question about wire mesh for burrowers

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 1:41 pm

So I decided to put 1/4" wire mesh at the bottom of my box. I don't know if I have burrowing pests, but I'd rather not find out. Here's my issue though. The rolls came in 24"x10', and my bed is 4'x8'. I got 2 rolls. I thought I'd have a little bit of overlap, but alas, there is none. They just sit side by side. And I've already stapled both rolls into the bottom of the bed. (And I mean, I stapled the crap out of them! They're not going anywhere.)

So, my question is this: what can I use to tie the two halves together that will not disintegrate over time?

Oh, and I also did not have them run at least 3" up the interior sides before affixing them as I saw recommended in a few places. I thought the staple fest would suffice. Am I wrong?

Thanks brilliant and magnanimous people.
Tracy

ashort 4/1/2011, 2:07 pm

Plastic Zip ties....

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 2:20 pm

Cool. Easy enough. Do I need to put them in every half inch or so? Or do you think I could get away with a little further apart?

ashort 4/1/2011, 2:25 pm

jazzymaddy wrote:Cool. Easy enough. Do I need to put them in every half inch or so? Or do you think I could get away with a little further apart?

I would guess you will be okay every few inches... Think how big your burrower is and if they could burrow through any gaps - if so, put in another zip tie...

Squat_Johnson 4/1/2011, 3:04 pm

I would get a roll of thin wire and lace it up. Zig-Zag pattern? half inch is about right...

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 3:15 pm

I do have some thin wire that was holding the mesh roll closed, and thought of just using that. I just worried that it would rust over time. It doesn't appear to be galvanized like the mesh. Should I be worried about that?

Thanks folks!

Hoggar 4/1/2011, 4:01 pm

If it is the kind of mesh I think it is you can pull apart the extra mesh strand
by strand and use that to lace up the middle. Just grab the end of one of the
edge wires and pull with some pliers.

FarmerValerie 4/1/2011, 5:34 pm

We used to have rabbits and made our own cages. There is a little metal piece you wrap around and then squeeze shut called a j-clip, and the special tool to close them runs about $5. You should be able to get those at Lowe's or Home Depot.

genes 4/1/2011, 5:41 pm

to much works
zip ties!

ashort 4/1/2011, 5:55 pm

genes wrote:to much works
zip ties!

Personally, I am all about easy... affraid

tkdtara84 4/1/2011, 6:19 pm

What was your mesh called, and where did you find it?

I hadn't planned to use mesh until yesterday when I read the post about the tomato casualties, I thought it might be a good idea. Then I remembered my dad's and grandfather's never-ending battles wtih moles....and since I haven't filled my boxes yet, I thought it would be a good idea to do it now rather than regret it later.

genes 4/1/2011, 6:23 pm

Believe he is referring to 'welded wire', sometimes called 'rabbit cage wire'. Oft comes in 1/4 and 1/2 in spacing. Can be found at big boxes stores and feed stores.

cachecrashers4 4/1/2011, 7:36 pm

It's also called hardware cloth.

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 8:28 pm

Yeah, it's the galvanized hardware cloth. I was on the fence about putting it in too, as I've never seen moles or anything in our yard, but that post last night sealed the deal for me too.

Since the rabbit hutch clamp or zip ties would require to go back to Lowes - AGAIN (I swear, I should just have my mail forwarded there...) - I'd love to be able to use the wire that came with the package of hardware cloth. Any opinions on whether that will rust or not. And if so, is that a bad thing? It will be under my weed cloth - not that that will solve anything, just thought I'd mention it...

Thanks!

Looks like it's going to be sunny tomorrow! I can get the bed out in the back yard and fill it. I know that it won't sound weird to you, but I'm SO excited!!!

acara 4/1/2011, 8:39 pm

You can use that wire that came with the mesh. It should be galvanized just like the mesh & last just as long.

If it's not ductile enough to loop back/forth, bailing wire or light gauge electrical wire will do the same thing.

If you don't have that, monofilament fishing line will work too.

I would get a roll of thin wire and lace it up. Zig-Zag pattern? half inch is about right...

..... that's about the best way to do it.

