Row cover vs insect netting: what are you actually buying?
“Row cover” and “insect netting” are often used as if they meant the same thing, and sometimes the two really do overlap, but often enough they describe different jobs entirely, and the confusion produces a quote that carefully protects against a problem the grower did not have.
In short
Row cover is a broad use category. Insect netting is a product specification focused on pest exclusion through mesh aperture. Before buying, confirm whether the main job is insect exclusion, frost protection, wind reduction, shade, bird protection or general crop cover.
Start with the job
Ask what the cover must do:
- keep insects out;
- reduce sun;
- protect against birds;
- soften wind;
- protect from frost;
- cover rows temporarily;
- stay in place for a full season.
If the target is insects, the aperture decides the outcome; if it is frost, the material and its thermal behavior do; if it is sun, the shade percentage does. Those three specifications have very little to say to one another, which is why the job has to be settled before the fabric is.
Insect netting needs a pest
An insect-netting quote without a target pest is not really a quote, it is a price attached to an unnamed fabric: thrips, aphids, whiteflies and leafminers each ask for a different starting aperture, and the distance between the finest of them and the coarsest is wide enough that a net specified for one will either let another walk through or throttle airflow the crop needed to keep.
Use the Mesh Size Visualizer when the pest is known. When it is not, state the crop and the region, which is usually enough for someone who has seen the same crop elsewhere to narrow the specification with you.
Row layout still matters
Rows create width questions:
- How many rows?
- Row length?
- Row width?
- Cover height?
- Overlap and fixing allowance?
The Netting Coverage Calculator includes a row mode that turns those measurements into an estimated area.
What to send in the RFQ
Write:
Crop rows, target pest or problem, row length, number of rows, row width, cover height, destination and timing.
That is already enough to begin a serious quote, and it is more than most first enquiries arrive with.
Sources
- Mesh & Net Mesh Size Visualizer and Coverage Calculator.
- Bethke and Paine, 1991, pest exclusion aperture data: https://doi.org/10.18474/0749-8004-26.1.169
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between row cover and insect netting?
Row cover is a broad use category. Insect netting is a product specification focused on pest exclusion through mesh aperture. They sometimes overlap, but often they do not, and that confusion can produce a quote that protects the wrong problem.
How do I choose between row cover and insect netting?
Confirm the main job first: insect exclusion, frost protection, wind reduction, shade, bird protection or general crop cover. If the target is insects, the aperture matters. If it is frost, material and thermal behavior matter. If it is sun, shade percentage matters.
Can I request insect netting without naming a pest?
An insect-netting quote without a target pest is incomplete: thrips, aphids, whiteflies and leafminers need different starting apertures. If the pest is not known, state the crop and region so the specification can be discussed.
What should a row-cover RFQ contain?
Crop rows, target pest or problem, row length, number of rows, row width, cover height, destination and timing. That is already enough to begin a serious quote.