shade Shade cloth %

R

rjacobs

Here in Dallas it looks like monsoon season is over and its now going to sunny and "warm" for the next 3-4 months.  Plants are already looking like they are cooking during the day as they are drooping just a bit, but then come back when the sun goes down.  So thinking its time for some shade cloth on the tops of my raised beds.  My beds are in full sun for roughly 10-11 hours per day.
 
What % though?
 
Home Depot/Lowes only sell ~75% shade cloth.  Im thinking this is to much.
 
Was thinking 30%.
 
Im in Dallas if that matters to the % for others that live here.
 
GreenHouse MegaStore ( http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/shade-cloth ) has a good selection of various %'s and pretty decent prices ( I usually just buy the 12' wide Bulk cloth (40% should work and is about $2.25 per foot ) rather than the ones with the added borders since it is much cheaper. ( and still holds up for several years of use.)
 
IF you do order there be sure to get above the $60 minimum or they charge an extra $20 fee ( better to get a few extra feet of cloth if needed to get above the $60 minimum than pay the Fee !!)
 
IE. -- 27 feet of the 40% 12' wide bulk @ $2.25/ft. is $60.75 where 25 feet is $76.25 ($56.25 + $20 minimum fee) so much better to get the 2 extra feet for $15.50 less !
 
JDFan said:
GreenHouse MegaStore ( http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/shade-cloth ) has a good selection of various %'s and pretty decent prices ( I usually just buy the 12' wide Bulk cloth (40% should work and is about $2.25 per foot ) rather than the ones with the added borders since it is much cheaper. ( and still holds up for several years of use.)
 
IF you do order there be sure to get above the $60 minimum or they charge an extra $20 fee ( better to get a few extra feet of cloth if needed to get above the $60 minimum than pay the Fee !!)
 
IE. -- 27 feet of the 40% 12' wide bulk @ $2.25/ft. is $60.75 where 25 feet is $76.25 ($56.25 + $20 minimum fee) so much better to get the 2 extra feet for $15.50 less !
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I believe that is where I purchased mine. if you can, I would get a 20% and a 40%. as big as you can afford. That gives you a 20%-40% and 60%.
 
rjacobs said:
Here in Dallas it looks like monsoon season is over and its now going to sunny and "warm" for the next 3-4 months.  Plants are already looking like they are cooking during the day as they are drooping just a bit, but then come back when the sun goes down.  So thinking its time for some shade cloth on the tops of my raised beds.  My beds are in full sun for roughly 10-11 hours per day.
 
What % though?
 
Home Depot/Lowes only sell ~75% shade cloth.  Im thinking this is to much.
 
Was thinking 30%.
 
Im in Dallas if that matters to the % for others that live here.
Click to expand...
I looked into some when I was moving out because I wasn't sure I had time to properly harden off. HD and Lowes really only carry the stuff to cover patios where you want some light but need to keep the sun off. Based on my research Greenhouse Megastore had the best prices I saw.
 
  As the others said MGS,I bought mine at 50% with the brass rings.Use it to help harden plants and bounce hail into the neighbors yard.Then its full sun for me,
 
I have 40 over the greenhouse, it brought my temps way down but I do seem to get more stretch. I would say 30% if you can but don't go over 40%
 
I was going to buy from Green House Mega store, but most of the shade cloth is back ordered 3 weeks, which doesnt really help me.
 
Im going to look at a few places locally today to see if I can find something.
 
So sounds like 30 or 40 percent is the way to go.
 
Thanks.
 
rjacobs said:
I was going to buy from Green House Mega store, but most of the shade cloth is back ordered 3 weeks, which doesnt really help me.
 
Im going to look at a few places locally today to see if I can find something.
 
So sounds like 30 or 40 percent is the way to go.
 
Thanks.
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Sometimes even when it says 3 weeks it arrives sooner ( they don't carry the stock and place the order direct with the manufacturer to drop ship it to you so put the 3 weeks just in case the manufacturer takes awhile to ship it. )
 
If you want the grommets and border tape - they have the 30% black in stock  -- http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/30-percent-black-shade-cloth/shade-cloth
 
all their pre-fab stuff is way to big. I would need 4 4x6 and smallest they have is 10x10.
 
No place in Dallas I went(5 different large garden shops) had shade cloth and 3 of them had no clue what it was.  One of them had GIANT(like 40x40) ceiling panels made out of shade cloth and I pointed up at it and said "thats shade cloth"...
 
 
For now I am just going to staple up some weed control fabric over my tomato bed to get it a little shade as my tomato's are freaking roasting.  Then ill order the 40% from the place above and do all my beds later this month.

Actually I just ordered this from Amazon
 
http://www.amazon.com/Easyshade-Blk40-Sunblock-Resistant-Fabric/dp/B00E0DWR9U
 
10x20 piece of 40%.  Ill be able to cut it down into my 4x6 panels I need.
 
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Aye Home Depot and Lowes just carry shade cloth for people, not plants. Even my local nurseries don't carry shade cloth for growing O_o
 
I use 40% Aluminet. Had to order it online. Since I started using that (and red wigglers) my plant size and production skyrocketed. 
 
I'm in Sacramento where the summers are brutal. 30% might be better if you're in a more mild climate?
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
 
Is that the 70+ percent? My local HD only carries like 85+ 
 
How long have you been using it?
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 This will be my second year using it - I really don't think the % is correct I have one room fully enclosed with it and some of my younger plants still got burnt and I had to move them back under the patio .
 
Spicy Mushroom said:
 
Is that the 70+ percent? My local HD only carries like 85+ 
 
How long have you been using it?
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Here's  what i did last year  and it's still in good shape .
 
1_zpsnm1jl8mj.jpg

 
 
I built and covered this room with it this year also 
 
2_zps4b9rzxr8.jpg
 
I've used both, the heavy stuff from Lowes and the 40% from Amazon. Both are great, but the heavy stuff is best if used to only block a few hours of sun each day.
 
Basically, I used the 40% shade cloth and made a large canopy for a bunch plants; and made a small cover with the heavy shade cloth but the plants still got 7+ hours of direct sun while being well shaded from like 11am to 1pm.
 
Here is the small canopy where the plants still got plenty of hours of direct sun in the am and pm, but were very well shaded around the noon hours.
IMG_20140526_191819_700_zps831ead97.jpg

 
IMG_20140527_192249_608_zps6d45fa45.jpg

 
OK, after 3pm they got partial shade from the plumeria instead of direct sun until sunset, but still the plants did incredibly well, even with the heavy cloth
 
I have 4 jalapenos in there now, but here is a pic of a C. Reaper just getting started and doing well
IMG_87902_zps7ca6f251.jpg

 
This is also the heavy shade cloth
IMG_20140517_151522_009-Copy_zps9662ee18.jpg

 
 
Here is the 40% over my Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, (Spring two years ago, that plant got huge. I'm 6'1")
024d0946-ec4b-4748-bd4f-5eeebe96f43a_zpsuctfsmr8.jpg

 
 
 
The heavy stuff from Lowes/HD is super easy to work with, much more so than the 40% stuff, just blocks more light than what is preferred...
 
.
 
 
 
What's better for peppers/veggies -- black shade cloth or white?
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I use aluminet.  I read white does keep things cooler than black, and aluminet even more than white.
 
I only have experience with aluminet, but I know it's working and noticeably cooler.
 
Gargoyle91 said:
 
Here's  what i did last year  and it's still in good shape .
...
I built and covered this room with it this year also 
 
2_zps4b9rzxr8.jpg
Click to expand...
 
 
Nice room!!
 
My shade cloth from Lowes is going on 3.5 years for me and still looks brand new.
 
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