6 Best Garden Fence Clips For Attaching Netting That Actually Stay Put
Secure your garden netting with confidence. We review the top 6 fence clips designed for a durable, weather-resistant grip that truly stays put.
There’s nothing more frustrating than walking out to your garden after a windy night to find your carefully draped bird netting in a tangled heap on the ground. The cheap clips you used have all popped off, and the crows are already eyeing your ripe tomatoes. This small failure of a tiny piece of plastic can mean the loss of weeks of hard work.
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Why Secure Netting Clips Matter for Your Garden
The clips holding your garden netting are the first line of defense for your crops. When they fail, the entire system fails. A single gap is an open invitation for birds, deer, rabbits, or destructive insects to come in and undo all your effort in a matter of hours.
It’s not just about pest pressure, either. Loose netting becomes a sail in the wind, putting immense stress on the fabric itself and the plants underneath. A good clip doesn’t just hold the netting to the fence; it holds it taut, preventing flapping that can tear the material or damage tender plant stems. Constantly going out to re-attach flimsy clips is a time sink you just don’t have.
Think of it this way: you wouldn’t build a fence with rotten posts. The clips are the connection points of your crop protection system. Investing a few extra dollars in clips that actually stay put is cheap insurance for your entire harvest. It’s a classic case of a small detail having a massive impact on your success.
Agfabric Snap-On Clamps: Top All-Around Choice
When your garden structure is built from PVC pipe, EMT conduit, or heavy gauge wire, nothing beats a good snap-on clamp. These are essentially C-shaped pieces of durable plastic that are slightly smaller than the pipe you’re attaching them to. You simply pry one open and snap it over the netting and the pipe, creating an incredibly firm grip.
Their real strength lies in providing continuous, even pressure along the support. Unlike clips that create single pressure points, these spread the load, which is much gentler on delicate row covers or insect netting. They are ideal for low tunnels and hoop houses where you need a tight, wind-resistant seal all the way to the ground.
The key, however, is you must match the clamp size to your pipe diameter. A 1/2-inch clamp on a 3/4-inch pipe won’t close, and a 3/4-inch clamp on a 1/2-inch pipe will be loose and useless. Measure your supports before you buy. They are the perfect tool for a specific job, but completely ineffective if you get the size wrong.
Jobe’s T-Post Clips for Sturdy Fence Attachment
If your garden perimeter is built with standard metal T-posts, then these clips are your answer. T-posts are the workhorse of rural fencing for a reason—they’re strong, cheap, and easy to install. Jobe’s T-Post Clips are designed to work perfectly with them, utilizing the post’s existing design for a rock-solid connection.
These clips are brilliantly simple. They are small, durable plastic pieces that snap directly onto the nubs of a T-post. You just place your netting against the post, position the clip over a nub, and push until it clicks into place. It creates a secure anchor point that won’t slide up or down the post, even under tension.
Their biggest strength is also their biggest limitation: they are made only for T-posts. They won’t work on wooden posts, rebar, or any other type of support. But if you have a T-post fence, using anything else to attach netting is just making the job harder than it needs to be. For that specific application, they are unbeatable.
Gardener’s Blue Ribbon Butterfly Netting Clips
Sometimes, you need security but also frequent access. This is where butterfly clips shine. Shaped like a large hair clip, they use a spring-loaded hinge to clamp the netting to a wire, rope, or thin stake. They’re incredibly fast to apply and, more importantly, fast to remove.
Think about a row of blueberry bushes covered in bird netting. You need to get under there every day or two to harvest, and fiddling with snap-on clamps or permanent fasteners is a non-starter. With butterfly clips, you can pop off a few, lift the netting, pick your berries, and clip it back down in seconds. They grip securely enough for most calm conditions without damaging the netting.
The tradeoff is holding power. These clips are not designed to withstand high winds or the tension of a very heavy deer fence. Their grip is lighter and more focused than a snap clamp. They are the perfect solution for low-stress applications where convenience and reusability are the top priorities.
