Tips on How to Wire a Bonsai Tree

PaulC |

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The method of wrapping copper or aluminum wire around the branches or trunk of a bonsai tree to shape it is known as wiring. In order to wire a bonsai tree and create basic styles, you need to wrap the trunk and branches with the proper thickness and length of wire. The formal upright style requires no wrapping, whereas the cascade shape involves a few months of careful wiring.

When you wire a bonsai tree, stress is placed along the trunk or branch, so proceed with caution. If care is not taken, the tree could be killed or sections could be damaged. Another error is to wrap in too constricting a fashion or in the wrong season. This can cause lasting damage to the tree, or might even kill it outright.

If you're new to bonsai gardening, practice with a simple wooden pole or small tree branch before you actually wire a bonsai tree. This will assist you in getting used to the wire while developing the dexterity to hang on to the branch and simultaneously wrap. As soon as you are comfortable hanging on to the branch one-handed while wrapping with your other hand, not pulling or bending anything expect the wrapped component, you may then move on to the bonsai tree.

The first thing that you need to do is choose which wire will work best. The typical choices are either aluminum or copper, but many people find that copper is more appealing to the eye throughout the lengthy bonsai training process. Since steel can actually be poisonous to bonsai plants, you should avoid this kind of wire at all costs, and stick solely to annealed copper. Beginners find it easier to use aluminum because it is not as difficult to bend. Copper wiring tends to be a bit stiffer, but it can also scar the bonsai if you don't apply it with care. As a rule of thumb, choose wire that is 1/3 of the branch's thickness.

Strategically placed little stresses along the tree trunk or branch are what allow the wire to change the shape of the tree. This means that the wire needs to be stronger as compared with the tree trunk or branch; if not the wire will bend and not the tree.

Give yourself plenty of wrapping practice sessions using branches of a comparable type of tree until you feel coordinated with the whole procedure. Test different thicknesses of wire on branches of a similar species and size before using it on the bonsai. Many different thicknesses will be necessary to complete the whole tree, so use all of them for practice.

Learning to wire a bonsai tree is a skill that requires a lot of patience in order to master. Don't be discouraged, though, because if you are willing to take the time you can learn how to do this, and you will be so pleased with the results.