Is Muslin / Cheese-cloth any good for Greenhouse Shading?

jasminewhite

I would love to find a plastic-free solution for shading my greenhouse plants over summer so am thinking I could fix muslin cloth to the inside of my greenhouse on the south side instead of buying green plastic mesh. It gets all day sun and we're in the south of England. Then the muslin material could double up as a fleece-type layer for my succulents in winter. Would it give enough shade?

Nanny Beach

Maybe try a piece double and see how much direct sun it blocks out.

Pete.8

I have blinds on the S side of my greenhouse.
I found a photo which gives some idea of the amount of shade they provide.
It's not a lot, but just takes the edge off and keeps the temp down a bit
So I think if anything muslin may be a bit too dense

Butterfly66

I would try it and see but just single, not doubled up. The best screening to use is something on the outside as it cuts down the heat able to enter into the greenhouse, it’s the heat rather than the light which you want to reduce.

Joyce Goldenlily

I use jasminewhite said:

I would love to find a plastic-free solution for shading my greenhouse plants over summer so am thinking I could fix muslin cloth to the inside of my greenhouse on the south side instead of buying green plastic mesh. It gets all day sun and we're in the south of England. Then the muslin material could double up as a fleece-type layer for my succulents in winter. Would it give enough shade?

jasminewhite said:

I would love to find a plastic-free solution for shading my greenhouse plants over summer so am thinking I could fix muslin cloth to the inside of my greenhouse on the south side instead of buying green plastic mesh. It gets all day sun and we're in the south of England. Then the muslin material could double up as a fleece-type layer for my succulents in winter. Would it give enough shade?

I use old lace curtains on the outside of my greenhouse and it works beautifully, I take them down in the autumn, put them through the washing machine then put away until the following Spring. They are no longer white and there are a number of extra holes here and there but still serviceable. 

I would have thought muslin would work well, it will probably need weighting down and will probably rot quite quickly but you should get a few years of use from it.