Things To Check Before You Choose A Shade Cloth For Your Garden

Everything you need to know about shade cloth and why adding it in your garden is a smart move.

The primary function of shade cloth is to protect the plants from direct sunlight and improve ventilation for the plants. The colour of the shade has a more significant influence on the growth of vegetation than you think. Here is what you must consider before getting yourself a screen for your porch.

In places where the sunlight is too harsh, plants get bleached out and lose its colour to die out eventually. In places like that, you must get a shade cloth to protect the plants. The radiation that is absorbed by the plants can also be regulated through a good material shade cloth. It has been reported that plants grown in the shade grow larger leaves and have taller nodules. Here is how you should choose the ideal fabric for yourself.

The Material of The Fabric-

You can go for both knitted and woven cloth as the perfect shade to hang on your plants. The polyethene blend cloth is durable, lightweight and deflects heat and light to give only the required amount of food to your plant.

The Density of The Shade-

Aside from the cloth material, the density percentage of the cloth is something you have to check before getting the fabric. Depending on the kind of plants you grow, here is how the ratio of the plants will alter your plant's growth.

• 30% shade is ideal for heat-tolerant climbers like squash, tomato and pepper. For flowering plants like snapdragons, geraniums and chrysanthemums, you can keep a lesser dense cloth for shade.
• 40-50% is what you need for moderate sunlight plants like orchids, begonias, camellias, caladiums and azaleas.
• 70-90% is ideal for ornamental plants like dracaena, ferns, philodendron and palms.

Colour-

While selecting the colour of the cloth, you can get more than just green. Red, blue, white and yellow are also options to choose from. The aluminate shade is a good alternative for the black shadow that has a high density knitted screen to keep your plant safe from frost damages and oxidation.

Effect of colour Shade On Plants-

• White cloth reduces the quantity of light without compromising on the light spectrum. It enhances the growth of the plant and is ideal for flowering plants.

Darker shade absorbs heat and keeps a strong filter to deprive the plant of the brunt of the light.