Marlborough Tractor Services stock and supply both over-row and side-netting applicators.  The latest shipment of Netwizz over-row net applicators are now in - call us for immediate delivery (03) 572 8787 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

The added benefit of using nets is that while birds are kept away from the fruit, birds can still be used in the vineyard as an organic or Biodynamic means of eradicating airbourne pests.  James Millton of Millton Vineyards Winery in NZ (Winefront Monthly, Nov-Dec 2004, Campbell Mattinson) views "the earthworms as the policemen of the subsoil.  Bees the policemen of the insect world.  Birds the policemen of the air around".  John Priestley of Patterson, NSW goes on to say that if you can provide for birds and animals then biodynamically farmers have a better opportunity of getting a good crop, "if you allow and provide for the natural birds and animals, they seem to stamp their territory and not allow other birds or anmicals to come in and overpopulate".  Whether this theory works in practice or not, nets are an effective and economical means of protecting your crop from birds.

Choosing between side and over-row netting is a matter of preference as well as weighing up the cost of the machine and its netting.

Over-row netting such as Netwizz is a bigger cost initially (mainly because more netting is required) but offers a longer term gain as the nets are of a higher quality and will last for longer.

GH Williams is a conventional side netting applicator that has been successfully operated in vineyards for many years as a simple means of applying side nets. This option uses less netting and can therefore be more cost-effective. This robust option handles netting quickly and efficiently with minimum labour requirement – a definite benefit for many vineyard owners.

Ashmore Vineyards (growers for Dogpoints Vineyards) use the Netwizz over-row applicator. Nigel Sowman the company’s viticulturalist has used a variety of applicators but chose Netwizz “for its extensive coverage” allowing the company to cover up to five or more rows at a time. According to Nigel over-row netting has the benefit of speed of application and complete exclusion, “it is much quicker to get the netting on and off a row and (over-row netting) also offers better cover and exclusion of birds. With side netting birds can still get at the fruit where as with over-row netting the fruit is totally covered.” Nigel also cites the modular aspect of Netwizz as a benefit “we are able to take off sections (of netting) at a time.” He also rates the workability of the over-row netting “we can still get at the fruit and work on it” and Netwizz’s maneuverability in the narrower rows.

Netwizz has become more common for multiple row covers such as in the Ashmore case and has been operated successfully by both big and small vineyards as an efficient means of applying over row nets.

Whichever way a vineyard chooses to go, netting is the most reliable method of crop protection. To find out more about a netwinder solution contact Marlborough Tractor Services on (03) 572 8787 or view the GH Williams and Netwizz pages on this website for more information (use the links to the right of this page).

Unique over-row/side netting applicator now launched

Marlborough Tractor Services has designed and built its own side and over-row net applicator.  This machine is for putting nets out and bringing them in but with the key difference that it operates as both a side-netting and over-row netting applicator. This unique machine therefore operates as an all in one side and over-row netting applicator. No additional attachments are necessary to switch between side and over-row, the different operation methods are all part of the one machine.

Contact John for more information on this unique custom-built machine - orders are being taken now. Phone 03 572 8787.