shade Shade Cloth

parker49 · Jul 2, 2014

Hello everyone,
So i have found some threads on this, but couldn't really get the answers i was trying to find. I have a few questions on shade cloth. I live in northern middle Tennessee and it gets pretty hot here most summers, especially late July and August, well into the 90's and the occasional lower 100's. Where i keep my containers is in full sun from about 8:30 am to around 6 p.m or so. I have decided i would like to get shade cloth, my question is 30% or 40% and will it matter if i get white or black? I was thinking of getting the 30% and black. I can't seem to find it locally. I have been searching on the internet and for smaller sections like i need they either get you with a big fee or nail you on shipping costs. Who do you guys use to order this from? Any help would be appreciated.

Also do you think i need to get it taped and with the grommets or can i just use those plastic clips.

thanks

Seacowboy · Jul 2, 2014

I ordered a 8' x 25' black 30% cloth from A.M. Leonard with grommets every 2'. Was $52 plus shipping, ordered 6/17 and has come yet, was told to expect a 21 day turn around on it. They also have precut sizes but didn't have size and % I wanted. Greenhouse megastore has them also.

juanitos · Jul 2, 2014

uh they have some on amazon free ship if you have amazon prime

outlaw · Jul 2, 2014

I used a roll of screen door mesh from Menard's for $21.00 and cut it to length, works great

Hammerhead · Jul 2, 2014

I got mine off E-bay. 8' x 12' with grommets every 2 feet(taped edge) Less than $50 delivered, sorry I didn't keep the receipt so I can't tell you who I got it from. If I recall, at the bottom of the listing it recommended what % to use depending on what you're growing. I got the 50% black cloth. I used cable ties to attach to my pvc frame

parker49 · Jul 2, 2014

Seacowboy said:
I ordered a 8' x 25' black 30% cloth from A.M. Leonard with grommets every 2'. Was $52 plus shipping, ordered 6/17 and has come yet, was told to expect a 21 day turn around on it. They also have precut sizes but didn't have size and % I wanted. Greenhouse megastore has them also.

Thanks i will check out AM Leonard and see how that comes out. Greenhouse megastore had a high fee unless you used their precut sizes or exceeded a certain amount which i would not.

OKGrowin said:
uh they have some on amazon free ship if you have amazon prime

Amazon had a few with okay prices, but some reviewers said they weren't the best quality.

outlaw said:
I used a roll of screen door mesh from Menard's for $21.00 and cut it to length, works great

Interesting idea, i wonder what percentage that stuff is?

hammerhead pat said:
I got mine off E-bay. 8' x 12' with grommets every 2 feet(taped edge) Less than $50 delivered, sorry I didn't keep the receipt so I can't tell you who I got it from. If I recall, at the bottom of the listing it recommended what % to use depending on what you're growing. I got the 50% black cloth. I used cable ties to attach to my pvc frame

I am growing all peppers, mixes of thai, jalapeno, superhots, tobasco, ROF & Cayenne, etc... That is why i was thinking 30%, but not sure what most people use for peppers. I will also take a look at ebay.

Verivus · Jul 2, 2014

hammerhead pat said:
I got mine off E-bay. 8' x 12' with grommets every 2 feet(taped edge) Less than $50 delivered, sorry I didn't keep the receipt so I can't tell you who I got it from. If I recall, at the bottom of the listing it recommended what % to use depending on what you're growing. I got the 50% black cloth. I used cable ties to attach to my pvc frame

How tall is your structure? I've been thinking about doing something like this with PVC since it gets 100+F here daily, but wasn't sure how high to go.

OP, shade cloth is all over Amazon at a decent price. You can try checking local nurseries and hydro stores as well. I know one of the hydro stores around here sell shade cloth, but it was cheaper online for me.

catherinew · Jul 2, 2014

I've used sunscreen fabric from Easy Gardener for the past 5-6 years, cut into 3'x3' pieces, clipping the pieces on individual CRW cages for the tomatoes. We almost always get hail in June, so the plants needed protection from both the hail and the sun.

