In summer it protects, in autumn it costs. The timing decides — and too late is more expensive than too early.
Shading is the only input in the greenhouse that has to be timed correctly twice a year: once when applying it and once when removing it. A lot is said about applying it — surprisingly little about removing it, even though the date there moves at least as much money.
The reason is simple: from September onwards the calculation flips. What protected against scorching and heat stress in July is, by October, just a layer between your crop and the scarcest input of the dark half of the year — light.
In high summer, radiation is available in abundance; taking some of it away costs nothing, because the plant cannot convert it into growth anyway. In autumn the ratio is reversed: every percent of shading then comes directly off what the crop could still use. For crops that harvest into late autumn or whose quality depends on light — tomato, cucumber, pepper, large parts of ornamental production — this shows up measurably.
Hence the rule of thumb that practically always applies: better a week too early than three weeks too late. The risk of removing too early is a late hot day on which you stand there without shade. The risk of removing too late is a whole month of dimmed light in the period when it counts most.
| Timing | What speaks for it | What speaks against it |
|---|---|---|
| Early September | Full light in the important phase; enough lead time if the weather does not cooperate | A late heatwave hits you unprotected |
| Mid to late September | The usual compromise for most crops in Central Europe | Already tight for low-light houses or ornamentals |
| October | Practically no more heat risk | Weeks of lost light; poorer drying conditions for the application |
| Not at all (let it weather off) | costs nothing | uneven, often visible into spring — see below |
The exact date depends on three things: which crop is in production until when, how bright your house is structurally, and how heavily it was shaded in spring. Anyone who worked with a high application rate in May has to remove earlier than someone who only tinted lightly.
The most widespread option is to do nothing at all and hope for autumn and winter rain. That only appears to work, and for a geometric reason: weathering does not wash off evenly.
Steep, exposed roof surfaces come clean first. Flat areas, north sides, the zone around gutters and glazing bars, and anything in the lee of the wind stay coated considerably longer. The result is a roof that is still patchy in January: fully transparent in one spot, half coated in the next. Light distribution in the house becomes uneven as a result, and in spring the new shading goes on top of remnants of the old — which distorts the application rate and perpetuates the patchiness.
How to tell that action is needed: go into the house on an overcast day and look up. If you see clear differences in brightness between roof panels, the shading is no longer functional, just in the way. A second test: compare the north side with the south side — if they are coated to different degrees, it is already weathering off unevenly.
Modern shading paints are designed to adhere through the summer and then be released deliberately. For this, every product has a matching remover from the same manufacturer. The procedure is always similar:
Important for planning: we need to know which shading product was applied in spring. That determines which remover is needed and in what quantity. If you still have the container or can find the invoice, the question is settled in thirty seconds. If not: a photo of the roof already helps us.
Traditionally the remover is sprayed from the roof or applied with roof-washing machines. Both work, but have three practical drawbacks: they need staff at height, they need equipment, and they leave footprints — on film in any case, on glass along the glazing bars.
The drone covers the roof under computer control and distributes evenly without touching it. Around half a hectare of roof area per hour, your staff stay below, and it needs neither scaffolding nor aerial work platform nor fall protection. On sprawling sites with several houses that is the real difference: relocating costs minutes instead of half a day.
To be honest: for a single small house with good roof access and existing equipment, doing it yourself is hard to beat. The flight becomes interesting from the area at which work at height has to be organised — and wherever the date is tight.
As soon as radiation drops far enough that the crop can use the light unshaded — in Central Europe usually from mid-September, in low-light houses and in ornamental production rather earlier. Better a week too early than three weeks too late.
With a remover that matches the shading product used. It is applied to the dry roof, loosens the coating, and the next rain washes it down.
You can, but it comes off unevenly: north sides, flat areas and the zone near the gutters stay coated longer. The roof is then often patchy into spring, and the new shading goes on top of remnants of the old.
Because nobody has to go onto the roof — no scaffolding, no aerial work platform, no damage from walking on it. Around 0.5 hectares of roof area per hour, evenly distributed, your staff stay on the ground.
That depends on roof area, travel and the question of material. In the order portal you draw the roof area and see a no-obligation guide price in about two minutes. How such a price is made up is explained in the article What does the flight cost?
Put the date in your calendar before the days get shorter — not when you already notice in the house that it is too dark. Everything about the process, about shading in spring and about roof cleaning is on our service page Greenhouse shading by drone.
Draw the roof area, see a guide price, send your enquiry — in two minutes, no obligation.
Request a date nowStuck in the portal? Just give us a call: +49 173 3706561 · WhatsApp
