Here is today's result, birds pecked right through this organza bag. I guess my grandad's .22 is the only option left.

Not for me all the time but they deter the birds sometimes.

So far I have not lost a fig using them, but I am sure I will.

I will wrap netting around this tree, its the only one not inside my protected "fig cage."

Your bags are the wrong color.  They should be green.  Try the green ones and you will see.  I haven't lost one fig yet in a bag.  Give the green ones a try.

[QUOTE=snaglpus]Your bags are the wrong color.  They should be green.  Try the green ones and you will see.  I haven't lost one fig yet in a bag.  Give the green ones a try.[/QUOTE]
Oh no, I ordered white...
Haha I hope they work or I will be giving presents in them XP

Yeah, I guess I missed the bulletin too!

Hi Rafael.
Sorry to see that, I think Dennis has something there, I used the white ones and lost some
then my wife brought home the green ones and I haven't lost any yet.
Who could blame the birds for loving the figs.
Vito

I use white ones just like that and so far, I haven't had any losses on the ones I have bagged.  On the figs I have not bagged, I have had a few losses.  So I'm sure that they're not 100% foolproof, but probably better than nothing.

Has worked reasonably well on my tomatoes too

I hope I don't get jinxed for this, but I haven't lost a fig to a bird yet.  I rarely use the organza bags unless it's a fig I really really want.  When I do use them, they're green.

Rafael - I use lots of different colors and still lose a fig now and then. Color doesn't seem to make a difference over here. If the birds or yellow jackets or squirrels want it they take it, regardless of color. For the most part organza bags work well. For me, green ones are harder to see in the tree.

Its a constant battle Danny. I dealt with Squirrels and they are gone. My fig cage is mostly bird proof. I got yellow jacket traps. But I like to keep this one tree on my deck, but the bugs and birds are just relentless. I wonder how anybody can grow a fig in peace sometimes.

I don't think I ever lost a fig to a bird using the bags. But I lose the fig and the bag to racoons. I find the empty bags scattered throughout the woods around the house. I quit using them as I believe I was only aiding the thieves.

[QUOTE=rafaelissimmo].... I guess my grandad's .22 is the only option left.[/QUOTE] I'm not freak'n bailing you out of jail again Raf.

Just kiddin'. I loooove birds!

I use red and bright blue and have no issues. Large birds, such as crows, will take the fig, bag and all, but have never had a bird hole in a bag in 2 seasons.

I have used organza bags to wrap figs and apples. I have eaten one fig that came out of an organza bag. The rest were shredded apart by whatever creature ate the figs inside. I'm looking into acquiring some mithril bags.

Oh... and then there was that day it was really windy and half of my fruit blew to the ground; The ones in bags seemed to catch the wind better.

Cyberfarmer

You crack me up-mithril bags! :-)

Somebody should try camo netting.

I didn't lose a single one with the bags until this year. The birds have figured it out and I've lost a lot of figs now with pecked thru bags. I've resorted to double bagging them with the organza. That seems to work for now but they already got some of the best. Need another plan soon.

Hi Rafael
I have had really good luck also with the bags. I originally wanted to go white but they were out of stock so I went with the pale green that looked most like the leaves. I'm glad I did and the figs in the bags remain untouched and the un bagged right next to them are often pecked at.
I am definitely liking them.

It's my first year trying the organza bags.  (Thanks to this forum for that suggestion!) And a bowl of water (as I heard birds like the figs for the water).

I think they do keep the birds from pecking as much.  The bagged figs that I'm finding on the ground (and one still on the tree) look very mushed, so I think its the squirrels getting to them.  They haven't yet been able to rip a bag open.

I chose red with the thought that if the bags looked anything like the figs' color (ripe or unripe) it would attract pests.  So I went with bright red (plus if they didn't work out I could use them at some of the holiday times.)  But next time I'm ready for a purchase I'll look on here again to see people's experiences with color... light green perhaps.

I'm also tying some onto the branch and some I'm just closing up.  After finding a few on the ground over the past week, I'm now tying them onto branches. 

I put a fake owl up a few weeks ago and hasn't seem a bird nor lost a fig since. ... Until today. A bird got the better part of the last 3 ripe Hollier figs.

On a plus note, I picked 2 mission figs I had forgotten about. They were starting to shrivel. They had organza bags on them. Guess that's why me and the birds missed them. They we delicious. :)

I put bird netting around the tree, they still got through that and the organza bags. They seem to have abandoned the lonely potted tree for the time, there are about 10 figs left on the tree. They are doggedly persistent though. Owls don't exist here in NYC!

the green organza bags worked for birds and bugs but the hornets. yellow jackets, and wasp ate right through them as fall got closer. I haven't been able to get a ripe fig in over 3 weeks because they are so aggressive right now.  

Daniel

The yellowjackets by me could not get through my organza bags and many died in the traps I laid. I got some good yellowjacket pesticide too. It was the birds that devoured my figs inside the organza bags. The combination of netting and organza bags seems to have repelled them for now, though there are few figs left on that tree. The yellowjackets were tough for a while though.

Bumping this up ,
Does anyone notice delayed ripening when using the white organza bags (any of them)?
just yesterday i removed all off them in hope of better ripening.

thanks
Eli

Eli

I only put on the bags when I notice swelling, so the ripening has begun, and once it begins, well, you know, it finishes. I have notice that rain or watering on the bags on low plants causes a bad effect, rotting.