The best deal I've found for the Easy Gardener is at Lowe's. In the store it's $1.79 per foot - 1'x6'. Online you can get a roll of 6'x40' roll for $46.88 and pick it up at the store for free.

Last year and this, I used 3'x'20' length for the peppers, put cheap tomato cages around the peppers and clipped the shade cloth to the cages. Two rows of peppers for each shade cloth, for a total of 4 rows of peppers. I did have to cut the material myself, but since it's nylon based, it's easy to cut.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_318318-304-72040_0__?productId=3559482&Ntt=

http://www.easygardener.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=164

In the community garden this year, my peppers and tomatoes were only slightly pelleted by the 3 times we had hail. The other people's plants were not as lucky.

parker49 · Jul 2, 2014

Thanks everyone, i went with a 40% shade cloth on ebay that seemed about the right size for a decent price.

Nulle · Jul 2, 2014

You've got some beautiful dogs there. You have post some pics so we can see them in a decent size

parker49 · Jul 2, 2014

Nulle said:
You've got some beautiful dogs there. You have post some pics so we can see them in a decent size

Thanks i really appreciate it. Unfortunately the tan and white one in my avatar passed away in December, he was almost 15 years old. Here is all my dogs below including the one that passed.

Hammerhead · Jul 2, 2014

Verivus said:
How tall is your structure? I've been thinking about doing something like this with PVC since it gets 100+F here daily, but wasn't sure how high to go.

OP, shade cloth is all over Amazon at a decent price. You can try checking local nurseries and hydro stores as well. I know one of the hydro stores around here sell shade cloth, but it was cheaper online for me.

7 ft tall. x 6ft wide. And yes, regularly in the mid 90's now and I come home and the habaneros on the left of the tarp are droopy ( not under cover) while the plants under the shade are fine..

Verivus · Jul 2, 2014

hammerhead pat said:
7 ft tall. x 6ft wide. And yes, regularly in the mid 90's now and I come home and the habaneros on the left of the tarp are droopy ( not under cover) while the plants under the shade are fine..

Thank you! I'll have to get around to making these when my workload eases up.

Nulle · Jul 2, 2014

They are so cute

. I'm sorry about your loss. It hurts to lose a pet :tear:

solid7 · Jul 2, 2014

Anything between 30 and 50 percent shade will do. Here in Florida, we raise tomatoes under 50% shade cloth in the summer to good effect. But I have all of my peppers under porch screen, which is 20-30%. Never droopy unless they need water. Our UV index is as high as it gets in the US, so I know you'll be fine with porch screen. If you find the shade cloth cheaper, do it. But don't go crazy over 10% more or less...

Spicy Mushroom · Jul 2, 2014

Rad dogs ^_^

I'm thinking about getting some shade cloth myself soon...

That said I have fairly successfully grown peppers multiple seasons now without shade cloth. My summer is consistently 100+ , sometimes reaching 110+

parker49 · Jul 2, 2014

Nulle said:
They are so cute . I'm sorry about your loss. It hurts to lose a pet

Thanks, and yes it is very hard when it happens. :mope:

solid7 said:
Anything between 30 and 50 percent shade will do. Here in Florida, we raise tomatoes under 50% shade cloth in the summer to good effect. But I have all of my peppers under porch screen, which is 20-30%. Never droopy unless they need water. Our UV index is as high as it gets in the US, so I know you'll be fine with porch screen. If you find the shade cloth cheaper, do it. But don't go crazy over 10% more or less..

I ended up going with a 40% shade cloth, but it really is good to know the porch screen will work in the future if I need more. I will see how they respond to what I have ordered and go from there.

Spicy Mushroom said:
Rad dogs ^_^

I'm thinking about getting some shade cloth myself soon...

