the birds ate my cherries

[pourmeanotherglass]

We took over an allotment just after Easter and are novices. We inherited 4 dwarf fruit trees with the plot, one apple, one plum and 2 cherries. The apple and plum have plenty of fruit, but I didn't see any on the cherry trees. I think the birds may have got there first. Or it may have been the squirels.
One of the men on the allotment site suggested taking a reel of cotton and throwing it to each other over the tree until the tree is sort of covered, as apparently this confuses the birds. Has anyone tried this? Or has anyone had success with dangling CDs/Foil from the branches to scare them away? Or does anyone actually put a net over?
Will my plums and apples be safe from pigeons/squirrels when they start to ripen?

[throckenholt]

plums and apples will be safe from birds. The birds do love cherries which is why I have never bothered to grow them - they don't wait until they ripen so you never get a look in.

Plums and apples are more at risk from wasps - our small plum tree was completely stripped by wasps last year - just empty skins left hanging on stalks .

[Stillchuckingit]

sorry to hear about your cherries pourmeanotherglass it's so disappointing when you are looking forward to eating your own produce...

my entire blackberry crop disappeared last week (not one left on the bush or on the ground) quite sinister (we have a walled garden)

we have a local squirrel, jays and wood-pigeons. Which of those is more likely to be the culprit?

[HairyWoman]

My cherry tree is as tall as the house, I have tried various things but now stick to netting the lower part (about a quarter of the tree). It definitely works in my case - there are already so many cherries anyway so they can just go to another part of the tree. Oh, I also hang CDs, foil pie dishes etc nearby