Which? Sorry I only see one. It looks more like netting than tulle and netting holes are big enough for cuke beetles to still do damage. Or of course you could always use the insect barrier fabric made for such purpose. Sun reduction is minimal and color is your choice although the insect barrier row cover is white.

Dave

Gar. Sorry guys, it told me it let me upload 2 pictures while I was at the store. I want up going with tulle. 12 yrds for 13$. I'm not letting g any freaking g beetles near my plants!

I used tulle over my brassicas this year. I mainly wanted to keep the moths off of them and it is working well for that purpose. I got white because I read somewhere that the sun doesn't degrade it nearly as quickly as other colors.

Here is a link - Agribon AG-19 Floating Row Crop Cover / Frost Blanket / Garden Fabric Plant Cover

It is also called Reemay or Harvest Guard

Reemay Garden Blanket - 67" x 100'
It's all the same stuff...

afaik - it is always white

Tulle is certainly inexpensive and easy to get, though I suspect it degrades faster than that Agribon. It would be interesting to see some comparative tests on that. Tulle is either rayon (which is a celluose) or nylon (which is a polyamide). Agribon is polypropylene. All are degraded by UV, but can be made somewhat UV resistant with proper additives or colors. I doubt that tulle users are worried about UV, however, and I have to assume that Agribon is made with at least some UV resistance.

Would be really useful to have a quality metric for these fabrics. How many years do they last in full sun? Tulle is about a buck a yard, and I've seen Agribon for less. So I have to assume that Agribon is more cost effective.

Just be sure to check the dimensions to see if it will cover what you want/need.

Here is one- I'm pretty sure it means 6in x 900in.

Product Dimensions
6 x 900 x 1 inches

"Would be really useful to have a quality metric for these fabrics. How
many years do they last in full sun? Tulle is about a buck a yard, and
I've seen Agribon for less. So I have to assume that Agribon is more
cost effective."

Agreed. I use a lot of Agribon for insect control, and can vouch for its effectiveness... but it does have limitations. Spun polyester row cover tends to raise humidity beneath the cover - which is both good for some plants (like peppers), and bad for other plants (like beans & tomatoes).

It appears that Agribon could be used for more than one year; but since it tends to develop small tears, I have not done so. I use the lightest grade, perhaps the heavier grades are more durable.

I purchased some tulle on sale that is very similar to that in the second photo, and will be testing it on beans for pollination control. My attempt to use Agribon over bush beans had to be aborted due to severe foliar disease. The plants recovered when the cover was removed.

Added: A member who no longer posts here used mosquito netting over pole beans for isolation cages. Mosquito netting has both the better air circulation of tulle, and the UV resistance of spun polyester row covers. It is a bit pricey, though... probably only worthwhile for seed saving purposes.

I have used the same horticultural fleece, which I believe is the same as Agribon, for 5 or 6 years, and put it through the washing machine occasionally, before it is too far gone to use and has to be replaced. But I do not have intense sunshine.

Of the 2 choices you've shown, the second is probably the best choice for insect control. Without experience using that fabric, I personally can't offer advice on how it will perform. I think you'll have to make the decision by taking the sum of the variables you face...

* How fast do you need it? - No shops near me carry the agribon that I use, so I have to order online. That takes time, and at least one year it was back-ordered. If you need it right away, you would have to check on it's availability.

* Always ask about the 'weight'. These products come in different thicknesses. If you have warm-hot summers, you want the thinnest one possible for insect protection. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, many people opt for the heavier ones because their main purpose is to help with frost protection. Both the options you show seem very light weight.

* Cost: Compare prices. You'll need to do the math, some are sold by 'the yard', and some are sold by length of a fixed-width.

* As was said above, make sure you get the right width for what you need. I use the 118" because it makes a fairly good low tunnel when draped over PVC pipes. I've never measured the height, but I make my pipes like 9' long and arc them over 4' beds.

* Are they sew-able? If you are going to buy a tulle-like product (I think that's what you have in those pics) in a fabric store, and it doesn't come in the length or width you need... will you be able to sew it together in some way? I have patched areas that have ripped on mine using pieces from last year's fabric 'stitched' with an ordinary office stapler. So far, so good.

I may have missed an area or 2 of concern, but these are some of the things you'll want to ask yourself when deciding what to get.