[QUOTE=rafaelissimmo]Eli

I only put on the bags when I notice swelling, so the ripening has begun, and once it begins, well, you know, it finishes. I have notice that rain or watering on the bags on low plants causes a bad effect, rotting.[/QUOTE]

Ditto

try this...............

 

Thanks all,
It is strange that having almost 113f but getting very slow ripening.
removed all organza yesterday and already today i see the color changes.

Dave,  your method will not work on my ants.

Elin I use this for ants I spray it all around the pots not in the pots and I haven't seen a single ant I use it also around my house I have been using this stuff for years and it works like a charm the rain does not wash it away one application will last the whole summer 

 

Thanks Dave,
No like chemicals but if it is as good as you say ill consider trying to get some.

Dave, can you describe your plastic protective device?  Is that part of a soda bottle?

Hey Ed Yes it is a soda bottle I just cut the part that you drink out of off with a pair of scissors then sliced it in half and wrapped it around the fig and the trunk the pressure from the plastic holds it in place it has worked great so far hopefully the birds won't learn how to crawl up from the bottom  On my trees that have allot of figs I just toss a light weight bird net right over the tree works perfect 

Hi elin,
Figs need direct sun to ripen faster. Whatever comes in the way between the fig and the sun will delay the end of the ripening process.
Last year I used pieces of clothes, and that as well delayed the ripening, but at least most of the fruits were intact for me to eat.
If I wouldn't have protected them, they would have been gone.

For ants, try coffee and gypsum - the white wash on the trunks. I'm giving it a try currently . I started with the cherry tree and its still alive.
I tried with one fig tree ... one week later still alive, so I just brushed some gypsum on two other fig trees. If it works well, they all will be pale faced feet in the future :) .

The organza effect might be a good idea -how to extend the growing season.
I wonder if the fruit size is bigger with them.
Growers do that with loquats and mangos , probably thats why store bought loquat these days are not as sweet as used to be,

The green ones work better for me.

[QUOTE=mgginva]The green ones work better for me.[/QUOTE]
THIS

My solution.
 

Is this some kind of a glue gun?

elin it is my trusty Star Trek Phaser to keep the bird away.

I find phasers ineffective against the Birds of Prey. You need more firepower.

[QUOTE=elin]Bumping this up ,
Does anyone notice delayed ripening when using the white organza bags (any of them)?
just yesterday i removed all off them in hope of better ripening.

thanks
Eli[/QUOTE]

Eli - I thought about your post while covering a few figs with Organza bags.  Was covering a few figs on my MBVS and found this one:

 

...moved over the leaf and found this:

 

I've seen this before and never really have given it a second thought.  I'm sure most of us have also seen this after picking a dark fruit and then realizing the underside is green(ish).  The leaf rested on that particular part of the fig and the color did not come up at all.

It's a very interesting point that you bring up and to answer your question, no, I have not noticed any delayed ripening once the Organza bag was put on the fig.  Like Rafael, I put them on after the fig starts to plump up.  It seems that a freight train could not stop them at that point.  But figs definitely need to have the sun to get to that point.  My guess would be that putting an Organza bag on this fig might slow down the ripening process or make it not happen at all.  I covered the fig and removed the leaf so we'll see.

Thanks for the update Danny, your way works the best -to wait till they plump up and then cover them up.
It looks like every year i am encountering different issue with growing figs :)
I tough tthat my zone 10 will be enough to riepn the figs well, even with the organza but i guess they need the "DIRECT" sunlight beams on them.


we cant mess with nature all the time...

Ok maybe organzq bags are good for the big ants and bird but for the smaller minute ants they are not effective. Did any one try attaching a paper dabed with honey to the ostiole?? Oh and i tried sealing them the tightest as can be and still the small ants attack. Its not full proof. Any inputs about the paper+ honey

Just for an update the organza work better for the small ants if after tightening the wires i i make  a knot with the laces. ZERO PENETRATION.

Well, I'm sooooo glad I found this conversation in the forum.

I have just bought a small fig tree (more like a rooted fig twig, LOL) for my little backyard.  I don't expect any figs this year.  But, I remembered that a neighbor's fig tree was devastated by yellowjackets, when the figs were ripe.  No one could get near that tree, the wasps were so obsessed.  It was years ago.  But, I still remember how bizarre and intimidating the situation was.  So, I'm trying to plan ahead, a little, and do some research on how to deal with the problem.  I'm sure that birds will be an issue, too, that bagging the figs could help.

In reading a few posts in this forum, I noticed that some folks had bagged their figs.  So, I took a look in the archives and found your thread.  Yay!

Sooooooo, my question is....where are you buying your organza bags and what size do find the most useful?  I'm assuming that they are reusable in future seasons, as long as they are not pecked through or torn.

Looks like there is some advantage to using green ones (maybe?).

Any suggestions about where you buy your baggies would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, Danny!  We're neighbors...I'm in Brooklyn.  What kind of fig are you growing?  I'm starting with a Celeste.  I understand that it's pretty cold hardy and tasty.

Hey Jess.  Welcome to the forum!

I use to think color didn't matter (see my post above from 2 years ago).  Now I think color definitely matters and exclusively use green and light blue.  
How did I come upon green and light blue you ask?  Good question.  We use organza bags religiously.  The birds found most other colors of organza
bags and pecked holes in them like Rafael's in the first post.  Green and light blue and the colors that were damaged the least.  So I ordered stacks of
these and these from Amazon.  Have been working well so far.

Squirrels are a different story.  They'll take anything and everything.  The Kania 2000 squirrel trap works best.