Wiring is a crucial aspect of Bonsai gardening and it is important to get it absolutely right.
Please read the following two articles very carefully and you will have a good understanding of wiring in your Bonsai gardening.
Bonsai - Wiring Made Easier: Execution
Wiring is the practice of wrapping aluminum or copper wire around the bonsai trunk or branches to shape the tree. Training bonsai is never easy, but it can be made easier by proper preparation and execution. Here are some basic guidelines.
Wire
The first step is to select the appropriate wire for the job. Aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu) are the two most common choices, with copper considered more attractive for the long bonsai training period. Use annealed copper only. Never use steel wire to wrap a bonsai, it is toxic to several species.
Thicker wire is generally stiffer. Aluminum is easier to bend, hence easier for novices to apply. Copper is generally stiffer, but more prone to scarring the tree if applied incorrectly. A good starting point is wire 1/3 the thickness of the branch that will be shaped.
Practice wrapping on a tree branch of similar species to develop the dexterity needed. Test different thicknesses on test branches from a similar size and species before using any on the tree to be trained. Several different thicknesses will be required to do the entire tree - practice with all of them. Start with 1mm and work your way up to 4mm.
Application
Wrap from the base of the trunk upward, thicker branches next, smallest branches last. When wrapping a branch, start at the base and wrap toward the tip.
Bend gently into shape, listening for cracking. If you hear any, stop immediately and check for damage. Repair with tree paste or glue and do not work again with that branch for at least a year.
Use a wire length about 1/3 longer than the trunk or branch and wrap slowly in a spiral motion around the trunk or branch. Apply firmly, but not too tightly. You don’t want to have the bark grow around the wire, resulting in scarring.
Wiring is often done on deciduous trees in late autumn, after the leaves have fallen. This creates a more visible work area. If you choose to wire in summer, as is done with conifers for example, be sure to avoid wrapping wire on top of needles.
It is considered bad form for any wires to cross. There’s no physically necessary reason for this, other than some small additional stress on the branch at the point they cross. These points can be the most likely to scar. However, the Japanese and Chinese art of training bonsai is very traditional and respecting it is worth serious consideration.
After wrapping is completed, observe the tree closely over time to watch for a wire that begins to cut into a branch. If you see this about to happen, cut off - don’t unwrap - the wire carefully using wire cutters that can snip at the tip.
When the training period is complete, after a few months, again cut, don’t unwrap, the wire. To save a few pennies of wire, you are risking cracking a branch that make take years to heal. Cracking a trunk will most likely lead to the death of the tree.
Wrapping properly is a delicate skill, requiring patience to master. But it is within reach of any dedicated practitioner, and the results are well worth the effort.
Bonsai - Wiring Made Easier: Preparation
Wiring is the practice of wrapping aluminum or copper wire around the bonsai trunk or branches to shape the tree. Training bonsai is never easy, but it can be made easier by proper preparation and execution. Here are some basic guidelines.
Why?
Pruning a bonsai is a selective process that helps determine the number and position of branches and leaves. But to affect the overall shape, wiring is needed. This practice is critical to achieving the balance and form needed to make the bonsai into a completed work of art.
Since wiring puts stress along a trunk or branch, it’s essential to exercise extreme caution and patience during the process. The alternative can easily result in a cracked branch, or worse, a cracked trunk and a dead tree. Also, it’s possible to wrap too tightly or at the wrong season. The result will be scarring that can kill the tree or create damage taking months or years to heal.
How?
Begin with a sketch or computer drawing capturing your vision of the final result. It doesn’t have to be final, but you should have an image in mind as your goal. Unless your goal is to only produce a small effect on one or two branches, start at the trunk, then move to larger branches, doing the smallest branches last.
Before wrapping the intended tree, practice. Start with a simple wooden pole or small ordinary tree branch, just to get the feel of the wire and develop the dexterity to hold the branch and wrap at the same time. Once you’re comfortable holding the branch with one hand and wrapping with the other, without bending or tugging anything but the wrapped part, you can move to the bonsai tree.
When?
Selecting the proper month to begin can be complex. Different species begin and end their growing and dormant phases at slightly different dates. The amount of growth during a given month also varies by type of tree.
Some deciduous (leafy) trees are more delicate in the spring, when their growing season begins and sap begins to flow. Caution dictates waiting until later when the sap flow is lower. Summer is preferred.
Waiting too long, however will result in lost growing activity, which helps shape the result. Pine wired in autumn, by comparison, can easily experience scarring if the wire isn’t checked every couple of weeks.
Wiring in winter is possible, but because of low or no growth during this period will require extra time and patience.
Scarring occurs when wire is wrapped too tightly and/or left on too long and bark begins to grow around the wire. It can take years, sometimes forever, for scarring to heal. An ounce of prevention is worth ten tons of cure, in this case.
To minimize sap flow, wire when the tree has been slightly dried. Too dry and you risk cracking a branch. Too wet and sap flow creates branch pressure, also encouraging cracks.
Wiring, like every other bonsai practice is a delicate balance requiring learning, patience and practice.