Mesh/screen on top of soil?

[BugsBonsai]

So this might be a weird question, but has anyone used mesh/screening over the tops of their bonsai soil? An azalea I purchased a couple years ago had something like that when I bought it, and it worked great for keeping critters out of the pot when I fertilized. It still allowed me to water the tree through it, and was cut to fit just inside the pot. It was pinned in place with a little wire. I haven’t seen anything similar since that tree and no longer have the mesh (I repotted the tree and absentmindedly tossed the mesh piece), so have no idea what material it was exactly to try and replicate it for my other trees.

Long story short, if anyone does use this kind of technique, advice on what exactly to use would be great!

 

[one_bonsai]

Even if it does a good job keeping critters out, it just wouldn't look good

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I do!
I use and old whatever it's called.. It's used in camping as a flooring beneath your tent. Pretty cheap, flexible, easy to cut. And it comes in various colors.

But mosquito mesh works just as good.

 

[leatherback]

I do, but it just lays on the substrate. I cut a piece to the right size, make a hole for the trunk and put it on. Normally only a few weeks in spring and fall, when the blackbirds come digging.

I bought a big rol of mesh used as windbreaks and/or to stop people from seeing clearly what is happening behind a fence / on a balcony. I use this also as mesh in the pot if I use coarse substrate, or for layering and..

This stuff:

 

[sorce]

Industrial Netting: Plastic Industrial Netting, Mesh, & Tubes

www.industrialnetting.com

Sorce

 

[James W.]

I use coco fiber mats. Keeps things tidy, weeds down, substrate from washing out. And it doesn't look too bad.