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San Diego

I want to start an interesting topic with those that live in hot weather climates such as myself. To shade cloth or not to, advantages and disadvantages. I grew with mister only and no shade cloth for many years, this last year I tried 40% white shade cloth. This is my observation:

Without, plant get beat up more from the sun and misters, but growth doesn't seem to be affected even if plant is beat up. My max lbs per day was pretty high one season (38 lbs), but the longest I ever sustained my max growth was 2 weeks. Not every year I grew had real high weight gains like my one year.

THis last season, only one season to draw upon, with the shade cloth, plant did not get beat up, growth gains per day only maxed at 18 - 20 a day, but they sustained max grwoth was for 30 days in a row. Made me really wonder if the shade cloth extended the max growing conditions or if it was just coincidence? Never had max growth though for more than 2 weeks without shade cloth in 7 years of high heat growing before.

I want to hear experiences from those who have high heat and see what tendencies you have noticed and which one you think is best, shade or mist? Thanks, Jim

2/28/2010 6:54:24 PM

Nicholls Georgia

i mist and just cover my fruit but im going to try this year to keep my fruit cooler and see what that does my pb to date is 920 lb

2/28/2010 6:59:44 PM

Puyallup, WA

Frankly....we in the Pacific Northwest would be happy to siphon some of that heat up our way!!! Our average high in July and August is 79°. Our average low is 52° with 42° not that uncommon.

2/28/2010 9:39:02 PM

Nicholls Georgia

avg high here is 94

2/28/2010 10:10:45 PM

Simi valley, ca

Hey duster if only we could set up a retractable shade cloth that we would slide over patch when temps go over 90-95* our 47 days in row of over 100* & some as high as 119* can be quite hard on the plants< I would have done that by now but with the soil problems i am not sure of what i will do !

2/28/2010 11:26:10 PM

Anchorage, Alaska

I am thinking about stitching shade cloth into 50' lengths then stringing them on wires above the patch like a shower curtain. It would be very easy to pull them across on the hot days or during a storm.

Intense sunlight damages plant cells like it does our skin cells and they likely expend tremendous amounts of energy on repairs during the most intense days. It is easy to imagine that the shade cloth would both extend the productive life of the foliage and free up energy for fruit growth.

Maybe the best way to use shade cloth would be to protect the leaves during peak UV radiation hours in addition to especially hot days.

3/1/2010 12:01:31 AM

Gold Hill, Oregon

shade cloth a must here. i was the only grower in southern oregon other than thads mom to get a pumpkin. even though she kicked my hinney. i'm a believer in shade cloth. over 21 days here with over 100 degree heat. normally 8 days over 100 degrees. 117 high. last year. expecting another hot year this year. lol. felt like 20 degrees cooler under shade cloth.i'll be using it again this year.

3/1/2010 2:21:23 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

I use protection until vine gets to about 7-8 feet. By the time it's out of hoop and transitioned into being in the big ol world by itself (with pinning down and windbreak) and the water cooling. Average early June to end of Aug is 90 plus... 3 weeks of 100, and a week of 112-117F. Do keep that stump covered and dry, shade the female from 3 days before bagging and from then on... and watch your growing tips you may have to shade those.

We don't have humidity like a lot of other areas, but we have persistent sustained winds so windscald is an issue.

Another grower here was using shade cloth but it was interfering with her watering, she finally went to my system of out in sun and more water/water cooling.

I believe in it (shadecloth) when plant is small and getting established, when it finally starts running well, switch methods.

3/1/2010 5:59:18 AM

San Diego

I'm hoping for some number information. So, if you are in high heat and just mist, how long do you sustain maximum growth with your fruit on average over your growing years? Is it 2 weeks, 3, 4, etc? I know shading protects the plant better, but which one grows larger pumpkins? The goal for us southern growers in not to have fast growth over a short period of time, but sustain it longer right? But does shade cloth take away higher weight gains with less sun even though the plant is more comfortable? Fun questions...

3/1/2010 12:21:22 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Hi Duster,

What part of San Diego are you in? As you know, the climate changes pretty rapidly based on if you are within a few miles of the coast. A 75 degree day on the coast can be 85 in La Mesa and 95 in El Cajon.... Just wondering.

3/1/2010 2:11:02 PM

San Diego

cliff,

I grew up in El Cajon, now in Santee. Sounds like you know the area pretty well. Santee and El Cajon are about the same, consistant 90's and many times in the 100's on and off during the summer.

3/1/2010 2:40:24 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Yep, lived there for 5 months. During the winter here, I wish I still did.

3/1/2010 3:21:07 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

We don't get as hot as you, but we can hang out at 90+ for several weeks. My patch is in full sun all day long. I find that any leaves that grow in a spot that gets shade, say, below a wind fence, those leaves get MUCH bigger. It's as if the plant senses that a leaf doesn't get as much sun and makes it bigger to compensate. Well, I don't know but that's what I see.

3/1/2010 3:25:11 PM

Okla

Duster
I know for sure that if the plants are NOT protected in some way in our severe heat here that it makes the plants look so bad, the leaves are burned and can not be doing anything for the plants. I am going to use the white shade cloth this year and mist and will try to keep record of what it is compared to the black shade cloth I have used in the past.
Thomas

3/1/2010 3:49:49 PM