I live in new Mexico and I used shade cloth this year to protect from the extreme heat am wondering if it would hurt my plants to remove the cloth now that it’s getting cooler so plants can get more sunlight for flowering thanks
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I would keep it handy incase you stI’ll have some nasty heat. But yea as long as the temps are below 95 or so you wI’ll probably be ok but I grow indoors so let me Holla at someone who grows in tropical weather @FloridaSon you have to deal with intense heat and sun. And @HighDesertFarmer
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I leave mine up. My cloth is 30% and it doesn’t slow them down any.
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Mine is 30% also, growing great. I was just thinking more sun better buds, plus was worried about maybe shocking them if I removed it.
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I would wait for them to flower before removing it to allow for better airflow. Kelp can help with heat stress. Yucca root and aloe are great!
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Thabks fir the tag @Sirsmokes In my experience actual heat stress is at the roots. It is shown in the foliage as a symptom.
I have melons planted next to my cannabis that are more sensitive to heat stress. When the leaves curl closed to protect the leaves from intense UV, I go and give them a nice cool drink. Their leaves then open up fully again, as they are able to withstand energy exchange. Maybe they need to top off their radiator eh?
What I mean by this is that if cantaloupe can survive so can weed. Just give them a drink if they show heat stress. It is easy. 
I removed my shade cloths from the cannabis after 10 days. I farm in the high desert at 5500ft elevation in 10% RH. Under 2 inches of rainfall a year. Shade is not needed except for transplants and shade loving plants. in my experience actual crop raising, shade helps late starts.
I vote for removing the shade and adding a soil mulch to reduce solar radiations effect on the roots and increasing water schedule. Be sure hose is not left in sun as exit temperature can exceed 145F.
I grew six different strains just to try different weed. Two of the indicas got too much sun and were stunted. The hybirds and sativas did fine. So watch your indicas to see if they are getting sun burned. Next time I grow outdoors, I will use a little shade cloth to cut the noon-time sun.
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Hey @HighDesertFarmer,
I also live in the high desert in CA. What strains have you grown outdoors by chance? I’m growing Critical Thunder autos right now. I recently purchased gorilla glue auto, bubblegum auto, amnesia haze auto, and sour diesel autos to also grow this year. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks,
Jason
I’d leave the shade cloth on top for high sun only. When I doubled up it messed with veg stage early on. You should be fine with autos though.
My main struggles were my water system failures and grey moths. The intense winds helped make them strong.
I’ve grown white widow, purple something, and another strain.
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