6 Best Netting Clips For Windbreaks That Prevent Tearing and Sagging

You’ve spent the weekend putting up a new windbreak, stretching the netting tight and feeling good about protecting your tender crops. A few days later, a strong gust blows through, and you walk out to find the netting sagging, torn from its moorings, and flapping uselessly. The problem wasn’t the netting or the posts; it was the handful of cheap clips that popped off or shattered under the strain. Choosing the right netting clip is one of those small details that makes a massive difference between a system that works and one that creates more work.

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Why Standard Clips Fail on Farm Windbreaks

The clips you find in a big-box garden center are usually designed for lightweight bird netting over a berry bush, not for a 50-foot windbreak taking a direct hit from a 30 mph gust. These standard clips are often made from brittle, non-UV-stabilized plastic. They become fragile after a few months in the sun, snapping at the first sign of real pressure.

Wind doesn’t just push; it pulls, vibrates, and creates constant, shifting loads on fabric. A cheap clip has a single, small point of contact, which concentrates all that force onto a tiny area of your expensive netting. This is how tears start. The clip holds, but the fabric around it rips out, creating a hole that the wind can then worry and expand.

A proper agricultural clip is designed to solve these problems. It’s made from UV-resistant materials like nylon or high-density polyethylene that remain flexible and strong for years. More importantly, its design spreads the load across a wider surface area, gripping the fabric securely without creating a single, high-stress failure point. It’s the difference between pinching fabric with your fingertips and holding it with your whole hand.

Agfabric Clips: Secure Grip for Woven Netting

Agfabric clips are a go-to for anyone using woven windbreak or shade cloth. Their design is simple but incredibly effective. They feature two interlocking halves with small, sharp teeth that pierce and grip the woven strands of the fabric itself.

When you snap one shut, it creates a permanent anchor point that becomes part of the netting. This is their key strength. Because they bite into the material, they are almost impossible to pull off without cutting the fabric. This makes them excellent for long-term installations where you don’t plan on moving the windbreak.

The tradeoff is their permanence. They aren’t designed for easy removal, so they’re not ideal for temporary setups or for adjusting tension seasonally. But for a set-it-and-forget-it windbreak made of woven material, their bulldog grip is exactly what you need to prevent the edges from fraying and pulling loose.

FarmTek Lock-Stitch Clips for High-Wind Areas

When you’re dealing with constant, high-pressure wind, you need a clip that actively locks down. FarmTek’s Lock-Stitch clips (and similar designs) are built for this exact scenario. Instead of just clamping, they use a two-part system where a pin or plug is pushed through the netting and into a receiving body, locking it in place.

This locking mechanism is crucial because it resists the subtle, continuous vibrations and tugging that can work a standard clamp loose over time. The pressure is distributed evenly around the pin, making it far less likely to create a tear. These are the clips you use on the windward side of a high tunnel or along the top edge of a tall fence-line windbreak where the forces are greatest.

They are particularly effective on knitted, rather than woven, netting. The lock-stitch design gathers the material securely without needing to pierce individual threads, which could cause a run in a knitted fabric. Think of them as the heavy-duty hardware of the netting world, built for performance in tough conditions.

Sunblocker EZ-Grip for Quick Installation

Sometimes, speed and convenience are the most important factors. The Sunblocker EZ-Grip clips are designed for exactly that. They typically feature a one-piece, hinged design that you simply fold over the netting and snap shut. There are no separate parts to lose in the grass.

This makes them perfect for temporary applications. Need to put up a shade cloth over your cold frames for a heatwave? Setting up a quick windbreak to protect new transplants for a few weeks? These clips go on and come off in seconds, allowing you to deploy and store your netting with minimal fuss.

Of course, there’s a tradeoff for that convenience. While strong, their grip isn’t as tenacious as a locking or piercing-style clip. In a sustained gale, they might be the first to let go. But for moderate conditions and temporary use, their ease of installation saves a huge amount of time and effort.

Dura-Clamp Heavy-Duty Clips for Thick Material

Not all netting is created equal. If you’re working with heavy-duty shade cloth (80% block or higher), thick privacy screening, or even agricultural tarps, a standard clip will pop open under the strain. This is where a heavy-duty clamp like the Dura-Clamp comes in.

These are less of a "clip" and more of a "clamp." They are significantly larger and often feature a screw-tightening or cam-locking mechanism to apply immense pressure. Their wide, flat jaws are designed to grip thick, dense material without puncturing it. You can even use them to clamp two overlapping pieces of netting together.

Their size and strength are their main selling points. You wouldn’t use them for lightweight insect netting—it would be overkill and might damage the delicate fabric. But for securing the corners of a heavy tarp or the top edge of a dense windbreak that feels more like canvas than netting, their holding power is unmatched.

Bootstrap Farmer Butterfly Clips for Gentle Hold

Delicate netting requires a delicate touch. Butterfly clips, like those from Bootstrap Farmer, are designed to provide a secure hold on lightweight insect netting or fine-mesh shade cloth without causing damage. Their design features two wide, flat "wings" that hinge together.

This design spreads the clamping force over a much larger surface area than a toothed or pin-style clip. It gently but firmly pinches the material instead of biting into it. This is critical for preventing tears in fabrics where a single broken thread can lead to a massive, unraveling run.

Use these when your primary goal is exclusion (like with insect netting) rather than blocking powerful winds. They provide enough grip to keep the netting taut and in place against light breezes and rain, ensuring there are no gaps for pests to sneak through, all while protecting the integrity of your expensive, fine-mesh material.

T-Post Safety Caps with Integrated Netting Clip

Efficiency on a small farm often comes from using components that serve multiple purposes. T-Post safety caps with built-in netting clips are a perfect example. These caps slide onto the top of a standard metal T-post, covering the sharp, dangerous edge while providing a ready-made attachment point for your windbreak.

The clip is usually a simple C-channel or a snap-in groove that runs the length of the cap. You simply press the top edge of your netting into the channel. This creates a continuous, secure hold along the entire top line of your fence, which is far superior to the intermittent stress points created by individual clips.

This integrated system not only makes installation faster but also results in a cleaner, more professional look. It’s especially useful for perimeter fencing where you want a taut, even line. By solving two problems at once—post safety and netting attachment—these caps streamline your workflow and improve the final result.

Proper Clip Spacing to Prevent Windbreak Sag

The best clips in the world will fail if they are spaced too far apart. Sagging isn’t just an aesthetic problem; it’s a structural failure waiting to happen. A droopy section of netting acts like a sail, catching the wind and concentrating an enormous load onto the two nearest clips.

A good rule of thumb is to place a clip every 18 to 24 inches along all edges of the netting—top, bottom, and sides. For areas with very high winds or with heavier material, you should reduce that spacing to every 12 inches. The goal is to distribute the wind load as evenly as possible across the entire structure.

Before you start, lay out your netting and mark your desired spacing with a chalk pen. This ensures a consistent, professional result and prevents you from accidentally creating a weak spot. Remember to pull the netting taut as you go, but not so tight that it strains the fabric. The tension should be firm and even, turning the entire windbreak into a single, resilient system.

Ultimately, your windbreak is a system, and clips are the critical link that holds it all together. Don’t treat them as an afterthought. By matching the clip style to your specific netting material and wind conditions, and by using proper spacing, you create a durable, effective barrier that will protect your crops for years, saving you the frustration and expense of constant repairs.