Shade cloth was developed over 30 years ago to provide protection for plants from the harsh Australian climate. Shade-cloth is used in many different applications in the domestic, horticulture, commercial, industrial, sport, leisure and agriculture industries.
In summer, shade cloth could be used to cover your shade house skeleton or greenhouse glazing, to cool it down for your plants. Hobbyists, growers, nurseries, gardeners and farmers should protect their young plants from direct sunlight. Ideal for plants when they are establishing and then gradually hardening off, shade cloth is also used to shield pets, livestock and people from sun and wind.
Shade cloth is usually made of loosely woven polyester or even aluminium and can be found in varying densities or degrees of shade from approximately 5% to 95%. All shade cloth is water permeable so that rainwater, sprinklers and irrigation systems can keep your plants hydrated.
There are two types of the most common shade cloth: “knitted” and “woven”.
Knitted Shade Cloth | Woven Shade Cloth |
Made of lightweight polyethylene | Made of 100% polypropylene |
Suitable for a variety of applications, including:
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Suitable for a variety of applications, including:
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Open lockstitch design resists wind damage, and reduces heat build-up and wind speed inside structures |
Allows more heat build-up than knitted Shade cloth |
Easy to install |
Heavier (Less easy to install) |
UV resistant |
UV Stabilized to withstand the most extreme sun exposure |
Edge taping not needed |
Edges must be taped to resist fraying, and will un-ravel if cut |
Resists most horticultural chemicals and detergents |
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Longer life expectancy than woven shade cloth |
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Allow for 2-3% stretch or shrinkage | Minimal stretch or shrinkage, less than knitted |
As we can see from above, to protect your plants from extremely hot weather and make them grow healthily in hot summer, knitted shade cloth is a better choice due to its life expectancy, functionalities and easy installation.
Shade cloth is woven or knitted in different densities. We call the densities of Shade Cloth “Percentages”. The difference in percentage lets different amounts of sunlight to penetrate, which means that the percentage of shade cloth you choose, blocks out that percentage of the sun. Therefore, what you grow will help determine the percentage of shade cloth you need.
As we all know, sunlight is so crucial to a plants’ growth, so choose the right density and as low a density as you can get away with.
Usually 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 maybe needed to get correct light levels.
50% Shade cloth in Green Colour |
75-80% Shade cloth in Green Colour |
Suitable for: • nursery stock |
Suitable for: • orchids |
Plants that require partial shade | Plants that enjoy dense shade |
If you cover your shade house with 50% or 75% shade cloth, all the way to the ground, a huge amount of heat load is dissipated by the cloth so it never gets into your shade house (try to mist or fog at regular intervals during extreme hot weather). Finally, know you will have a high return on your shade cloth investment by reduced energy costs and water costs. Talk about going green, talk about lowering your carbon footprint, shade cloth does it!
You put suncream on your body; why not use sunscreen for your plants?
------ “Life is a shade better under a tree or shade cloth.”
(PS Usually, shade cloth is an important component of Shade house, to know more about shade house, head over to here)