shade Shade Cloth

[Phildeez]

I need to shade my pubes, they are not liking the warmer weather and it has only just begun.

I plan to use chicken wire or a PVC frame of some sort to make shade cloth rigs for them, individually. Both plants are potted so I was thinking graduated cones with the smaller diameter being slightly smaller than the rim of the pot and expanding up and out from there. I hope to be able to place the shade cloth rigs on the plants for hot days and remove them otherwise without disrupting the plants too much.

I have a couple questions:

1. What grade of shade cloth would be ideal? They get direct sun from about 8:00 to 5:00 or so.

2. Would it be better to just move the plants into a less sunny area if said area only receives sun from ~9:00 to 1:00 (4 hours)?

Any comments or ideas on this are VERY welcome, I am still spitballing on how I want to make them and I am not attached to my plans thus far.

Thanks mucho!
-Phil

 

[smokemaster]

I don't know what size pots you are using but I use 15 gal. ones,not #15(7 1/2 gal.).
Anything smaller and my plants didn't do well.
I tried shade cloth(70-80%) and it didn't work very well.

The trick is to keep the roots cool.Bigger pots are enough soil so the roots don't get 100 degrees all day long.

White pots might help or a piece of white plywood or whatever in front of the pots might help.

At first I was seeing the manzanos that were surrounded by other pots did OK but the ones out by themselves or in front were cooking.
All pots were the same size with the same soil.
Thats when I figured out to keep the pots cool rather than shade the plants.

The plant itself can handle the sun.

Before the mites destroyed my manzanos they did fine in pots with sun all day long even during 100 degree months we have here from late may until oct.

I also think boxing your plants inside a cone or whatever of shade cloth (or anything else) will make a great oven for cooking any pods that form.
Same thing happens with tule when you try to isolate a plant during hot weather.

Not enough air circulates through the material.

 

[Phildeez]

Awesome thank you for the info Smoke, and you even live in my area. A white plywood box to fit each pot would be very easy. Or I could just wrap some of my left over frost cloth around them a few times, but that would be super ugly. The pots are terracotta or I would paint them white.

One plant is in a 5ish gallon and the other is around 10. I mulched the one in a 5 gallon with a half inch or so of pumice today, the potting mix was so dark colored that the surface was heating up quite a lot and the beige pumice should be a good intermediate color that will not reflect light or absorb much heat. I am curious to see how it effects the moisture retention of the mix.

Maybe a shade cloth canopy would help with the intense afternoon sun and allow air circulation? Decisions, decisions!

 

[smokemaster]

Before mite invasion

South-south west exposure in 15 gal. pots.

Part of a spring harvest

4+ yr. old plants.Yellow Manzano.RIP....

 

[gasificada]

Yes, mites are brutal.

 

[smokemaster]

Ya , Mites suck.
The problem with them in big plants is they are way out of control before you even see them.
They send off egg ladened females to hibernate when conditions get tough so once they are established in places like sunny Ca. you can't get rid of them.Only control them -more or less.

 

[UltraZelda64]

Sorry, I have nothing useful to add as an answer, but am I the only one who--after reading the following:

"Shade Cloth ... for my pubes"

... immediately thought "wear pants"?

 

[smokemaster]

So you think this should be in the "My Peter is Wilted, Flacid, Wrinkled, and Discolored" thread?

 

[Phildeez]

Sorry, I have nothing useful to add as an answer, but am I the only one who--after reading the following:

"Shade Cloth ... for my pubes"

... immediately thought "wear pants"?

Ya, I thought it was punny.

Smoke, how you doin on the mites at the moment? The cold weather probably helps. Mine seem to have vanished (or hibernated), but the nights are so cold right now that I fully expect them to return when it warms up.

 

[smokemaster]

I'm trying to form a Mite circus but they keep webbing up the hoops they are supposed to jump through.

Got them inside for sure and probably outside too but outside I can hose the plants down and keep them somewhat under control.
Inside there are too many places for them to drop off when I move the plants to spray them down.

I think the ones on the shelf,floor or whatever come back to the plants and start over.

Outside gets flooded with neem and or water every couple days so it's harder for them to get back to populations big enough to bother the plants as much.
Last year I thaught I had a heat problem not a mite invasion until it was too late.
This year I'll hose them down just in case.
That way I hope to at least keep the numbers down.