top of page

Mitigating Risks Part 1: Protecting Your Planting

Writer's picture: Heather WilsonHeather Wilson

Mitigating Risks In Your Elderberry Orchard Part 1

Protecting Your Planting


Are you ready to start growing American elderberries? We are thrilled you are here and want you to have the most success! Whether you are growing elderberries for your family in your backyard, or you are ready to start a commercial farm; we are here for you! Even if you are an experienced grower; you know American elderberries are relatively new and there's lots that has changed over the years. You also know there's an endless amount to learn.


Mitigating risks in your elderberry orchard is done by preparing yourself for or preventing a problem that could arise in your planting. We are going to focus on protecting your elderberries from pests like deer, birds and other small critters. While pests aren't the only problem that could arise in your elderberry orchard, that's just what we are going to discuss today. Stay tuned for more parts to our Mitigating Risks blog posts.


Adams American Elderberry selection River Hills Harvest Farm Farming
Adams Elderberry Selection

If this is your first time here, please visit our Resources page for more in-depth information about growing American elderberries. We also offer a number of other blog posts related to growing.


Be sure to subscribe today so you can get notified each time we release a new blog!

Protecting your elderberries from pests and critters is a must. Whether you have birds, deer, armadillos or all of the above, they can wreak havoc on elderberries if left alone with them too long. Birds and deer will chomp your flowers and berries. Mainly small critters such as armadillos and racoons only are a problem in newly planted beds. A racoon may be tempted to dig for grubs in newly disturbed soil. Armadillos will dig holes in new plantings and in existing orchards. A single armadillo may not do much damage to your established elderberries, but more than one certainly could.


Elderberry Farm Fence River Hills Harvest
Elderberry Farm Fence
Deterring Deer and Small Land Critters

So, let's get on to the most effective way to protect your American elderberries from deer and other small critters. The best protection from deer and small critters is at least a 6-foot tall, sturdy fence. Preferably a metal grid that is too small for animals to fit through as well. Plastic netting fences can at times, be infiltrated by small critters and deer antlers but may prove to work fine in some areas. The photo below shows a short fence we are able to use in an area we planted with Pocahontas, however this fence is also electric. We don't have deer in this area, but we do have a number of small animals, and the electrified fence works great. Fencing requirements will vary based on your particular environment. Our deer in Missouri have been known to easily clear a 6' fence, so it depends on how athletic the deer are in your area. 😂


Pocahontas Elderberry at River Hills Harvest Fencing
Small Elderberry Netting Fence

Another method of deterring pests is a guard dog. Perhaps you already have a good one on your homestead. For generations farms have relied on their trusted furry companions to help guard their crops and home. Dogs can help keep out digging armadillos, deer and even birds.


Other farms have implemented scent tape to deter animals with success. In Arkansas, Bob uses scent tape in addition to a fence around his property. Since he is on his farm most days, reapplication is just part of his routine. Scent tape has been used successfully on a number of elderberry farms in the US. The drawback to scent tape is time though; generally, the scent needs to be reapplied often. This labor-intensive method works for some farm operations, but not all. As well, in a particular rainy season, scent tape can prove to be ineffective, even if applied often.


Protecting Your Crop from Birds

Birds are the next pest we'll discuss. It's engrained in them to know exactly when the berries are ripe, much better than our sense. You may think you don't have a bird problem, until the morning you go to harvest your berries, only to discover the birds beat you 10 minutes prior to them. 😒 Commercial and home options for bird deterrents can differ widely.


For small elderberry plantings, netting may prove to work best for you. In commercial operations, netting can prove to be too costly and labor intensive though. Cover the individual flower and/or berry heads with a shower cap or hair net. Sheet netting is also available that you can drape over the entire plant. Some nets are even made to keep out certain insects who may want to chomp on your plants. If you have Japanese beetles in your area, they will eat the leaves of your plants, sheet netting may be your best bet in that case.


Japanese Beetle on Elderberry Sambucus canadensis River Hills Harvest
Japanese Beetle Damage to Elderberry Leaves

The next options to deter birds would be sound and motion. Most farms will utilize a sound cannon prior to harvest to work on keeping the birds from regularly coming into the field. Others have placed radios in their fields during peak times as well.


Motion may be the most effective method of keeping birds away. You could do this with shiny objects that blow in the wind and reflect light. We've also seen farms in windy areas just use agricultural tape in long strips that is light enough to blow in the wind around their elderberries. My personal favorite, our friend Taylor at Boulder Berry farm's put his mind to a solution that also captured his sense of humor. He implemented a wacky waving inflatable tube man in his orchard. You know, the ones you see in used car dealerships? 😂 Guess what, the wacky waving inflatable tube man worked great for keeping the birds away from Taylor's berries!


Elderflowers in bloom at River Hills Harvest
Elderflowers in early blooming stages.
Continuing to Mitigate Your Risks

As you can tell, there are many methods of deterring birds, deer and other critters that farmers have been putting in place for years with success. If you are wanting to plant elderberries, ensuring you have a plan in place for critters is essential for success. It's all part of mitigating your risks. Stay tuned for future information to come about mitigating other risks in your elderberry orchard such as insects, diseases and soil health.


If you are wanting to take a deep dive into growing American elderberries, you can take Terry Durham's classes we have available at www.GrowElderberries.com. These classes cover all you need to know from start to finish when it comes to commercial elderberry farming. Each class is Terry talking, so you are free to pause and take a break or notes whenever you want. In particular, there is a large section about mitigating your risks in there that goes much more in depth that we do on our blog posts.


Last, if you are ready to start growing American elderberries, now is the time to get your orders in for dormant hardwood cuttings! We generally start shipping these out mid-January and will continue through late February.

Until next time, cheers to your health!

Heather

River Hills Harvest Blog Post

I am Heather Wilson, of the River Hills Harvest crew. By being part of the company, I am blessed to have access to American elderberries in all forms. I enjoy experimenting with new ways to incorporate them into my diet, as well as other natural plants, berries and more. I have a background in greenhouse management as well as floral design and am involved in the art community as an artist, when time allows. I enjoy playing guitar and writing songs. I also enjoy wandering in nature with no real purpose, because a purpose always presents itself. It’s a busy life, but one that I love and feel lucky to be a part of. 


Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Commenting has been turned off.
bottom of page