Pond Netting
Crop Saver™ Multi-Net™ has you covered when backyard Koi ponds, commercial fish hatchery runs, rearing ponds, and other sensitive aquatic areas need protection from birds and animals. Multi-Net guards against fish-eating birds like herons, egrets, sea gull, terns, cormorants, osprey, eagles, pelicans, crows, ravens and kingfishers. Multi-Net also makes it tougher for mink, raccoon, and other animals to dine on your prized fish, aquatic plants and other pond life. To top it off, literally, Multi-net prevents leaves, sticks and other debris from cluttering water surfaces and building up on pond bottoms.
Engineered super tough with superior u.v. inhibitors, Multi-Net for ponds is strong enough to keep your fish and aquatic life protected from birds, critters and leaf debris for years. Small 7mm x 4mm (.16in x .28in) mesh size keeps debris out protects against the biggest birds like eagles and herons down to the smallest birds like terns and kingfishers.
Crop Saver Multi-Net for ponds installs easily on a variety of pond sizes and shapes. The examples below provide general guidelines for installing Multi-Net over different ponds and in different ways. For larger ponds and commercial applications specific engineering requirements may apply. Be sure to consult with local engineering resources for these projects.
Small Or Narrow Pond Netting Installation
Small ponds are often the easiest to cover with netting. The round-shaped pond to the right shows Multi-Net simply stretched tight and anchored with sod anchor staples around the pond perimeter. This installation is simple and works well for small water gardens. It's best to anchor netting edges to keep mink, raccoons and other critters from getting underneath the net and into the pond. Multi-Net's extra strength doesn't require clips to attach anchoring hardware. Simply pin the netting 3 or 4 meshes from the netting edge and you're good-to-go!
One consideration that needs to be made when stretching nets straight across the pond is how to keep the netting above the water which is the goal for many projects. This can be accomplished by using floating supports like balls and foam. A popular approach involves using hoop or arch supports to keep the net higher than the water level. The "X" hoops shown in the image below right, illustrates a simple design commonly used for small ponds. Hoops or frames made from plastic, wood and or metal are effective to support netting above pond surfaces.Hoops and frames are excellent options for more than just small round ponds. The image on the right shows an "L-shaped" pond with hoops spanning the narrow pond "legs." An important consideration is the distance between hoop anchor points. The \ the pond the longer the hoop arch required. When the pond with exceeds readily available arch support material lengths it's time to consider other netting support options.
Medium-Larger Pond Net Installation
While smaller ponds can be covered by anchoring net stretched tight to pond edges or by supporting the netting on hoop or frame structures, bigger projects can benefit from other netting support systems. The two images to the right showing irregular-shaped and rectangle-shaped ponds with longer, horizontal netting supports is a common application. Here, netting is draped over cross-members arranged in a grid to support the netting above the water. Grid or scaffold supports can be made from a
variety of materials:
High-tensile Wire - One of the most common and durable netting supports is wire. The important point to keep in mind here is that the wire needs to be made from a non-corrosive material that won't rust. The best wire types are those that are either stainless steel, galvanized or coated with u.v. resistant rubber or plastic. For longer spans over the water it is also important that the wire not stretch and sag over time.Steel Cable - A number of metal cable products referred to as "wire rope" are available on the market that are easy to use and do a great job. Some are made from stainless steel or galvanized wire. Others are plastic or rubber-coated wire. Which ever you prefer, remember to choose a product that won't rust, stretch and with a smooth surface that won't abrade your nets.
Poles - For shorter spans, poles can be an effective option to create a grid or scaffold to support netting above the water. PVC, metal conduit and wood are popular with many pond keepers and provide durable, inexpensive and easy-to-install options.
Whatever netting support method you choose, Crop Saver Multi-Net will help get the job done to protect your pond and everything in it. Remember to get some engineering help if you plan to tackle big projects where wind-load, ice build-up and overall load weights need to be factored in.
