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Testing a Two-Wire Raccoon Fence Around Sweet Corn with a Voltage Tester: Wires at 5 and 12 Inches, 2,000 Volts at the Far Corner, and Splitting the Wires to Find the Short

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Run two hot wires around the corn patch, one 5 inches and one 12 inches above the soil, and read both at the corner farthest from the energizer. Hold at least 2,000 volts there every evening the corn is near picking; if the number falls, unhook the low wire first, because grass under it causes most drops. How many volts does an electric fence need to keep raccoons out of sweet corn? Aim for at least 2,000 volts on both wires at the far corner of the patch. Raccoons sit in the nuisance-pest group that needs 1,000 to 2,000 volts, so the top of that range gives you a margin for dew, weeds, and a weakening battery before the ears ripen. Zareba's voltage minimums by animal list 1,000 to 2,000 volts on the fence line for nuisance pests and note that smaller animals need closer wire spacing. Predators such as coyotes sit much higher, at 4,0...

Building a 16-Foot Freestanding Apple Espalier Trellis with 12-Gauge Galvanized Wire: Posts 8 Feet Apart, Wires at 18, 36, and 54 Inches, and 54 Feet of Wire

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Set 3 rot-resistant posts 8 feet apart, run 12-gauge galvanized wire between them at 18 , 36 , and 54 inches , and tension each wire with an eye screw and turnbuckle. Plant 2 dwarf apples of different varieties, one in the middle of each 8-foot bay, 8 feet apart. What wire and spacing does an apple espalier trellis need? Use 12-gauge or heavier galvanized wire between posts 8 feet apart. Put the first wire 18 inches above the ground and add two more, each 18 inches higher, for three tiers. Tighten each wire with eye screws and turnbuckles, and build the whole trellis before the trees go in. Oregon State University Extension's espalier article sets posts 8 feet apart with 12-gauge or heavier galvanized wire. The first wire is 18 inches above the ground, with typically three levels 18 inches apart and a 1- or 2-year-old dwarf t...

Caging Young Yard Trees Against Buck Rubs with One 100-Foot Roll of 4-Foot 12-Gauge Welded Wire: 7-Foot Cuts, 24-Inch Cages, and Two T-Posts per Tree

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Cut the roll into 7-foot pieces, roll each into a 24-inch cylinder around a young tree, and tie it to two T-posts. A 100-foot roll gives 14 cages with 2 feet left, and the 48-inch height matches the top recommended height for antler-rub protection. How tall and wide should a wire cage be to stop deer antler rubs? At least 48 inches tall and at least 12 inches across, held by two or three T-posts. A 4-foot welded wire roll gives full rub height in one piece, and a 24-inch cage keeps the wire well off the trunk, so it has room to thicken before the cage must come off. The Texas A&M Forest Service browse protection page says buck rubbing during the fall rut can girdle a tree. For rub protection it calls for welded cage wire at least 48 inches tall, at least 12 inches across, secured with two to three T-posts. The University of Mi...

Cutting a 16-Foot Cattle Panel into Two 8-Foot Trellis Walls with 24-Inch Bolt Cutters: 10 Line-Wire Cuts, Clean Stay Edges, and Panels Hung 12 to 24 Inches Off the Soil

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Lay the 16-foot panel flat, find the vertical stay nearest the 96-inch mark, and cut all 10 line wires tight against it with bolt cutters. Trim the prongs off the other half with 10 more cuts, then hang each 8-foot half on T-posts 12 to 24 inches above the soil. How do you cut a 16-foot cattle panel in half for a garden trellis? Lay it flat, mark the vertical stay closest to the middle, and cut every horizontal line wire right beside that stay with long-handled bolt cutters. A 50-inch cattle panel has about 10 line wires, so one pass is 10 cuts. Trim the leftover prongs flush and wear eye protection for flying ends. Behlen Country's fence panel specifications list its 50-inch cattle panel at 192 inches long, with 10 line wires of 5-gauge wire and a weight of 29 pounds . Other brands sell 4-gauge panels, so check the tag before ...

Adding a 36-Inch Rabbit Strip to a 2x4 Welded Wire Garden Fence on T-Posts: 24 Inches Up, a 6-Inch L Buried Outward, and Two Extra Clips per Post

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Run 36-inch poultry netting with 1-inch mesh along the outside of the welded wire, stand 24 inches above the soil, and bury the bottom 12 inches as an L: 6 inches down, then 6 inches out. Clip the netting at each T-post twice and tie it to the welded wire every 12 inches . How do you rabbit-proof a welded wire fence with 2 x 4 inch mesh? Add a band of 1-inch poultry netting to the bottom of the fence on the outside. Make it at least 24 inches tall for cottontails, 36 inches for jackrabbits, bury it 6 inches, and bend the buried edge 90 degrees outward. Openings of 2 x 4 inches are too large to stop rabbits, so the band must be separate mesh. North Dakota State University Extension's rabbit fencing article says the fence needs to be at least 24 inches tall for cottontails and 36 inches for jackrabbits. It says to bury it 6 inches...

Stapling Two Stacked Courses of 4-Foot Woven Wire into an 8-Foot Deer Fence on Wood Posts: 12-Foot Posts, Staples Turned 30 to 45 Degrees, and 14 Staples per Line Post

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Hang one 4-foot course of woven wire flush with the ground, hang a second 4-foot course directly above it, and join the seam where they meet. Staple both courses to the deer side of 12-foot treated posts, turning every staple 30 to 45 degrees and leaving line-post staples loose enough for the wire to slide. How do you staple two rolls of 4-foot woven wire into an 8-foot deer fence? Set 12-foot treated posts at least 3 feet deep, hang the bottom course flush with the soil on the deer side, and stack the second course on top. Staple the top two, bottom two, and every other line wire of each course, rotate each staple off the grain, and never drive line-post staples tight. The BC Ministry of Agriculture deer exclusion fencing factsheet lists two pieces of 4-foot woven wire , one on top of the other and clipped together, as an alternative des...

Staking Wire Tomato Cages Against Wind with 16-Gauge Tie Wire: Two Stakes per Cage, Six Seam Ties, and 10 Feet of Wire per Cage

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Drive two 6-foot stakes on opposite sides of each cage, tie the cage to each stake at 12, 30, and 50 inches with 16-gauge tie wire, and close the seam with 6 more ties. At 10 inches per tie, that is 12 ties and 10 feet of wire per cage. How do you keep a wire tomato cage from blowing over? Drive two stakes into the ground on opposite sides of the cage and tie the cage to both, low, middle, and high. A loaded tomato cage acts like a sail, so leg spikes alone rarely hold it; two stakes tied with galvanized wire keep it upright through summer storms. University of Wisconsin Extension's trellising, staking, and caging guide says a 2-foot cage takes a 6-foot length of wire and a 3-foot cage takes 9 feet . It rolls the wire into a cylinder, secures the ends, and supports it with two stakes driven into the ground. West Virginia Univ...