Shade Cloth and Sweet Corn
For some time we have been concerned about the correct percentage of sun shade to use for optimum crop growth. After seeking help through a professional garden forum I received some valuable information. We have come to believe that a 40% shade cloth would serve better than 60% to allow more sunlight. This would also allow more heat so we have ordered a new type of shade cloth, aluminet, to test in Honduras. The new cloth will be 40% to increase light but due to its unique composition will also lower the heat by reflecting it. The new cloth is more expensive but we want to provide quality materials and good advice to those seeking help from us.
So what’s the big deal with shade cloth? It sounds expensive and like a lot of work. The idea behind shade cloth is to allow food production during the hot dry times when nothing else will grow, or to increase crop production when conditions are marginal. If you have too much direct sun as in the tropical regions during the summer plants will burn. If you have temperatures over 90 degrees plants won’t make fruit. If you have too much shade the plants will be spindly. So this is why we are still testing and researching. It is during these times that food shortage can be very severe. The importance of fresh vegetables, particularly green leafy ones, in a diet cannot be overstated.
George Truelove in Mare Rouj, Haiti emailed me about a type of Hawaiian sweet corn that had been grown in southern Haiti. I searched the internet and emailed the University of Hawaii about a good tropical sweet corn. This is a type that will develop with fewer daylight hours such as we have in the tropics. They informed me about a variety, Supersweet #9, that grows well in Hawaii year round and is open pollinated so seed can be saved for replanting. We will be ordering seed to send in with the Global Compassion Team traveling to Haiti in January ’09.
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