Allotments 4 All
Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: Garden Manager on April 24, 2005, 10:30:41
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Well the time has nearly arrived when i will have to sort out summer shading for my new greenhouse. Thing is there seem to be all sort s of different ways and materials I am not sure what to do.
I was thinking about whitewash/shading paint (if there is such a thing), this being perhaps the easier method as it can be cleaned off easily at the end of the summer.
If a 'wash' or paint for the glass is the best option, what do i use and where can i get it from?
Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks
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Go to your ary surplus store and buy a camoflage net, they last for years.
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Whitewash is a pain to remove unless you can jetwash it off
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heritage: wouldnt camo net cut out TOO much light to the greenhouse?
Merry Tiller: I do have a pressure washer, but surely there are other 'paint on' shading products that are easier to clean off? Of course the shading wash has to stick to a certain extent - otherwise it would wash off in the next rain shower!
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If you find one that's easy to remove please let me know
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I have seen people plant things next to their greenhouse to provide shading. I have tried this with runner beans, quite succesful, and spuashes, also quite successful, but I now use an old sheet suspended from the roof on bamboos and pegged along the sloping framwork. Easy-ish to put up, easy peasy to take down to replace with bubble wrap! You will be amazed at how hot your greenhouse gets in the noon day sun, mid August Richard. I have had big strong plants whither and die in just a few hours! And if there are any water driplets on your foliage...well, you can imagine!
I am planning to send Ava to the army surplus shop for netting for the lottie to keep the pigeons off my brassicas this year. ;D
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Difficult one.
To my mind, there are many more days when your plants need all the light they can get, than there are when it's scorching hot.
So, you need something that can quickly & easily be put in place & removed.
But this is obviously a problem if your 'house is on your allotment.
Assuming that it is not, this is what I use. Semi-stiff windbreak. It takes 20 seconds to unroll it over the roof - or just roll it back again. And it's everlasting.
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Tim
How do you secure it?
Thanks
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Being a wooden frame, I have 4 nailheads that it hooks over.
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Gosh, Tim thats an impressive looking garden and greenhouse :)
Is that at home or on the lottie? What month was that pic taken?
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I have not found a problem with too much shading using camo net, but I have ropes on each corner for tying down and they are useful for pulling the net up and down to vary the shade. When the nets are pulled right over it is like a shady glade.
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I use an old bamboo blind we no longer use, and have in the past used those beach type grass mats, they work too!
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2 July, Ani.
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With such a small garden, shading is provided when I hang the washing out. I also have one of those greenhouse that have the plastic ridge windows which defuses the light. What with that and the washing it's a wonder I can grow anything !!!!!!!!! I need a bigger garden and a larger greenhouses. Wouldn't risk having a greenhouse on the Lottie. Lovely place you've got there Tim.
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PS Ani - it's at home. My allotment days are over!
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hmm, some intersting ideas there, but not sure if i am any the wiser! That said perhaps some neting would be the best bet. The problem would be securing it. Its an aluminium frame so i cant 'do a tim', and it can get windy in my garden so it would have to be secured well to stop it taking a trip into the neighbours garden!!
BTW EJ, i think shading is supposed to go on the outside not the inside - if on the inside it acts like insulation.
Thanks to all.
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I have simply hung fleece up inside the greenhouse to protect things such as cucumbers but generally do not use shade too much in the main house as it is shaded by a tree for a couple of hours from about 10am in the summer.
I use this trick in the plastic houses as well, these get more direct sun for longer. For toms, peppers, chillies, aubergines I dont both with shade and they seem fine.
Jerry
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I have simply hung fleece up inside the greenhouse to protect things such as cucumbers but generally do not use shade too much in the main house as it is shaded by a tree for a couple of hours from about 10am in the summer.
I use this trick in the plastic houses as well, these get more direct sun for longer. For toms, peppers, chillies, aubergines I dont both with shade and they seem fine.
Jerry
I found that too with my mini houses. They seem to be self regulating somehow.
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The problem would be securing it. Its an aluminium frame so i cant 'do a tim', and it can get windy in my garden so it would have to be secured well to stop it taking a trip into the neighbours garden!!
