I have been replacing all my older guards with hardware cloth, and have absolutely no problem with them, but here are some tips for success:
- Fold the top over- the cut ends can dig into the trunk (and all ends will tear your hands up) due to free wire. Tape on edges can help here.
- Cut plenty of width- I like to wrap it around it self, so you can increase its circumference as the tree gains girth. This also allows you to easily close the works with a single piece of wire. I can remove a piece and replace it in seconds.
-It can be cut in a smaller width and spiraled up and between branches, unlike the plastic "net" type guards.
I have liked them because they will last longer than any comparable product. They also are very tolerant of string trimmer, sickle or scythe attack. The coarseness of the screen allows me to see borer damage easily. It can also be picked up at almost any hardware or building supply.
The downsides are that it is stiffer than something like window screen, so you can't mush it tight to form fit. It also is too coarse to keep borers out, where window screen does hamper them a bit. It is stiff, so you have to use some muscle, and it does cut you.
As for the white plastic spiral guards, I feel I have commented on this before, but I believe it to be the worst product on the market for trees. They absolutely cause damage to trunks due to microenvironmental effects, like trapping heat and moisture. They encourage borer damage. They shatter when struck with trimmers and tools. They also do not prevent rodent damage in most cases...rodents can chew through a piece of 3/4 plywood, a mm or two of plastic is ridiculous. Also, my voles have pushed it up, down or aside and munched without issue, often with a pretty spiral chew mark up that 18 inches. I do think they help with sunscald for that little section, and I use our old ones to wrap high on the trunk, above the real guards in areas that bunnies like- but just for the winter months.
In a pinch metal window screen is fine. It is not tolerant of physical damage, but it is readily available, cheap, aluminum will last indefinitely, and it is easy to apply. The girdling that folks experience is from a lack of attention to the orchard, as in paying attention.
Walden Heights Nursery & OrchardZone 3 in Vermont