A shade house may look like a greenhouse but it is actually an enclosed, walk-in structure that provides shade with the aid of screenings. In order to reduce undue water loss by transpiration, shade houses are widely used for summer propagation. Shade houses are usually covered by a shade cloth or shade netting. These nets protect the livestock, plants and pets from too much heat, dryness or light; and also serve as a windscreen, carport, fence or a private barrier. Moreover, these shade cloths are available in various colors and percentages to suit the plants, to protect them from the sun, frost, heat, etc., and to enable them to have proper growth.
Materials Used for a Shade House
There are many firms that develop shade houses using shade cloths that are manufactured using knitted polyethylene fabric. This fabric is extensively used because it does not rot and turn brittle or mildew. Many companies offer shade material that can be widely used for building structures like greenhouses, kennels, livestock housing, hoop structures, poultry buildings, canopies, barns and many more.
The plus side of a shade house is that they are very simple to install and remove. Moreover, to save time, money and energy, there are prefabricated shade panels made available by a number of vendors. These panels come in 30% or 80% densities; therefore, they can be adjusted to anyone’s needs and requisites. These shade cloths for shade houses come in a plethora of sizes and shade material that is super durable and provides immense ventilation, adjusting the light diffusion, reflecting the summer heat and hence keeping the livestock and plants cooler.
What is a Shade Cloth?
As mentioned above, shade cloths are knitted polyethylene material that offers protection to plants, livestock and people from the heat of the sun. Moreover, as these shade cloths also serve as shade netting and are rot-and mildew-resistant as well as water permeable, they last much longer and do not become brittle. Used widely in field applications and hoop structures, shade cloths help in lowering the cost of energy; as the need to use fans in summer months is lowered considerably. It is easy to install and take it down when not required in the offseason.
Reflective Shade Cloth and its Benefits
Reflective shade cloths have become popular these days because instead of absorbing sunlight, they reflect it and maintain the ideal climate for growing plants and vegetation in the shade house. Reflective shade in the form of shade netting greatly helps in balancing the light, humidity and temperature; apart from being extremely energy sufficient. As reflective shade cloths offer low daytime temperature, the amount of energy savings is increased at night; enabling the user to keep the temperature of the crop close to ideal.
There are many reflective shade cloths that offer almost 25% energy savings and are available in 30% to 80% shade. In addition to this, all kinds of reflective shade cloths mitigate plant stress and enhance the efficiency of the greenhouse ventilation systems. These reflective shade cloths are fabricated from squeezed black or white polyolefin film; therefore, they are famous for tensile strength and durability.
All kinds of reflective shades have the cooling property and offer solar reflection as well as heat retention. Since reflective shade cloths have two sides e.g. the white side and the black side, they limit the light reflection during the day and reduce heat loss through radiation at night.
How to Differentiate a Reflective Shade Cloth and a Standard Shade Cloth?
Firstly, let’s talk about the standard shade cloth for shade houses. It is highly durable and safeguards the plants and vegetation from the direct heat of the sun. The most popular applications of standard shade cloth include greenhouse application, general gardening and farming. Therefore, the gardening industry and commercial farming benefit from it the most.
On the other hand, reflective shade cloth is a dual faced material, one side of which is black and the other side is white. So, it offers heat retention at night and solar reflection in the daytime, plus cooling whenever necessary. This black and white material is made from polyolefin, hence the durability. Reflective shade cloth in the form of shade netting can be used inside as well as outside of a greenhouse because it serves well in both ways.
How to Select the Shade Materials?
There are a plethora of shade densities and that’s the reason why they can be used in multiple applications. These shade materials not only work great as a windscreen or a private barrier, but also protect people, livestock, plants and pets from the raging heat of the sun. To create the best shade conditions, several people use high-density shades of roofs and lower density shades on the walls; creating the most ideal condition. The type of plant and climate activity should also be kept in mind before selecting the type of shade material.
The shade cloths or shade netting is bought in bulk and sold by foot, as they are available in a variety of widths. There are prefabricated shade panels also available in the market to suit the needs and requisites of the user, which can be hemmed according to their convenience. In addition to this, these shade cloths can be customized by several companies according to the client’s needs. Shade cloths are very handy and can be put to use in many ways. Some of these include short-term fencing, odor control boundaries and a barricade over the top of the trucks to keep peat moss, debris and leaves from blowing away. Moreover, to prevent cross pollination, field cages can be developed from them and hence guard the open pollinated flowers and other vegetation. Lastly, shade cloths also help stop UV penetration and dust particles, thus maintaining the quality of the crops.
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