Shade House and Cloth

[Halibut]

I was wondering if anyone has used, or uses this to provide some temperature relief for the soil in both potted and in ground plants during those hot and dry days we get?

We are thinking of buying a shade house (Similar to a greenhouse but with shade cloth) but are unsure whether it would be a wise move and also what percentage cloth should we get if we move ahead. All of our treasured CV's are in pots and that is what we are thinking of doing this for.

Lastly, we are wondering if it might not be a good idea to remove the cloth during the winter months and use the proper plastic type material for conversion to a greenhouse.

Hal

[roadrunner]

Hal,
 I have what I refer to as my sort of greenhouse which houses most of my hibiscus collection during the warmer months of the year. It doesn't look like much but you can see pictures of it in the World Gardens section of the HVH website, S. Arizona link. I have shade cloth (assuming we are talking about the same stuff) rolled up at the top of the east and west sides of the greenhouse. When it starts getting into the upper 90s around here I unroll it, let it drop down, and attach it to the bottom of the greenhouse so the wind doesn't blow it around.  It does drop the temperature several degrees tho I couldn't tell you how much since I don't have any thermometers in the greenhouse. As far as what percentage of sun shielding it is I can't remember.

dave

[Charlie]

Almost all commercial growers of hibiscus use either shade cloth or shade paint. It cools the area underneath and gives the plants a break from the combination of high temperature and bright sun. The result is larger, greener leaves and longer lasting, more colorful flowers. You will be very happy with the results, I think. 50 percent shade is typically used but in some locations even heavier shade is used to bring down the temperature. You can use any grade from 25 to 75 percent shade with good results.

Charlie