Anti-rain netting for cherry trees: how to prevent cherry cracking

The most effective way to prevent cherry cracking is to stop rain from wetting the fruit during the ripening weeks, with a cover over the row. There are three options: anti-rain netting (holds back the water and lets the tree breathe), plastic rain cover (a fully waterproof barrier) and coated netting (waterproof and stronger than plastic). The right choice depends on how much water you need to stop, how much ventilation the orchard needs and the structure you already have.

Why do cherries crack?

Cracking, or splitting, appears when ripe fruit gets water on its skin: one storm in the last weeks before harvest is enough to downgrade part of the crop. Sudden changes in soil moisture also play a role: irregular irrigation, or a long water deficit followed by heavy watering, can trigger it.

That is why measures that only act on the tree (irrigation, nutrition) help but do not replace a cover. A technical paper from the Faculty of Agronomy of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile concludes that no alternative has proved as efficient at reducing cracking as plastic covers or roofing (Agronomía UC).

Anti-rain netting, plastic or coated netting: the differences

All three are mounted on a structure of posts and cables along the row. What changes is how much water they let through and how they behave with heat and wind.

Sources: Novafrut anti-rain netting and plastic cover datasheets and the Criado y López CYLNET PLAST fruit-tree cover datasheet.

Can the anti-hail structure be reused?

Yes, and it is usually the most cost-effective option. If the orchard already has anti-hail netting, we study how to integrate rain protection into the same installation: the posts, cables and anchors are already there, and the rain cover is sized on them. In a new orchard it pays to design the structure for both protections from the start.

With the Winterfix system the net is opened and closed from the ground with a pole, so the cover only needs to be deployed when it is needed.

When should you cover?

The critical moment is the ripening period up to harvest: that is when rain does the most damage. The installation, however, is decided and built earlier, in winter or early spring, so that it is ready in time.

How we do it at Novafrut

• Orchard visit: variety, planting layout, orientation, prevailing wind and existing structure.
• Choice of cover: anti-rain netting, plastic or coated netting, depending on how much water must be stopped and the ventilation the crop needs.
• Structure: concrete or wooden posts, steel cable and anchors sized for the chosen cover.
• Installation and folding: we install it and leave the system ready to open and close every season.

We have been installing protection for fruit orchards since 2001, with more than 5,000 hectares protected. Ask us for a quote or see how we install anti-rain netting.