Shade cloth

b54red · May 15, 2017

The last two summers I have noticed that my bell peppers have been getting a good bit of leaf scald from the sun when it gets really hot and clear. I set out a small bed of bell peppers about 5 days ago and they have been suffering from the intense sun and wind we have been having lately so I thought I would try shading them a bit. I may have put up too much shade but I'll give them a week under it and see how they are faring.

When my sister moved she and her husband didn't have a place for a garden so they gave me some of their stuff. One of the things that I got was some green light weight frost blankets. I cut one in half the long way giving me a couple of five by twelve foot pieces. I stretched it over the top of my support rack that I use to drop lines to support the plants. It looks like it may be too dense a shade but it may not be. Has anyone else used thin green frost blankets for shade cloth? I have used it this year as a greenhouse shade and my plants in the greenhouse have done well if a tad leggy but not too much. I needed the partial shade it created in the greenhouse to stop it from getting too hot because a tree that had been giving me afternoon shade had to be cut down. The result has been pretty good for the greenhouse but I'm not sure how it will work out in the garden.

Any insight on the benefits or problems with partial shading of bell peppers would be appreciated. I live only 80 or so miles from the Gulf and it gets extremely hot down here and pepper production is best during the early months or during the fall when it is a bit cooler. Once the intense summer starts the production slows dramatically as the problems with keeping the plants healthy increases.

Bill

May 15, 2017	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Shade cloth The last two summers I have noticed that my bell peppers have been getting a good bit of leaf scald from the sun when it gets really hot and clear. I set out a small bed of bell peppers about 5 days ago and they have been suffering from the intense sun and wind we have been having lately so I thought I would try shading them a bit. I may have put up too much shade but I'll give them a week under it and see how they are faring. When my sister moved she and her husband didn't have a place for a garden so they gave me some of their stuff. One of the things that I got was some green light weight frost blankets. I cut one in half the long way giving me a couple of five by twelve foot pieces. I stretched it over the top of my support rack that I use to drop lines to support the plants. It looks like it may be too dense a shade but it may not be. Has anyone else used thin green frost blankets for shade cloth? I have used it this year as a greenhouse shade and my plants in the greenhouse have done well if a tad leggy but not too much. I needed the partial shade it created in the greenhouse to stop it from getting too hot because a tree that had been giving me afternoon shade had to be cut down. The result has been pretty good for the greenhouse but I'm not sure how it will work out in the garden. Any insight on the benefits or problems with partial shading of bell peppers would be appreciated. I live only 80 or so miles from the Gulf and it gets extremely hot down here and pepper production is best during the early months or during the fall when it is a bit cooler. Once the intense summer starts the production slows dramatically as the problems with keeping the plants healthy increases. Bill