That said I have fairly successfully grown peppers multiple seasons now without shade cloth. My summer is consistently 100+ , sometimes reaching 110+

I appreciate it. My peppers in my raised bed did fine last year but it was a unseasonably cool summer and this year I have some in containers as well that have full sun almost all day. Yesterday it was in the mid 90's and almost all of the container plants were very wilted, but the ones in the raised bed showed no signs of wilt. That is why I ordered the cloth for the container plants.

solid7 · Jul 2, 2014

parker49 said:
I ended up going with a 40% shade cloth, but it really is good to know the porch screen will work in the future if I need more. I will see how they respond to what I have ordered and go from there.

Depending on what kind of peppers, you may not even need it. I have NuMex chiles, Orange cherry bombs, and several jalapeno plants growing under full Florida sun in amended sand, and they are doing phenomenal. But I don't think the shade cloth is going to hurt you, either. Just make sure that you install it in a way that you can roll it up or move it easily, so you can compensate for the occasional week of rainy, overcast weather.

chile_freak · Jul 2, 2014

I'm pretty much in the exact spot you are in Tennessee, here in NC, summertime temps avg between 90-100, w/ the occasional 100-110 temps but we got humidity over here where the don't have as much out west, the reason I say that is peppers love heat and humidity mine are in full sun in black nursery pots in the most exposed part of the yard about 12.5-13 hrs of sun depending on what time of year, the only time I worry about shade at all is when the temps stay above 100 for 5 or more consecutive days or when the single day high breaks 105, I do water every evening or morning, depending on the schedule, so they never face more than one full summer day w/o appropriate moisture, but they are growing at an incredible pace!been 85-95 w/ 75%+ humidity for over a month and a half now and only gets down to between 70-75 at night so they are moving right along, I just wish our rain schedule was a little more even, we get rain for 3 wks straight then nothing for a few wks, who knows hopefully Arthur will bring us some natural water for the plants they don't mind the well water, but damn if they don't love the rain during a southern summer thunder shower! I think Jamie(Romy6) said it best, its like liquid steroids for your plants!

parker49 · Jul 3, 2014

solid7 said:
Depending on what kind of peppers, you may not even need it. I have NuMex chiles, Orange cherry bombs, and several jalapeno plants growing under full Florida sun in amended sand, and they are doing phenomenal. But I don't think the shade cloth is going to hurt you, either. Just make sure that you install it in a way that you can roll it up or move it easily, so you can compensate for the occasional week of rainy, overcast weather.

I have a mix of superhots, thais, tobascos etc... I definitely plan on putting it up in a way that i can remove it easily, thanks for the advice. I am using my fence as most of the support, it is going into the corner and then i will put in a stake or two, at least that is the plan :surprised:

chile_freak said:
I'm pretty much in the exact spot you are in Tennessee, here in NC, summertime temps avg between 90-100, w/ the occasional 100-110 temps but we got humidity over here where the don't have as much out west, the reason I say that is peppers love heat and humidity mine are in full sun in black nursery pots in the most exposed part of the yard about 12.5-13 hrs of sun depending on what time of year, the only time I worry about shade at all is when the temps stay above 100 for 5 or more consecutive days or when the single day high breaks 105, I do water every evening or morning, depending on the schedule, so they never face more than one full summer day w/o appropriate moisture, but they are growing at an incredible pace!been 85-95 w/ 75%+ humidity for over a month and a half now and only gets down to between 70-75 at night so they are moving right along, I just wish our rain schedule was a little more even, we get rain for 3 wks straight then nothing for a few wks, who knows hopefully Arthur will bring us some natural water for the plants they don't mind the well water, but damn if they don't love the rain during a southern summer thunder shower! I think Jamie(Romy6) said it best, its like liquid steroids for your plants!

It gets very humid here as well. With the cloth i hope to be able to get away with not watering everyday. I don't think this will be a problem for the peppers in the bigger pots, but those in the 5 gallons we shall see. It has been like feast of famine hear so far for the rain just like where you are. I swear it will come in buckets for a few weeks, and then nothing for weeks. Oh well, good luck to you.