Everything you need to know about rolling up and unrolling a fruit canopy!

Bringing your fruit canopy into summer and winter position recurs every year. Which means recurring costs. So it is wise to think about your options before you start with a hail net or foil system.

Even if you already have a canopy, it is good to check if you still have the fastest way of rolling out and rolling up. In this article, show you the different options and list the other points of interest.

Aerial platform

We start with the aerial work platform. Often, as a fruit grower, you already have one, but if you don't have one yet, it is wise to buy one when you install a canopy. This saves a lot of time rolling up and makes it easier to carry out any maintenance on the canopy. While rolling out and rolling up, you can see where the canopy needs maintenance. Click here for all about maintenance.

Hailnets

Rolling up hail net canopies is done with Winterfix or Winterfix XL. The difference between the two is that the Winterfix XL is almost twice as long. The Winterfix is cheaper, but consists of one part and is a real WIESEL product. FruitSecurity Holland supplies the normal Winterfix as standard. Do you prefer the Winterfix XL? Of course, that's no problem!

Hail nets are put into:

Winter position in 25-30 man hours per hectare.
Summer position in 20-25 man hours per hectare.

Woven foil

There are canopies, such as the Quick Zip canopy, where you have to remove all the foil from the system. Or systems where you roll up the foil with a tube in the gutter (rolling decks).

But in most systems the foil is rolled up and attached to the longitudinal wire. And secured with an elastic bungy. There is a lot of difference in quality rubber bungy.

We prefer to supply WieselFix elastic with ball. It lasts the longest and remains stiff over the years. WieselFix is a more expensive elastic, and only available in one size. LegaFix elastic with ball is available in several sizes. This bungy loses elasticity faster over the years than the WieselFix.

Bringing a PowerFlex system into:

Winter position takes 40-50 man hours per hectare.
Summer position takes 20-30 man hours per hectare.

A system with hail nets and foil is brought into:

Summer position in 50 man hours per hectare.
Winter position in 70-80 man hours per hectare.

FruitSecurity systems

FruitSecurity's systems are designed to have as few recurring works as possible. If there are recurring works it should be fast. This makes the investment beneficial in the longer term

3 tips from the field

With our installation team, and with our customers, lies the most valuable information. These are their most important tips:

Speed of roll-up is down to having the right aerial platform. Can your aerial platform steer/continue to throttle autospeed? If so, continuous driving is always faster than hard driving.
Make sure you carry a few spare clips, foil tape, needles, etc. Many people roll up faster than the man-hours told above. It's wiser to take a little longer, and give your system a maintenance check right away. In the end, you'll be more profitable!
Let the rolling up and down depend on the weather. If it is windy you can take twice as long!