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Ironton, ohio

I'm considering shade cloth for the up coming season, the last few Julys/Augusts have been hot, sunny, and dry here in southern Ohio. Where does something like shade cloth fall on everyone's list? In my head order of importance starts with soil, space, irrigation, disease/pest control, and feeding program. With all of these optimized (mine are not) how much weight could something simple such as shade cloth add? Is it worth the trouble? What else is out there that may add 5, 10, 100 pounds to someone's personal best? Classical music?

3/6/2026 7:12:14 AM

C N Y

Since I feel Heavy Metal came from Classical, then, man, I hope so! I have never used any shade cloth because pumpkins are supposed to get full sun. More sun = more activity as to what the plants want to do. Cash in your pocket for a night out, for a bad, yet effective analogy. I had the best year in years in 2025 because I only grew my own seeds and followed my own advice on the fly. Granted, being ME, I went from a 221 or so and a 225 or so in '24 to 551, 398 and 379 in '25, all in the sunniest patch and with incessant overhead watering with fertilizer as much as possible. Fert one day and the next, a huge drenching, more than ever, and it 'paid off'. Now, I know, with those low #s, who cares??? No patch preparation, no soil test, no organic matter added since '24 in that patch and no vine burying; However, I can see the effects of anything on a smaller scale right in my living room, where a light bulb can dehydrate a 'main vine', malnutrition can cause leaves to yellow and shrivel and submerged roots can lead to them rotting, so it's a fine balance wherein we can't see the line but if it works out anyway, there's the 51% we need to succeed. Anyone with shade cloth ExpeRIenCe will be a better info source, but I'm recommending to concentrate on the aboves including yours and extreme irrigation capability is just plain great to have. No matter how one's soil test is exemplary, (I am NOT one to talk) the plants are feeding off of those #s ASAP and in the plant's immediate area, they will certainly fluctuate and perhaps become deficient, hence the intensive fert(s) otherwise - I'll somehow not rant about MyBelovedMycorrhizae here, lol. Oh, and the smaller of all my fruits were in less-sunny patches; I treat all of them the same (24-26 AGs). There IS something really COOL about a shade cloth stretched out over a frame, though, and to make it easily-applicable when needed DURING hot spells is probably/certainly a great, extra capability.
Good Luck!
eric g

[Last edit: 03/06/26 9:01:48 AM]

3/6/2026 8:24:09 AM

Portland, CT

As far as I understand, If your plant overheats then photosynthesis drops off a cliff and I would imagine your daily weight gains would as well. I'm not sure about a number of pounds you could attribute to using shade cloth but I'd think of it like an insurance policy. It also can protect from hail which I like. I'm not sure how many plants you are planning on growing this year but maybe just grow one under some 30% shade cloth and see how the plants react and if it's worth it for you.

3/6/2026 10:45:13 AM

Nova Scotia

I say YES for anyone who has to contend hot above "normal" temperatures. Because even here we try to shade at least the end of main vines or else young tender growth scorched and done. I say it makes sense for extra growth even to keep the plant cruising along nicely. Some growers run sprinklers during the hottest part of the day to avoid any damages. Remember way back Craig Weir with his monster 914 lbs. Topsfield. He ran sprinklers. Good Luck!

3/6/2026 12:36:57 PM

Grittyville, WA

I'd rank healthy roots ahead of shade cloth, but if shade cloth is the main thing that's keeping the plant from excessive stress (a stressed plant could suffer an abort or shortage of calcium) then it could be very important.

3/6/2026 10:07:56 PM

Upa Creek, MO

I grow in full shade after 230pm every day. If I didn't have the shade from the trees, I would 100% have to use shade cloths as it gets to dang hot. I agree with Ketchup on roots too. A well rooted plant can tolerate heat and sun far better than a plant that is just left to grow on its own. You can dump as much water as you want on a plant, but it won't help it in the high heat if it isn't well rooted. Even if you don't bury the vines, you need to make sure the plants are rooted at each node.

