I have used 'wind break cloth' instead of shade cloth.
Wind break cloth is black in colour and is used in orchards that want to provide protection to their plants.
I had made a shade house and lined it with the 'black' wind break. I did not like the idea of reducing the amount of sun that my bonsai received yet wanted to have some control on the strength of the wind..

Richard,

between 30 and 40 percent would be fine. Depending on the size of the area you could use both. And even add a 70 percent to a work area if there's one.

Have you considered wooden laths. The real advantage is that although shaded the trees still get hit with full sun. So the tree won't burn when moved out from under the shaded area.

Beven, what's the difference between shade cloth and wind break cloth. Thanks

Gerald

Gerald

Thanks. My new patio hit over 100F a couple of days ago. Direct sun on concrete next to the house. Heats up the house pretty good too. I've thought of doing latice but the cost of wood vs shade cloth kind of made up my mind.

From searching the web and responding to Gerald, I think 'wind break cloth' is an Australian and New Zealand product. I used it (in NZ) and believed I had good success with it as it created a unique micro climate which helped the bonsai grow better.
Try www.greenhouse.co.nz and find the 'knitted windshield' section, it will give you an idea as to what it is.
Bevan

Thanks Bevan, I'll check them out more closely, I've been looking for true differences between shade and wind protection as I will be protecting about half an acre I want to make sure I have the right stuff. The wind protection is really needed here in the winter, as removing the wind, my trees will easily be able to remain outside during the most blistery of times. I expect to use both shade and wind protection cloth when we build the structure.

Gerald