I don't know anything about moles & how big they are (we don't have them here), but would regular 1" or 1-1/2" hex mesh (a.k.a. chicken wire or poultry netting) work?

It's cheaper than the 1/4" or 1/2" welded meshes & a lot easier to work with. Also there are recycled plastic versions of the hex mesh, which would eliminate yr corrosion concerns.

Lowes Poultry Netting, plastic

Nonna.PapaVino 4/1/2011, 8:55 pm

Make a friend of an electrician and have him/her save you left-over plastic-covered wires. They would work for lacing up your two pieces of mesh. Also, electrical wire has lots of other uses, like tying up vining plants, stretching between uprights to stabilize plants (like blooming iris), tying between two upright posts to keep them from sagging away from each other. Fortunately, I have an electrician son, and I'm always figuring out new ways to use bits and pieces of plastic-covered electrical wire.

ashort 4/1/2011, 9:20 pm

acara wrote:You can use that wire that came with the mesh. It should be galvanized just like the mesh & last just as long.

If it's not ductile enough to loop back/forth, bailing wire or light gauge electrical wire will do the same thing.

If you don't have that, monofilament fishing line will work too.

I would get a roll of thin wire and lace it up. Zig-Zag pattern? half inch is about right...

..... that's about the best way to do it.

I don't know anything about moles & how big they are (we don't have them here), but would regular 1" or 1-1/2" hex mesh (a.k.a. chicken wire or poultry netting) work?

It's cheaper than the 1/4" or 1/2" welded meshes & a lot easier to work with. Also there are recycled plastic versions of the hex mesh, which would eliminate yr corrosion concerns.

Lowes Poultry Netting, plastic

I hope so, cause I used chicken wire under my boxes.

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 9:52 pm

Hey now, hold the phone. I just had a thought. Since the rolls were 10' long, and my bed is 8', I have a couple of 2ish' pieces left over. If I cut them into strips and just laid them across the gap, then covered with weed cloth and MM, I think it would hold it down, and should solve my problem.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Tracy

acara 4/1/2011, 10:10 pm

jazzymaddy wrote:

Thoughts?

Tracy

My thoughts are ...never to move anyplace that has moles. Some of you guys have better security/reinforcement in your boxes than the state prison down by me Very Happy

jazzymaddy 4/1/2011, 10:12 pm

Hahahahahahaha! Hilarious!

You know, I don't even know if I have any little convicts to guard against. I just want to make sure my food goes to my babies' mouths, not theirs.

Lindacol 4/1/2011, 11:08 pm

acara wrote:

I don't know anything about moles & how big they are (we don't have them here), but would regular 1" or 1-1/2" hex mesh (a.k.a. chicken wire or poultry netting) work?

It's cheaper than the 1/4" or 1/2" welded meshes & a lot easier to work with. Also there are recycled plastic versions of the hex mesh, which would eliminate yr corrosion concerns.

I don't know anything about voles either but if they have teeth anything like the gophers we have here they would chew right thru plastic netting and possibly the rip ties. Use the wire. Galvanized hex mesh is what gopher baskets are made of. I got some of these for planting outside of my SFG beds.

It amazes me how many of you can use chicken wire or plastic hex mesh or deer netting to keep animals out of your gardens. My dogs are bigger than most and would destroy or go right thru both. Same with my goats. I have to use much stronger fencing to keep them out of the garden area.

milaneyjane 4/1/2011, 11:53 pm

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We have a horrible vole problem and used wire to sew the two pieces together (in our case it overlapped and gaped open) We used wire and didn't have a single problem. It was quite tedious and in your case you will have to keep the stitches very small. We set the boxes on their sides in the driveway to do it.

jazzymaddy 4/2/2011, 12:00 am

Thanks for that milaneyjane. I actually did decide to lay my extra pieces across, and I will "sew" them onto the gap. So that should work perfectly.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I think my problem's solved!

acara 4/2/2011, 12:16 am

Forget the wire .... I'll just send you some of my Florida garden buddies !!

question about wire mesh for burrowers 102_2822

jazzymaddy 4/2/2011, 12:36 am

That DOES look effective. I'll take 'em.

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wire mesh for burrowers

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Here is the wire we used last year to "sew" the boxes

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