Growing sweet peppers under shade cloth

    Over the past five years, as part of a performance study, varieties of sweet peppers and colored bell peppers were grown under shade cloth while others were grown without shade cloth. In his research report, “Shading Improves Colored Pepper Yield and Quality,” Dr. Michael Bartolo, of the Colorado State University Agriculture Experiment Station in Rocky Ford, states that sweet peppers can be an enormous challenge in Colorado.
     Testing results revealed that a high value specialty crop such as colored bell peppers and sweet peppers grown under shade cloth improves the quality because it reduces the intensity of the sunlight.
    Fruits such as peppers have a larger surface area and an increased likelihood for sunscald at Colorado’s high elevations. Besides this problem, peppers need a longer time on the plant to mature. Sweet and bell peppers require approximately 55 days to maturity, while miniature bell peppers need around 85 days with gourmet sweet peppers and most others falling somewhere in between.  
    Results of the uncovered control revealed the pepper crop was significantly reduced by 40-50 percent of marketable yield. Using two different levels of white hail-netting providing 15 and 30 percent sunlight reduction respectively resulted in a significant increase in quality. However, 30 percent white hail-netting is recommended. Marketable yields ranged between 30,000-50,000 pounds of colored fruit per acre under the 30 percent white hail-netting.
 

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