The cheapest rain shelters and hail net shelters of 2023!

When you are at the beginning of an investment, the amount you spend is often leading your decision. Your gut may be giving signals that maybe you should look beyond price after all. Does it really matter that much what a canopy costs? Surely everything is similar? In this blog, we look at the cheapest canopies and why you should choose cheap.

Reasons to choose a cheap fruit canopy

You have a plot of let's say cherries. You want to cover those. You look around the market and see that there are many different suppliers (Here you can read which). You ask around and can't see the canopy for the trees. What should you do?

Choosing cheap may be the best choice for you. Why? I'll give you a few reasons:

1. Your budget is small. You know it's not ideal, but better something than nothing right?
2. You rent the plot and you know the canopy will be temporary. Fine, at least you choose consciously.
3. It doesn't matter if you get some water on your cherries. Most of your crop is protected. All crops protected is overrated.
4. Insect protection is not necessary for you because you want to keep spraying anyway. In case there are restrictions on plant protection products in the future, who lives who cares.
5. Reliability of the system is not the most important thing you go for. If really, really, really crazy weather comes over it, no canopy will hold up. What would you care about then?

Cheap fruit canopies

Of course, you can list endless disadvantages of cheap canopies. But every brand has an entry-level canopy so what can you save on in canopies?

1. Anchor

   Smaller anchors are cheaper than large ones. Savings can be made on this.

2. Posts

   Considerable savings can be made on posts. Most easy is to increase the pole spacing. Start at a metre further apart. I myself have seen film canopies with a pole spacing of 12 metres. Double the normal distance. This works quite well. As long as it's not windy, it's no problem. Thinner posts could also be an option.

3. Contruction

   With hail nets, you can make the biggest savings by throwing the nets loose over the trees. You then need no anchors, no post caps and no wires.

4. Plastic parts

   You can get plastic parts made just fine in China. It is often much cheaper to get materials there. UV resistance can go pretty well too. (The FruitSecurity Holland team gets an average of 2 e-mails per person per day from suppliers from China, Vietnam, etc. They would like to supply us. We would like to be able to provide a guarantee on products).

5. Nets

   With hail nets, you can save a few cents per square metre just fine. Pay attention though! 1 cent per m2 is 100 euros for 10,000m2. In other words, one hectare. Usually, the cheapest net is the one with the shortest lifespan. So if your nets don't need to last long, don't bother looking at them.

6. Woven Foil

   Quality foil can vary tremendously. You can go for a thinner and lighter quality. You can save money with this.

7. Insect mesh

   Finally, if you want a cheap anti rain canopy, don't invest in insect mesh. A big advantage is: better ventilation.

As you can see, there are always points you can save on when choosing cheaper fruit covers!

What you should know:

• The lifetime of the canopy is much shorter;
• You have much higher annual costs;
• Chances of collapse are much higher; 
• The fruit you grow all year round with sweat and tears are less well protected. 

You want the best for your business. You have the choice! So choose what suits you!

See what a canopy should look like according to FruitSecurity Holland here: