There’s no better way to get fresh fruit than straight from the tree in the backyard. Unfortunately, pesky birds such as cockatoos have the same idea, and love to steal fruit, damaging the tree in the process.
To protect fruit trees, you can cover them with bird netting, available from hardware stores. To support the bird netting, drive four stakes into the ground around the perimeter of the tree. Put a glass jar on top of each stake to prevent the stake from poking through the holes in the netting, then drape the netting over the stakes so it rests on the top of the glass jars.
Tie the corners up in a knot at the base so it’s easy to access the base of the tree to mow the grass and remove weeds. If the birds in your area are particularly cunning, you may need to secure the netting at the base of the stakes using tacks or staples to prevent birds from sneaking underneath.
As the tree grows, make sure you reposition the netting, as branches will tend to grow through the holes in the netting if it’s too close to the tree.