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Old December 21, 2015   #56
Fusion_power
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Alabama
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Fruit production is positively correlated with sun exposure with a caveat that full direct sun in some areas such as higher altitudes, lower latitudes, or deserts (with less moisture in the air) can be very detrimental to tomatoes. I've found that shade late in the afternoon improves production on some varieties because it reduces plant stress. This would not be true in areas with less direct sun such as northern tier states.

For areas with very high solar intensity, please consider using shade cloth with 30% to 45% solar reduction. For areas with less than 5 hours of full sun per day, you can surround plants with reflective aluminum foil which increases solar absorption significantly. Be careful, increasing exposure beyond effective levels can sun crisp your plants.
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