Q.
Can I use burlap for shade cloth?
 |
| Burlap fabric |
A.
Don’t use burlap as a solid piece in place of shade cloth for permanent shade.
It is fine for creating permanent shade for people or pets but not for plants.
Be careful how much heat it traps under it if it is located too close to humans
and other animals. Plants are green and need sunlight for photosynthesis. Usually
about 60 to 70% sunlight. People and pets don’t need as much.
Use Shade Cloth Instead
It comes
in different percentages of shade ranging from about 30% to 100%. Shade cloth
for plants ranges from 20 to about 50% shade. Plants that flower and produce
fruits like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant need more light than leafy plants:
20 to 40% shade. Shade more than this interferes with flowering and fruiting.
t |
| This is 30% shade cloth used on a tunnel for growing sun sensitive vegetables and herbs in the desert sun in Las Vegas |
Plants that only grow leaves and no
flowers such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, greens can handle shade up to
about 50%. After 50% shade, they grow poorly. Too dark. Not enough light. Most
burlap I have seen produces much more shade than this and would not be a good
choice when growing plants.
You can make 50% shade out of
wooden 1×2’s by omitting every other piece of wood. These are called “lathe
houses”. Similarly, 30-40% shade can be done the same way but by eliminating 2
and leaving every 3rd 1×2.