Hail nets for an orchard: when you need them and how they are installed

A hail net shields orchard rows from hail physically, and the decision comes before planting, because the height and strength of the trellis posts are sized for the future net. This article covers system types, attachment to the trellis, cost benchmarks from foreign sources and the order of work. A contractor prepares the ruble estimate from the plot design.

Do you need a net: hail risk in the Stavropol region

The decision depends on the plot’s hail exposure and the value of the crop. Of all adverse weather, hail does the most harm to the coming harvest, as the Kursavka portal writes. In 2023 the regional hail-suppression service protected about 839 thousand ha of fields in five districts through 44 impact points. The service works at regional level, while a net stands on a specific plot and covers the rows physically.

The WSU Extension review (TB60E) states that hail damages the current season’s crop and the flower buds of the next one. Young trees suffer more because of their small canopy, and the wounds can worsen disease, above all fire blight. Hail exposure and crop value are weighed before posts are bought, because the post height depends on them.

System types: full enclosure, continuous top net, partial cover

WSU lists three common systems: full enclosure over the top and sides, a continuous net over the orchard, and partial cover over the rows. Partial cover is the cheapest, a continuous net costs more, and full enclosure costs the most.

For a continuous net and full enclosure, WSU notes an important condition: in hail-prone areas the structure needs a configuration that dumps hail onto the ground, otherwise it may collapse. This part of the design goes to a contractor experienced with hail nets.

Net material and attachment to the trellis

The net hangs on cables and posts that are set together with the trellis. The Ontario Apple Growers guide names 16 ft posts (about 4.9 m) for a net over the orchard: up to 4 ft (1.2 m) in the ground and 12 ft (about 3.7 m) above it. In the first years the same posts carry the ordinary trellis wires. Trellis design is in trellis for an intensive apple orchard.

WSU writes that a net is easier to provide for when the orchard is created: the posts serve both as trellis and net support. Of the growers surveyed, 83% planned to include netting when establishing new orchards. Fruit Security Holland gives similar advice: put the supporting structure in at planting and stretch the net 2–3 years later, which saves €1,000–1,500 per hectare.

On weave, the InTechOpen chapter notes that leno netting of monofilament threads is more rigid than the other type and suits strong hail. Nets cut photosynthetically active radiation: up to 7% for translucent, 18% for black and up to 13% for white-green. Fruit colour under some nets can develop later.

A net needs care. Fruit Security Holland advises re-tensioning the system every year and repairing tears at once. In regions with heavy snow WSU recommends opening the net after pollination and furling it after harvest, so snow load does not damage the fabric and supports, and its service life extends by several years.

What a net costs: foreign benchmarks

The ruble price of a net depends on the plot design, so the table gives foreign costs converted per hectare. It is an order-of-magnitude benchmark, not an estimate.

By the estimate of Fruit Growers News, a drape net lasts at least 10 years. Figures from different countries do not transfer to Stavropol directly: post height, hail and wind load, area and cultivar all move the price. Other cost lines are in how much a hectare of intensive orchard costs.

State support exists for orchard planting in Russia. Under appendix No. 19 to the State Programme (Decree No. 717, as amended by Decree No. 1722, from 1 January 2026), the per-hectare subsidy rate for planting perennial crops may include installing a trellis and/or hail netting; the rate is set by the region, so check the terms with the Ministry of Agriculture of Stavropol Krai. Terms and procedure are in orchard planting subsidies.

What the nursery does and what the contractor does

The Sady Stavropolya nursery does not sell or install hail nets. The net design and installation are done by partner contractors we refer buyers to, or come inside turnkey orchard planting, with scope, price and regions given in a quote on request.

We supply apple saplings on M9 and advise on cultivars, rootstocks, layouts and planting dates. See apple on M9 on the apple page, rootstocks on the rootstocks page, trees per hectare in the sapling calculator, and secure a lot for your planting through pre-order.

Sources

• WSU Extension, TB60E: Use of protective netting in Washington state apple production (Mupambi et al., 2019)
• Fruit Security Holland, What do hail nets cost
• Fruit Growers News, Drape net: a viable option for orchard protection, 2019
• InTechOpen, Hail nets in orchards (Bastías, Boini, 2022)
• Ontario Apple Growers, Building trellis support systems for high density orchards
• Kursavka portal, Stavropol hail-suppression service, 8 May 2023
• Government Decree of 01.11.2025 No. 1722, amending appendix No. 19 to the State Programme
• Dollars per acre converted to dollars per hectare: Sady Stavropolya calculation, 1 acre = 0.4047 ha