help on reflective paper

[Nico]

Hello everybody and thanks in advance.
As I have said several times here and in Tville, I have two stone walls in my two gardens that separate my house with the houses of the neighbors, after many years growing vegetables, always where I have planted the line that goes next to the two walls I have hardly had any production, since the wall is shady and the other lines of tomatoes also make them shade. This year after asking for your advice on which varieties of tomatoes to grow that best suit the semi-shade, I will grow cherry tomatoes, even if they are not my favorites. And it may be silly, but I have thought of lining the walls with some kind of plastic or reflective paper to take advantage of the few hours of light that the plants that are located next to the two walls receive.
Anyone have any idea about it or tried something similar?
Thank you.
Nico

[Nico]

Tambien pienso que el papel o plastico reflectante en los meses de mas calor en el mes de julio y agosto haga que las temperaturas sean demasiado altas para el resto de plantas .....

[Nico]

Sorry for not translating.
I also think that the reflective paper or plastic in the hottest months in July and August makes temperatures too high for the rest of the plants .....

[bower]

Nico, I wondered about the same thing indoors, and we built a plant shelf with white walls. I can compare with an unpainted wall (darker) and the white wall definitely made a difference. The plants get more light from the reflection and that is helpful where light is the limiting factor.

[SQWIB]

1) Diamond Mylar
2) White panda Film
3) Flat white paint.
In that order.
I would opt for flat white paint.

[bjbebs]

Double Bubble Reflective Foil
Attach to stone with small tapcon screws with an oversize washer. Allow water and air between foil and wall. Easy to work with and if attached properly and will hold up to winds. Flat white painted sheathing staked between plants and wall would be my choice.

[Nico]

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Nico, I wondered about the same thing indoors, and we built a plant shelf with white walls. I can compare with an unpainted wall (darker) and the white wall definitely made a difference. The plants get more light from the reflection and that is helpful where light is the limiting factor.

Bower thanks for your response, the wall I have is light in color very similar to white, but I'm sure that lined with some kind of reflective material would give my tomato plants much better results.
Thank you

[Nico]

1) Diamond Mylar
2) White panda Film
3) Flat white paint.
In that order.
I would opt for flat white paint.

SQWIB, thank you very much for your advice, I'll keep that in mind

[Nico]

Double Bubble Reflective Foil
Attach to stone with small tapcon screws with an oversize washer. Allow water and air between foil and wall. Easy to work with and if attached properly and will hold up to winds. Flat white painted sheathing staked between plants and wall would be my choice.

bjbebs thank you very much for your advice and explanation, it seems that the placement is easy and resistant material

[Nan6b]

Nico, I have used white garden cloth on the ground in places with too much shade. (I think it helps, but I have not tried to compare results of cloth & no cloth.) Silver garden cloth would work too. (The white cloth doesn't stop weeds from growing under it.)
Nan

[hdrider]

The emergency (space) blankets that you can get are supposed to work fairly well, cheaper than Mylar film.

[Nico]

Thanks Nan6b and hdrider for your comments, in the end I think I will opt for the double layer reflective plastic, for its ease of placement, because it is the most economical and meets the same or better than the other type of more expensive materials.

Double layer reflective plastic: Black and White
The white face of this plastic offers light reflection, that is to say: all the light that impacts this plastic is redirected back to your plants. Thus increasing photoluminic nutrition thanks to the reflection of this light. The yield of your crop will increase as a consequence.
The black face of this plastic being completely opaque, offers a complete sealing of the light, making sure that it will not penetrate unwanted areas.
This reflective plastic measures 2 meters high x 1 wide.

[Nico]

[MrBig46]

Nico, try using a mirror to see if the sun's rays bounce off this vertical wall where you need it. I think it bounces off the ground, not on tomatoes. I do not know your conditions, but you will not give anything for this test.
Vladimír

[SQWIB]

After seeing your photo, I wouldn't paint. I would go with the Panda Film.
Check out the ganja growers and what they are using in their grow tents and make shift grow rooms.

[Nico]

Nico, try using a mirror to see if the sun's rays bounce off this vertical wall where you need it. I think it bounces off the ground, not on tomatoes. I do not know your conditions, but you will not give anything for this test.
Vladimír

Hello Vladimir, thank you very much for your advice. The truth that had not fallen on that, but I understand that the sunlight will bounce according to the position of the sun and the time, I also understand that not only the plastic will work when This is the direct sun, it will also work when the sun is not direct and there is a lot of light, the plastic will be two meters wide by about 15 meters long in each of the walls, I think the sunlight will bounce in all directions according to the position of the sun. Very good idea about the mirror.
Thanks Vladimir

[Nico]

After seeing your photo, I wouldn't paint. I would go with the Panda Film.
Check out the ganja growers and what they are using in their grow tents and make shift grow rooms.

Thanks SQWIB, I do not understand very well with the translator what "ganja producers" means

[pondgardener]

Ganja = marijuana or hemp

[Nico]

reflectante.png

Vladimir, I am thinking about the subject of the mirror and I think although I am not sure that in a mirror the sun is only reflected in one point, it is not a matter of experience, it is a matter of physics. Why are mirrors not used to reflect the sun? Matt white plastic is used because it distributes the light evenly, while in a mirror you waste all the light because it is only reflected in one point.

[Nico]

Thanks pondgardner, very good idea SQWIB. Thank you