Question about shadecloth

[tim abbott]

Hi peeweelovesbooks,

I did a serch on a site called majicyellow.com in Miami, Fl. for garden centers & a big list popped up. I would think in Dade county you should be able to buy the material local & get knowledgeable advice from vendors. Good luck it sounds like a great idea, if we ever experience more cold the shade cloth would protect your plants in that respect too.

Tim Abbott

[britbloke]

I just moved to Naples, FL last year and I'm re-starting my orchid collection.
I just ordered 60% shade cloth from Gothic Arch, with tape and grommets. I searched diligently and found that for my custom sizes they were least expensive.
I should add, I'll be growing inside a screened in patio, so the existing screening shades to some extent. When measured with a good GE light meter (which only reads up to 5000fc) full sun records 5000+fc (my guess is 6-7000fc). I'm expecting the 60% shade cloth to bring me down to 2500-3500fc. I have left a couple of areas un-shaded so I can use full sun for Vanda, which will get full sun for a short period each day.

When I factor in a few shrubs and house walls (patio faces east) I expect to be able to accommodate a range of light intensities.

[CTB]

Take a look at my shadehouse, (pc in social group Florida Orchid Lovers) just some twoxfours and shadecloth from Lowe's. (Their package cloth just fit this size ) This is 8x16 and hold 60 orchids, all hanging in the breeze, the ones needing more sun just placed them up front facing East, shade in the rear, This cloth is 70% and works great. Still plenty of room for expanding bark chip flooring heps with humidty , and bugs. We'll cover top with plastic if needed for rainy season. There are three sides with shade cloth that can be covered over with plastic for winter. All orchids seem to be happy and doing well.