amy974•1mo ago

Had to choose between a sunroom and a shade cloth setup for my ferns

I live in central Florida where the sun gets brutal by 10 AM. I was trying to keep my maidenhair ferns alive on the back patio but they kept scorching. So I had to pick: build a small 8x10 sunroom with UV glass or just hang a 40 percent shade cloth over the whole area. I went with the shade cloth because it cost me $60 compared to the $2,500 quote for even a basic sunroom. It's been three weeks and the ferns are doing great, no crispy edges at all. Only downside is the cloth flaps around when the wind picks up. Has anyone else dealt with this choice for humidity-loving plants in a hot spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewgonzalez1mo ago

Did you try adding some small weights or clips along the bottom edge to stop the shade cloth from flapping?

hugo_robinson251mo ago

Actually that sounds like MORE work than just dealing with a little flapping. I've had shade cloth up for years without any weights and it's fine - the wind usually dies down anyway. Plus all that extra weight hanging off the fabric is just gonna stress the grommets and rip them out over time.

murray.drew1mo ago

You're totally right, @drewgonzalez. I went a step further and sewed a pocket into the hem of my shade cloth, then slid a piece of rebar inside. The rebar is heavy enough to keep it from flapping even in strong wind, but it's flexible so I can bend the shade cloth to fit around corners or posts. PVC pipe filled with sand also works great if you want something lighter that still gets the job done. I've had mine up for two seasons now without any issues since I added the weight. Just make sure whatever you use is rustproof or sealed so it doesn't ruin the cloth over time.