It is fulfilling to see your vegetable garden thrive. Sometimes the temperature is safe and right for your garden. However, this lasts until summer arrives and hot weather sets in. This brings about a lot of watering and discomfort in your vegetables.
But have you thought of putting sunscreen on your vegetable garden? The vegetable shade net will save you water, and energy and let your crops grow faster and healthier
What you need to do is to know more about vegetable shade cloth and choose the right one to protect your plant from direct sunlight and other fatal factors under the fierce sun in summer and in changing climate.
Thankfully, we’re here today with some tips on how to make sure that your shade cloth protects your vegetable garden better!
What is Vegetable Garden Shade Cloth?
Sunscreen provides shade and controls the temperature in both agricultural (plant shade cloth) and non-agriculture uses. Shade cloth finds uses in the following applications
- Floriculture shade cloth
- Horticulture shade cloth
- Greenhouse shade cloth
- Cattle sheds shade cloth
- Parking lots shade cloth
- Sport shade cloth
What is Sun Shade Made of？
Shade cloth is made of loosely woven polyester or even aluminum and can be found in varying densities or degrees of shade from approximately 8% to 95%. All types of shade fabric are permeable to water, allowing rain, sprinklers, and irrigation systems to hydrate your plants.
The sunscreen fabric quality comes in two different varieties: canvas fabrics and shade cloth made of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene). It is usually preferable to choose knitted shade textiles made of HDPE if you want a high-quality shade fabric with a long lifespan and excellent levels of UV protection.
1. Pick the Right Material for Your Garden
What is the best shade material for plants? There are many different materials for a shade that can be used for this purpose, but the two most common are “knitted” and “woven. The table shows the 2 common types and their differences
| Knitted shade cloth | Woven shade cloth | |
| 1 | Made of lightweight polyethylene | Made of 100% polypropylene |
| 2 | Suitable for GreenhousesHot houses Shade houses | Applied in Pet KennelsShading for patios Windscreens Privacy screens Solar protection for plants |
| 3 | Open lockstitch design that prevents wind damage and reduces heat build | Allows more heat build-up than knitted Shade cloth |
| 4 | Simple to install | Heavier (Not easy to install) |
| 5 | Edge taping is not needed | Cut edges will unravel if not taped to prevent fraying. |
| 6 | Allow for 2-3% shrinkage or stretch | Minimal stretch or shrinkage, less than knitted |
We advise using knitted shade cloth if you want to keep your crops healthy during the hot summer and shield them from severely hot temperatures. It is a better option because of its
- Longevity
- Features,
- The simplicity of installation.
2. Pick the Right Weave for Your Garden
When choosing the right weave for your plant shade cover, you’ll want to look for one that’s durable and breathable. A good rule of thumb is that if you can breathe through it without any problems, then it should work well in your plants. For example, a square weave allows air flow but won’t allow water through; while a diamond weave allows water through but won’t allow airflow.
The difference between these two types of fabrics is simple: squares have more open spaces than diamonds. This means that less heat escapes from squares. Hence they tend to be cooler than their diamond counterparts during the summer months (when most people need shade).
3. Pick the Right Shade Percentage for Your Plant Shed Cover
Shade cloth is woven or knitted to have the densities of Shade Cloth “Percentages”. The difference in percentage lets different amounts of sunlight penetrate. Therefore, what you grow will influence how much shade cloth you require.
For instance, a shade percentage of 30-50% is ideal for vegetables, while 80-90% is ideal for sheltering people. Most plants will do best with a maximum of 40% – 60% shade. However, when growing some shade-loving plants such as orchids and some ferns, 75% or higher may be needed to get correct light levels.
Examples of sunscreen fabric percentages suitable to your plants
| 50% Sunshade fabric | 75-80% Sunshade fabric | |
| 1 | Nursery stock | Orchids |
| 2 | Cabbages | Some ferns |
| 3 | Peppers | Large olive trees |
| 4 | Lettuce | Protection barriers on buildings |
| 5 | Geranium | Livestock, people |
| 6 | Plants that require partial shade | The plant that enjoys dense shade |
4. Choose the Right Color
The common colors for the fabric sunshade are black and green shade cloth. Other colors are also available such as white, red, yellow, and blue. There is also a special colored one the aluminet shade cloth. This kind of net is mainly made of aluminum foil. It is a reflective metalized high-density polyethylene(HPDE) knitted screen. The aluminum shade net prevents the vegetable garden against frost radiation damage and prevents oxidation.
Choosing a light color is okay: For example, white shade cloth reduces the quantity of light but not the quality. The growth of your plants is more rapid than using green or black shade cloth. They are used for flowering plants.
Dark color shade cloth absorbs the sun’s heat while light colors reflect the sun’s heat. usually, green and black shade cloth acts like filters and deprives the plants of receiving much sunlight
Aluminate shade cloth offers an additional cooling effect for the plants. Colors such as red can benefit specific plants by filtering different wavelengths.
5. Look for a Brand You Can Trust
When you’re looking for shade cloth, look for a brand that offers a warranty. The warranty should be long enough so that if the product fails due to poor quality or faulty manufacturing, you can get your money back.
You should also look for a brand that has an expansive selection of products available and is willing to ship them directly to your doorstep—this will help ensure that you’ll get exactly what you need without having to go through an additional middleman (like Amazon).
Lastly, make sure that whatever model of shade screening best suits your needs and budget comes from a company with a good reputation overall: after all, if something goes wrong down the road then we want our investment protected immediately!
6. Choose a Sun Blocker Shade that Blends in with Your Environment and Surrounding Areas
When you are selecting a sunshade fabric, it is important to make sure that it is aligned with the natural shape of your structure.
The most common mistake made by people who want to find the perfect vegetable garden shade cloth is choosing one that is too long. This can cause problems if you do not have enough room in which to place it. If there is not enough space available then some plants may be damaged because they will grow underneath the netting and become tangled up with other plants.
You should also avoid buying too short of shaded fabrics because if this happens then all of your vegetables will be exposed during hot weather conditions when temperatures rise above 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius).
7. Find a Vendor Who Offers the Best Quality and Value Per Dollar in the Marketplace
Know your budget
If you have a small budget and are looking to buy a few pieces of canvas shade, it’s best to shop around for the best price per dollar in the marketplace. You can also use this information as a benchmark when comparing different vendors’ prices so that you don’t fall victim to expensive shipping fees or hidden costs (such as tax).
Know your options
When looking at various options available on Amazon or other online stores, make sure there are no hidden costs associated with shipping or taxes; otherwise, these factors could affect the final price tag!
Know what kind of quality
Know the quality expected from each vendor’s product line before making any decisions about which ones might be right for your needs. Also, remember that not all suppliers offer free shipping on orders so check out their policies carefully before placing an order!
Conclusion
We hope these tips have helped you in your search for the right shade net. As always, when it comes to buying any type of sunscreen fabric, it’s important to do your research and find a supplier with a reputation for quality products and customer service. If you follow our advice on how to pick the perfect vegetable garden shade cloth for your needs, we think you will be happy with the choice you make!
EyouAgro is a leading manufacturer and supplier of shade nets. The company offers a wide range of shaded fabrics products. Eyouagro’s shade cloths are designed to reduce the amount of heat that gets into your vegetable garden.
With a large selection of vegetable garden shade cloths available at EyouAgro, you can find the right size for your needs and budget. Contact us at info@eyouagro.com to fill your order.
