Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Greetings from Port St. Lucie. We grow under screening (same guage as the
pool enclosure, about 30-40% shade), and don't add any shadecloth at all.
In summer I'm careful to keep thinner leafed plants a bit more shaded by
placing them under larger Catts, but other than that, no change.

Diana

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really doubt I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but Laelia's and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get the same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their leaves when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really doubt I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Actually, many trees do shed some or all of their leaves in winter. An
increase in light for the winter benefits many orchids, most notably several
of the Dens [or whatever they're being called these days] which take a dry
winter rest -- aggregatum, parishii, superbum, pierardii ...

However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change and I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing your
setup correctly.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get the same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their leaves when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really doubt I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 05:59:09 -0500, "Kenni Judd"
wrote:


However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change and I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing your
setup correctly.

Yes, removing the polycarb roof panels is out of the question.

Thanks to all for the opinions so far.

bb

Well, orchids are found to be growing in tropical regions. And do tropical
trees even experience winter? At least the trees in my garden don't shed
their leaves, and I do not experience winter. I live in tropical Singapore.



Jon

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Actually, many trees do shed some or all of their leaves in winter. An
increase in light for the winter benefits many orchids, most notably
several
of the Dens [or whatever they're being called these days] which take a dry
winter rest -- aggregatum, parishii, superbum, pierardii ...

However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change and I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a
better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing your
setup correctly.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get the same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their leaves
when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really doubt
I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but
Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of
year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Here in south Florida, some trees are fully deciduous [e.g., plumeria] and
others tend to "thin out" a little but don't drop all their leaves.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, orchids are found to be growing in tropical regions. And do tropical
trees even experience winter? At least the trees in my garden don't shed
their leaves, and I do not experience winter. I live in tropical
Singapore.



Jon

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Actually, many trees do shed some or all of their leaves in winter. An
increase in light for the winter benefits many orchids, most notably
several
of the Dens [or whatever they're being called these days] which take a
dry
winter rest -- aggregatum, parishii, superbum, pierardii ...

However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change and
I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a
better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing your
setup correctly.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get the
same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their leaves
when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really
doubt
I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but
Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of
year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a
wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

Well, u need to remember where ur orchids come from. If they r florida
natives then it's allright to remove the cloth. But if they grow in tropical
rainforests, do those tropicals shed their leaves?


Jon
"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
.. .
Here in south Florida, some trees are fully deciduous [e.g., plumeria] and
others tend to "thin out" a little but don't drop all their leaves.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, orchids are found to be growing in tropical regions. And do
tropical
trees even experience winter? At least the trees in my garden don't shed
their leaves, and I do not experience winter. I live in tropical
Singapore.



Jon

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Actually, many trees do shed some or all of their leaves in winter.
An
increase in light for the winter benefits many orchids, most notably
several
of the Dens [or whatever they're being called these days] which take a
dry
winter rest -- aggregatum, parishii, superbum, pierardii ...

However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change
and
I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a
better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing
your
setup correctly.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get the
same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their leaves
when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really
doubt
I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive
plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but
Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of
year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a
wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if
it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

I think that the answer has nothing to do with the plants, per se.

In the summer, you grew them with the shade cloth in place, which was
apparently appropriate for the plants. As winter approaches, the amount of
the sunlight impinging on the earth changes due to the angle and amount of
atmosphere the radiation must pass through.

Up here at my latitude, that difference is reasonable significant, so
removal of the shade cloth may be called for (I don't use the stuff, letting
trees work for me). In Florida, that reduction is far less, so the complete
removal might not be appropriate.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!

.. . . . . . . . . . .
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, u need to remember where ur orchids come from. If they r florida
natives then it's allright to remove the cloth. But if they grow in
tropical
rainforests, do those tropicals shed their leaves?


Jon
"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
.. .
Here in south Florida, some trees are fully deciduous [e.g., plumeria]
and
others tend to "thin out" a little but don't drop all their leaves.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, orchids are found to be growing in tropical regions. And do
tropical
trees even experience winter? At least the trees in my garden don't
shed
their leaves, and I do not experience winter. I live in tropical
Singapore.



Jon

"Kenni Judd" wrote in message
...
Actually, many trees do shed some or all of their leaves in winter.
An
increase in light for the winter benefits many orchids, most notably
several
of the Dens [or whatever they're being called these days] which take
a
dry
winter rest -- aggregatum, parishii, superbum, pierardii ...

However, removing your 50% shadecloth would be a very drastic change
and
I
would be afraid of some severe sunburn. Removing the 20% would be a
better
change, light-wise, but doesn't sound practical if I'm visualizing
your
setup correctly.

--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, I don't think you shld remove it. Orchids in the wild get
the
same
'shade cloth' throughout the year. The trees don't shed their
leaves
when
there is less sun.


Jon
"Bolero" wrote in message
u...
Depends on what you are growing but to be honest I really really
doubt
I
would take the shade off it if you have any light sensitive
plants.

Anything like Paphs and Masd's for example would be damaged but
Laelia's
and
Vanda's would probably be ok.

