simple, it’s also the most common form of hail protection used around the world.
This style is great for gardens or small crops, but it will not prevent hail from hitting the ground itself and could damage your plants if there are high winds.
Pitched Roof
This is the most common type of installation and can be used to either keep out sunlight or hail. One for the left side and one for the right side. A pitched roof is like a tent for your plants. It’s a great option if you want complete coverage for your crops or if you live in an area with unpredictable weather. The downside is that this type of netting can be more difficult to install since it requires posts and supports beams. It can also cost more money than some other options.
Canopy Overhead
This type of installation is more expensive but it is also the most effective against hail damage.
The canopy overhead method is a flat canopy, consisting of a net canopy held in place by a grid of wires or steel cables supported and tensioned at the perimeter by poles and anchors. This type of installation is ideal if you have a large orchard and your land is relatively flat. As its name suggests, this installation creates a flat shape over your orchard. The net is attached to a series of cables that run along the length of the field, and it’s supported by posts at regular intervals along with those cables. This allows for a tensioned system that protects crops from hail damage in areas
