In agriculture, “throwing shade” has a whole different meaning to the way it is used in pop culture, but it is just as important. Shade nets play a crucial role in manipulating light exposure for crops.
Photo-selective netting is a technique where crops are covered with special nets. These nets filter and change the sunlight that reaches the plants. By adjusting the amount, quality, and intensity of light, they impact different plant processes.
Shade nets are like sunglasses for plants. They protect crops from too much sunlight and create a cozy environment. By adjusting the light that reaches the plants, farmers can help them grow better. It is like giving them just the right amount of sunshine!
Multiknit offers the net to provide the shade your plants so desperately desire. You can find it in a variety of colours.
How does it work?
Shade nets reduce the amount of direct sunlight reaching the crops underneath. The higher the shade factor, the more radiation is blocked. These nets can also influence the direction of radiation, scattering light in various directions. Diffuse light, which results from scattering, has been shown to increase yields, and even affect plant flowering timing and amounts.
It can also be used to modify the microclimate around plants. Shade nets can protect your crops against excessive radiation, environmental hazards (such as hail or strong winds), and pests.
By altering the light spectrum, shade nets impact plant development and growth.
In horticulture, coloured shade netting is used to manipulate plant responses. These nets can be deployed both outdoors and in greenhouses.
They provide physical protection against birds, hail, and insects while affecting environmental factors like humidity, shade, and temperature. By controlling light quality and quantity, shade nets contribute to better crop management and improved yields.
Multiknit’s 40% white/black net is ideal for a growing system like aquaponics where many different types of vegetables are being grown at the same time. (Photo: Kleinskuur Aquaponics)
Get your net from Multiknit
In short, shade netting is the easiest and most efficient way in which you can control the way your crops grow.
Multiknit’s SpectraNet is known to impact the plant’s four key influences: Photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, transpiration, and respiration.
The amount of light that SpectraNet allows to pass through varies between 4% and 96%. This variation depends on the colour and pattern of the netting.
For more information or to buy yours, visit the Multiknit website at www.multiknit.co.za.