"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time
of
year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a
wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder
if
it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message ...
Well, u need to remember where ur orchids come from. If they r florida
natives then it's allright to remove the cloth. But if they grow in tropical
rainforests, do those tropicals shed their leaves?



A couple of things to keep in mind:

In the tropics, light intensity is usually higher in the dry season
due to less cloud cover/precipitation. When growing orchids in more
temperate climates the dry season usually corresponds to winter.

As we go further away from the equator the light intensity between
summer and winter varies due to the angle of the sun. Therefore, you
need to give them more light in winter than in summer.

Low light orchids will probably be fine in a evergreen tree but those
which need more light are likely to flower better on a deciduous host.

finaly something that makes sence to me. The position of the sun does seem
like a correct approach to this isue.
My only experience with shade material is what they do at akerne here in
belgium. And they don't shade during winter because of a lower light
intensity.
Cheers
Peter

"Andrew" schreef in bericht
om...
"Jonathan Phua" wrote in message
...
Well, u need to remember where ur orchids come from. If they r florida
natives then it's allright to remove the cloth. But if they grow in
tropical
rainforests, do those tropicals shed their leaves?



A couple of things to keep in mind:

In the tropics, light intensity is usually higher in the dry season
due to less cloud cover/precipitation. When growing orchids in more
temperate climates the dry season usually corresponds to winter.

As we go further away from the equator the light intensity between
summer and winter varies due to the angle of the sun. Therefore, you
need to give them more light in winter than in summer.

Low light orchids will probably be fine in a evergreen tree but those
which need more light are likely to flower better on a deciduous host.

Not being from Fla I was not going to respond, but after surveying the
sunburn damage I did last week while changing the plastic on one of my
greenhouses I thought I would chime in. Here in Va the peak summer sun is
about 10,500 foot candles while the peak in the winter is around 8,500.
Assuming it is similar down there (I have no idea) and given that you were
running 60% shade, your summer light levels peaked at about 4200 foot
candles. If you remove the 50% shade cloth your winter levels would peak at
6800 foot candles. That's a pretty big increase (62%), some plants might
love it but it will burn others right up. Do you have enough plants that
will love it to shade the rest? With sunburn you can do permanent leave
damage pretty quickly and too much light will stress a plant over the winter
even if you do not burn the leaves. I increase light levels no more than
20% to 30% in the winter. Too bad it wasn't 50% polycarb and 20% shade
cloth cause then it would work great.

Pat


"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

I agree to some extent. My greenhouse is polycarb with no built in shading.
I live in SC and find that 2 layers of shade on the poly provide the degree
of fine tuning I like. I run 20% shade on the bottom layer and 50% shade on
the top for 1/2 and 20% on the top for the other half. The layers can be
rolled up to any level to accomodate the plants underneath for any season.
Right now, I have all shade off the vanda-dendrobium, tropical shrub area;
20% on the cattleya area; and 50% on the phal-paph area. As the sun angle
decreases, more sun gets to the the 50% area making it basically 20% for the
months of Nov-Jan.
So basically I'd say, it depends what you're growing, where you're growing,
and how much you're growing as to whether or not you can partially shade
your greenhouse in sections to suit your needs.
Gary

"Pat Brennan" wrote in message
...
Not being from Fla I was not going to respond, but after surveying the
sunburn damage I did last week while changing the plastic on one of my
greenhouses I thought I would chime in. Here in Va the peak summer sun is
about 10,500 foot candles while the peak in the winter is around 8,500.
Assuming it is similar down there (I have no idea) and given that you were
running 60% shade, your summer light levels peaked at about 4200 foot
candles. If you remove the 50% shade cloth your winter levels would peak
at
6800 foot candles. That's a pretty big increase (62%), some plants might
love it but it will burn others right up. Do you have enough plants that
will love it to shade the rest? With sunburn you can do permanent leave
damage pretty quickly and too much light will stress a plant over the
winter
even if you do not burn the leaves. I increase light levels no more than
20% to 30% in the winter. Too bad it wasn't 50% polycarb and 20% shade
cloth cause then it would work great.

Pat


"bb" wrote in message
...
Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

I have 50% cloth on top of 20% polycarb panels. It did a wonderful
job of shading and bringing the temps down, but now I wonder if it
should come off 'til spring. Opinions appreciated.

bb

On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 17:39:14 GMT, bb wrote:

Ok, do you folks in Florida remove your shade cloth this time of year?

Thanks to all who replied. It sure made for some interesting reading.

I guess in hindsight, the suggestion of going with a more shading
polycarb panel with less shade cloth, for my area, was a good one, in
hindsight. I might, if funds are more available than they are now, go
with a lighter shade cloth next year.

I've decided to leave the shade cloth up for the winters season. It
doesn't sound like I'm taking any great chance in leaving it up. My
experience in early summer, before the orchid area was built, and then
before I put up shade cloth, was almost a disaster. With that still
fresh in my mind, and some of the plants still in recovery from the
roasting, I'll go with what's apparently currently working.

bb