Basic bonsai wiring

Wiring is one of the most important and challenging techniques in bonsai.  It is not just a simple matter of twisting wire around limbs and branches and forcing the plant to grow into a desired shape.  Many considerations must be taken into account before wiring a bonsai.

It is disastrous to bend limbs and branches on an unhealthy plant.  The process is a stressful act as it is, and to increase this while a plant or tree is trying to recover will only compound the problem.   When you bend a plant out of its natural growth pattern your are actually damaging cells within the limb or branch.  The repair of this damage is what causes the limbs or branches to grow in a new direction and then to maintain their new shape once the wire has been removed.  Wire should only left on long enough for the plant to make this change.  Wire left on too long will cut into the bark as the repaired new growth increases in diameter and again will damage or stress the plant.  The wiring process may take as few as a couple weeks or as long as a year depending upon the specie and the time the wire is applied. 

Its easiest to wire deciduous trees in the fall when the tree is bare and the limbs and branches are most accessible.  The tree will go dormant over the winter and with the new growth spurt in the spring, the bending will happen rapidly and the wires will need to be removed by mid-summer.  Coniferous trees are best done from spring through late summer but can be done year round.   The early spring seems to be best since they're active growers during this period and forming will take shape fairly quickly.  Tropical and indoor species can be wired anytime because they have very consistent growth year round.

It is best to apply wire at a 45˚ angle to the part of the plant that is being wired.  Keeping the wraps evenly spaced and as close together as possible makes the wire more effective.  The coil should not be pulled tight against the bark but has to be 'laying' over it, again so as not to harm the bark.  If wire is pulled too tight, unnecessary damage and unsightly coil marks will occur.  Wire outward from the trunk but apply the wire as far from the trunk as is possible to bend the limb.  Trying to force limbs and branches to bend as they grow from the trunk is very difficult and the main cause of breakage.   Once wire is applied, leave it alone because with every movement more damage is occurring and damage must be kept to a minimum.

Bonsai wire comes in varying thickness and material, from 1.5 to 6mm, in aluminum and copper.   It not advisable to substitute wire that hasn't been designed for bonsai training.  If the proper thickness isn't available it is possible to 'double' wire using multiple thinner wires to move heavier limbs.  Weights, separators and straps may also be used in place, or where wiring would not be effective.

Bonsai is a process of learning techniques and application, wiring is just another part of the allure.