3/7/2026 8:49:28 AM

C N Y

I'd say have 2 sprinklers on each plant and do the Nick idea and then you'll have it all. You've got me beat with the heat, judging by what I've read and
please see a few Diaries with shade cloth utilized. Good Luck!
eg

[Last edit: 03/09/26 9:08:24 PM]

3/7/2026 2:32:17 PM

Colorado

People use shade cloth because it helps them with leaf health through the season and better photosynthesis during the hot part of each day.Shade cloth can also help reduce wind and heavy rain damage.I suspect it provides bigger weight gains in my colorado conditions so I wouldnt grow without it.Everybodys weather and light is different so I cant answer for your region.Just got back from Salt lake GPC.High heat bad-no such thing as too much light. Good luck.

3/9/2026 10:57:13 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Well said, Cojoe. Adding to the storm comment, it could help with hail if you get that often. I had a hail storm destroy my patch in 2016 within 30 seconds. Shade cloth would have prevented that.

3/9/2026 7:41:50 PM

C N Y

Not trying to dissuade from using shade cloth and certainly, it's a matter of convenience and cost to have it in-play; Rambling on, I would probably not have it in place 100% of the time in order to maximize sunlight during non-peak sun exposure and yet, during ThaT time, have it be able to be 'switched in', essentially, for that time only, like perhaps 11 AM to 2 PM every day. I had not thought of the HAIL aspect, lol, where if the fruits are protected, then, for me, crisis 'averted enough'. Maybe there's a HAIL cloth out there. There 'must be' a few growers whom have retractable material - that is really what I'm saying about; Else, to have 2-3+ drawstrings from BOTH ends of the material and having it on tubes or rails would enable time/need-selective usage of the material and that could be automated/embarked upon. Drawstrings for home curtains are of the same effective ideas; Whatta concept. eg

[Last edit: 03/09/26 9:11:45 PM]

3/9/2026 9:07:21 PM

Sunny Okanagan

Pumpkinpal2 has the right idea. If I could figure out a way to code some retracting mechanism for my shade cloth so that it's only deployed when it's actually needed, that would be great. I imagine a likely "trigger" would be a specific temperature or vapour pressure deficit (most likely VPD because it accounts for relative humidity). Regrettably, I was not a gifted coder, and like so many others I have a day job thus I cannot come home to deploy the shade cloth, so I commonly leave it up 24/7. Obviously that's not ideal, but I wouldn't dare grow without it. Get burned once, learn to fear the fire.

[Last edit: 03/10/26 1:48:39 AM]

3/10/2026 1:47:54 AM

Ironton, ohio

Great discussion, I began using long narrow strips of shade cloth last season in order to shade my growth tips on either side of the plant until they were terminated. I think the plan this season will be a larger nearly patch size piece of shade cloth. I lost an 800lber lasted year and I believe in part it was due to a soggy patch while trying to keep the plant cool with overhead watering. I only grow one plant so shouldn't be too much to manage. Hope to rig it in a way that it can be retracted during cloudy days. Follow along for the results, best of luck everyone! Happy growing.

3/10/2026 4:32:35 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Retractable is very doable. I forget who, but I remember even seeing retractable hail net when anticipating a bad storm.

3/10/2026 7:37:07 AM

C N Y

In Hough's Diary and numerous other times within it:
https://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=353153
>>>Also, Site Search
retractable
for a whole bunch of the same and great discussions.
Thank you, G-i-T (^_^)
eg

3/10/2026 9:11:05 AM

Sunny Okanagan

Thanks for the tip, pumpkinpal! Now that this bug has been planted in my brain, I'm definitely going to do some serious thinking about this. It would certainly help to provide some peace of mind.

Edit: I reckon I ought to start signing off my posts with a "GIT" now, don't I? ;)

-GIT

[Last edit: 03/11/26 1:48:09 AM]

3/11/2026 1:46:40 AM

C N Y

You are welcome. (^;^)
eric g

[Last edit: 03/13/26 11:54:02 AM]

3/11/2026 4:36:19 AM