shade cloth mini blinds?

Hello,

I have a wonderful screened in porch. I want to take my plants outside for the summer, however, I receive full sun in the afternoons on the porch. Does anyone have any ideas about shade cloth that would look tasteful? I was thinking about some sort of mini blinds or roll up mechanism. Is there anything like that and where can I buy it? I would not be opposed to making something. I have orchids and epi cacti. How much shade % should the cloth be?

i've seen some inexpensive roll-up bamboo curtains that look very nice. they come in different colors and have a sort of tropical look to them. some are actual bamboo and some are plastic. check out walmart.

I have seen mini blinds work well and you can adjust the amount of light too, so when it gets closer to winter you can let more light in-- Just remember to start out with about the same amount of light they are used to and gradually increase it over a few weeks time so they don't get burnt.

The bamboo shades sound like a good idea, provided you can adjust them. I have over 135 orchids (about 100 of them are outside), and you really have to be careful about too much sun. I have several plants whose leaves have turned completely black where the leaves protruded to an a spot where the sun was too hot. (The rest of the plant is OK, but I had to move them back to the greenhouse.) I THINK you need about 70% shading for orchids like cattleya. Dendrobiums and cymbidiums can take a little more sun. Keep a close watch on them for signs of sun stress, and act immediately if the leaves show signs of stress.

- Kathleen