Plastic netting killers

[BertieFox]

I was perturbed to find that one of the 'shopping partners' of this site, 'Gardening Naturally', is still promoting green plastic netting for training peas and beans. I am sure they are not alone but it is ironic in the extreme they can call this 'natural' gardening.

In our experience over many years, these nets can trap and garrotte many creatures and we were horrified to get up one morning to find a hedgehog strangled painfully to death in the netting. As a consequence, we would never again use such a product.

Birds also get trapped and in their struggles to get free entangle themselves ever more firmly in the nets.

If these companies really MUST sell such lethal netting (and there are much safer alternatives) they should at least print clear warnings about how to use these products, such as making sure they are erected well above ground level so wandering animals cannot become entangled.

It would be far better if these awful wild life 'traps' were banned.

[legume]

I had no idea this was dangerous to hedgehogs! I knew birds could get caught in it, so I made sure to get the thick stuff and peg it down very tightly (and no birds have been caught to date), but now I think of it, I have yards of the stuff. Bought it for the peas/beans and fruit cage.

Bertiefox, what are the better alternatives? Happy to swap over and dispose of the plastic mesh.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I've used plastic mesh for many years and never yet trapped anything

[Potstubsdustbins]

30 year man with plastic netting supports ain't trapped anything yet.

In fact this is the first I have heard of it.

Potty.

[Thelma Sanders]

With pea & bean netting I would have thought the mesh was big enough for creatures to escape, I've never managed to trap anything in it, anyway.

I did have to cut a slow worm out of some pond netting, which has smaller holes - so don't use that size anymore.

[veggiechicken]

I don't use the lightweight pea netting - its too difficult to disentangle it at the end of the season. It wouldn't be down to the ground any way so a hedgehog could walk under it. I do use the small mesh netting to build fruit cages and birds do go in - and find their way out again! I've never had a bird or any other animal caught in the mesh.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Come to think on it, I have some bird feeders that are protected against squirrels and larger birds. The openings are about 1 1/2" square and the birds are happy to flit in and out all day.

Potty

[Sheneval]

I watched a couple of birds, one small the other a blackbird fluttering about inside a fruit cage for a few minutes a few days ago - I was thinking of interfering when all of a sudden they were gone,presumably having found their way out.

[SarzWix]

I haven't gardened for as long as AP or Potty, but equally have never had any wildlife of any sort caught in any of my netting. Plenty of wildlife available to get caught if such a thing is indeed possible, but I guess all my overgrown corners are more attractive?

[BertieFox]

I'm very surprised that nobody else, at least of those posting here, has experienced this. In both cases it occurred where I was growing climbing French beans or runners, and the net was tied over the canes down to ground level, to support the bean plants. On the first occasion a hedgehog had blundered into the plastic netting, tried to escape by twisting round, and gone on to struggle more and more until the netting was literally 'garrotting' it. Terrible death and we felt enormously guilty. On the second occasion a blackbird had done the same thing and was trapped in the net. I would never use it again as a result. I just hope that it might be a rare occurrence, or maybe the lack of examples is just more evidence of the huge decline in the number of hedgehogs that has already occurred, though mainly from road kills and loss of habitat.
My main point was people should be aware of this danger and if using it, make sure that there is space at ground level for creatures like hedgehogs to pass underneath.

[chris]

I have used it in the past, but have never gone all the way down to ground level.. Haven't had anything trapped in it either. Sounds horrible though :/

[redser]

Me neither. Having said that I have read of the dangers of using it for wilflife. Like VC I found it messy stuff to deal with and chicken wire much better, so I go with that. Rolls up nice and neat at the end of the season and if it prevents the odd accident all the better.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I had to help rescue a small hedgehog who had got stuck in the appalling stuff a couple of years ago in next door's garden. It didn't help itself by grabbing the netting as it rolled up tight when we were trying to unravel it. A prickly situation , but the story ended well.

As an aside, haven't hedgehogs got big feet??

[Aberdeenplotter]

I think the message is not that the mesh is dangerous but that it canbe dangerous if not used properly, i.e. keep it well clear of the ground and that in any event, we should check it regularly just in case of accidents.

[Nicos]

Several times I've had to release blackbirds from being entwined in fruit netting

Pea netting?

We either use sticks with twine crisscrossed between them- or metal sheep netting nailed to posts ( that's actually the easiest to take down as you can rip the plant off without damaging the netting).

We've also 'caught' a couple of toads in our electric fence. Very sad.

Fingers crossed any hedgehogs keep well away from it.