And, isn’t your heat usually accompanied by high humidity, Stephen? Humidity levels make a tremendous difference in the loss of moisture. Out west, the triple digit temps are usually accompanied by single and often LOW single digit humidity which is why the wild fires are so horrific.
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Hi Stephen. I feel for you. I live in northern San Diego county in California. We are a modest range of mountains away from a very hot desert. Winds from there can be extremely hot and dry. I think my rose blooms suffer first, the petals simply desecating before the first damage to the youngest leaves because I think the plants simply cannot supply enough water to keep up with the low humidity and high heat.
I would like to expand on some of the fine advice offered by our colleagues. I love shade cloth. A neighbor gave me a simple wood-frame shade cloth panel, about 2m by 4. It changed everything almost instantly. My plants looked lusher and less weather-beaten. So did I. I have been doing research before building a large shaded area for our home. Here is what I think may be helpful: Shade cloth is sold in pecentages of shade cast. 90%, as I’m sure you imagine, is useless for plants, though can protect buildings, equipment, and livestock from sun and heat. 65% seems to be the consensis for growing shade plants like gardenias and fuchsias. It is also extremely comfortable for us humans on hot days. Around 30% seems to be ideal for full-sun plants like tomatoes, sweet corn, and lettuce…and roses. Knitted rather than woven cloth is preferred by my sources as longer-lasting, lighter, and more durable. Color doesn’t seem to matter, just whatever you can stand to look at. The shiny aluminized kind seems best to shade greenhouses because it isn’t as strong. The triagular “sails” that are popular on playgrounds and other public places here look great, but do not cover an area thoroughly as they “bow in” at the sides. Also, they seem to be too opaque for our uses, though I haven’t looked into them too much. They have the advantage of needing only three anchor points such as existing roofs, walls, or poles. I have decided to use a structure of galvanized fence-post pipe. It is used here for chain-link fences and is durable and fire- and -termite proof. These come with fittings to form corners, Ts, and crossings. I recommed cloth that is factory-hemmed and fitted with grommets every 40 cm or so. The cloth can be lashed to the structure with nylon rope or those nylon zip-ties they use for electrical work. There are also special bungie fasteners made for the purpose. They “give” a little and may help the cloth last longer if you have high winds. They may also help to keep the cloth taut and professional-looking. I decided not to use trees for shade because they cast too much shade and I don’t think roses appreciate fighting tree roots for nutrition and water. I will be buying my shade cloth from this company in the US. About Us - Shade Cloth Store They are very friendly and answered my questions well. I noticed several South African sources when I googled around for this. Summer is coming for you guys, so keep us posted on what works well for you. -Brian
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