DeWitt Ultimate Duty Clips for Heavy Netting
When you’re working with heavy-duty bird netting, thick polypropylene deer fencing, or shade cloth, you need a clip that means business. Standard clips can’t handle the weight and tension and will either break or fail to grip. DeWitt’s Ultimate Duty Clips are built for exactly these demanding situations.
These clips often feature a two-piece, locking design. You push a pin through the netting and the clip body, locking it in place with a satisfying click. This creates a connection that simply will not let go. The large, flat surface area of the clip also distributes the strain, preventing heavy, taut netting from tearing at the connection point, which is a common point of failure.
They are, without a doubt, overkill for lightweight insect netting. They cost more per clip and take a few more seconds to install. But when you’re building a semi-permanent enclosure to protect a high-value crop like an orchard or a large berry patch, their reliability is worth every penny. They are for jobs where failure is not an option.
Growneer C-Clips: A Simple, Cost-Effective Fix
Every now and then, you just need something quick and cheap to tack netting in place. Growneer’s C-Clips are the definition of a simple, no-frills solution. These small, open C-shaped plastic clips are incredibly inexpensive and come in large packs.
Their best use is for light-duty, low-tension applications. They are perfect for securing insect netting to thin wire hoops over a raised bed or for gently clipping shade cloth to a cattle panel trellis. Because they’re so cheap, you can use them liberally, placing one every few inches for a secure-enough hold in calm weather.
You have to be realistic about their limitations. These clips have a very light grip and will pop off in a strong breeze or if the netting is pulled tight. They are not the clip you use for your main perimeter fence. Think of them as garden staples—great for tacking things down temporarily, but not for structural fastening.
Easy Gardener Hog Rings for Permanent Fastening
For a truly permanent, set-it-and-forget-it installation, nothing beats metal hog rings. These are C-shaped metal rings that you crimp shut using a special tool called hog ring pliers. Once they are closed, they are not coming off without being cut.
This is the solution for attaching durable wire or heavy plastic netting to a permanent fence structure, like a cattle panel or chain-link fence. If you’re building a chicken run, a permanent deer fence around your orchard, or attaching hardware cloth to the base of a fence to keep out burrowing pests, hog rings are the professional’s choice. They are strong, weatherproof, and tamper-proof.
The commitment is real. You need the specific pliers to install them, and removal requires wire cutters and some effort. This is absolutely not the choice for any netting you plan to remove at the end of the season or lift for harvesting. But for building a long-term, reliable garden fortress, hog rings are the ultimate fastener.
Choosing and Spacing Your Garden Netting Clips
The best clip is simply the right tool for the job. Don’t get sold on a single "best" type; instead, match the clip to your specific situation. The decision comes down to three factors:
- Your Support Structure: Is it a round pipe, a metal T-post, a wooden stake, or a wire cable?
- Your Netting Type: Is it ultra-lightweight insect mesh, standard bird netting, or heavy, rigid deer fencing?
- Your Access Needs: Do you need to get under the netting daily, or is this a season-long installation?
Once you’ve chosen your clip, spacing is the next critical factor. A good rule of thumb is to place a clip every 18 to 24 inches for light netting in a low-wind area. For heavier netting or in a location exposed to strong winds, tighten that spacing up to every 12 inches. The goal is to prevent any deep scallops or loose sections where wind can catch or pests can sneak through.
My final piece of advice is to always buy at least 25% more clips than you calculate you’ll need. Clips get lost in the grass, you’ll find an extra spot that needs securing, and one or two might break over time. Having a stash of extras in the garden shed means you can fix a problem immediately, not after the damage is already done.
Ultimately, garden netting clips are a small but crucial piece of your garden’s infrastructure. Choosing the right one for your specific fence and netting type isn’t just about convenience; it’s about ensuring the system you built to protect your food actually does its job when you’re not looking.