Electric drill & lengths of wire for the net, make youself a nice net curtain
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The problem would be securing it. Its an aluminium frame so i cant 'do a tim', and it can get windy in my garden so it would have to be secured well to stop it taking a trip into the neighbours garden!!
Electric drill & lengths of wire for the net, make youself a nice net curtain
;D ;D ;D Nice idea that MT. Might try it. However i hope you dont mean drilling the GH frame?
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Richard,
I use an old white sheet to cover part of the g/house. I secure it with clothes pegs to the Al. frame -bulldog clips would be stronger.
Otherwise shading paint -comes off with a sponge and soapy water.
All this taking off and putting back on doesn't work if you do :) ,although I'll sometimes take the sheet off if the weather's going to be bad.
Jeremy
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For those who do want a material covering:
http://www.simplycontrol.com/catalogue/shading/default.asp
And you don't have to do the on-off thing - it's just that I'm a firm believer - in this country - of maximum light.
A nice bit of theory in the Aluminet article here:
http://www.igcusa.com/greenhouse-shade-cloth.html
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Always done it that way Richard and have never had any complaints. You do what you can, what you can afford, and what works, and it works a treat for me. ;D
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Nice idea that MT. Might try it. However i hope you dont mean drilling the GH frame?
Why not? Extruded ally is very strong as is timber framing
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I use an old bamboo blind we no longer use, and have in the past used those beach type grass mats, they work too!
I do the same as you! I have four old IKEA split-bamboo blinds fitted to the outside of the greenhouse. They are infinitely adjustable and have lasted for years.
Art
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Just sorted out the shading. Got some netting and some special clips for aluminium greenhouses. Easy fixing too. Sorted. :)
Thanks for the advice
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Well here's a strange one - never noticed it before.
The vents on the north side were fully open this am - those on the south side, with plastic shading over them, were barely cracked.
So, the shading is obviously doing something, but I'd rather have the ventilation!!
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I don't put the shading over my vents, (I use old bamboo blinds) because the weight of the blinds stops my vent opening!
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With you on that - but, in our case, it was the openers being shaded that limited their operation.
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What a nuisance!
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But interesting??
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there is a product called coolglass that works very well for your problem and it mis fairly easy to remove
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Tim, you say the 'shaded' vent wasnt opening much but do you have any idea what the temperature was at the time inside the house? The fact that the vent and opener were shaded might lure one into a false impression that the greenhouse was getting cooled enough. ie the greenhouse might have been cooler if BOTH had been open ???
I find even with shading its the louvres, vents and door which do the most work keeping the 'house cool. My shading seems to mainly cut out the strong sunlight (which we all know can damage plants terribly), with the secondary effect of reducing the temperature a bit.
On warm sunny mornings the inside temperature can get up to the high 30s C if not higher, before i can get out there to open the door.
Just something i have observed...... :-\
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I'm with you on the purpose of shading, Richard - I only keep mine on for 3-4 hours a day. I want all the light I can get.
Just checked yesterday's max - in the coolest part, at ground level - 92F. Too hot!!
This opener observation highlights a regular feature - that the north vents always open before the southern. I've just extended the range of the latter to compensate.
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Thing is with my greenhouse, I have one vent (north facing) and one louvre in a 6' x5' space. I thought this was enough - maybe I need a second vent in the opposite side?
Yesterday even with everything open (and shading on) the temperature in there reached 42 C !
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hi
i went to B&Q today and they have shading that you mix with water and you can paint it or spray it on & when you don't need any more you just wipe if off with a duster its about £5/7 thinking of getting some for myself ?
steve
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hi
i went to B&Q today and they have shading that you mix with water and you can paint it or spray it on & when you don't need any more you just wipe if off with a duster its about £5/7 thinking of getting some for myself ?
steve
Good idea. Go for it. Was thinking of using it myself until I went for netting instead. Might still get some actualy as the netting only covers one side of the 'house. Shade paint might be an option for the rest.
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On the basis that they are always a b*gger to get out when you want to replace a pane, a few extra strategically placed glazing clips should provide sufficient anchorage to tie lightweight netting or fleece to.