Best place to buy shade cloth?

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

Currently have 50% white shade cloth on my greenhouse. It is custom-made with grommets spaced I believe every 2 feet. Noticed it’s time to be replaced, as we leave it up all year even in the winter. Any suggestions on the best place to buy it? Also would you suggest woven coordinated shade cloth and why? As I stated earlier this stays up in the winter and get snowed on. Thanks for your help. Open to any advice that one might have.

 

[Duck Slipper]

www.shadeclothstore.com
There is more on line. One I ordered from had a minimum order and took a couple weeks.

 

[Ray]

If you decide to go with Aluminet, Gothic Arch greenhouses is the place to go.

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

If you decide to go with Aluminet, Gothic Arch greenhouses is the place to go.

Ray or anyone for that matter. What would be the advantage or disadvantage of aluminet. Just remember it stays put 12 months a year in N.Y.

 

[Ray]

Aluminet's intrinsic benefit is far less heat generation. Shade cloths work by both reflecting and absorbing solar energy, converting it to heat. In order from mostly heat to mostly reflection - black (most energy is absorbed and converted to heat), green, beige, white, with aluminet (almost all reflection and very little heat generation).

That actually allows you to put it up inside the structure, allowing the snow to slide off the roof more easily.

 

[abax]

Yes indeed. I agree whole heartedly with Ray. I even use mine as a
late frost guard on my peonies and it does a wonderful job.

 

[Sherry H]

I buy mine at Lowe’s.

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

Lowe's doesn't carry carry shade cloth up north. Plus the ones I say in South Carolina had no determination as to what percentage of sun it blocked out.

 

[Sherry H]

Ok I’ll check percentages next time I go there. Can probably be ordered on line.

 

[Hardwood]

I recommend a 60% aluminet shade cloth. That goes along with my triple wall poly-carbonate roof. That has 80 % transmission.
You do have to consider the entire sandwich. I take the shade cloth off for the months of Nov. Dec. Jan. The angle of the sun is low enough so the plants do not get too much light. Also it allows the snow to slide off the roof. Here in Missouri, we have to put the shade cloth outside of the greenhouse to keep the heat outside. Aluminet can be easily sewn on a home sewing machine. I sew a casing in the bottom edges and put a pipe in the casing to tie the edge down, rather than using grommets. Use Polyester thread to resist sun damage. It lasts about 10 years of 9 months of use. It also makes the poly-carbonate roof last longer.
I have measured the temperature of the aluminet and it does not get hot. It reflects the suns energy. It is knitted so it does not ravel.