Why Wire?
After trimming, the next most important technique in bonsai
styling is wiring. The purpose of wiring is to be able to move branches
into better positions to complete the aesthetics of the composition.
During the initial styling of a tree, wire may be sued to inpart dramatic
changes to the shape of a tree. Young trees with branches lifting to the
sky can be aged immediately by bending the branches down toward the
earth, because old trees (like old humans) have succumbed to the
constant force of gravity.
When doing the initial styling of a bonsai, one does not always
have branches where they are needed. There might be a large hole in the
styling that can be remedied by moving in a branch from another area.
Moving one branch a lot might require moving another branch slightly
to fill the new space. Normally, one wants to avoid having one branch
right underneath another branch because a shaded branch in nature will
eventually weaken and die.
There are several common misconceptions about wiring bonsai. 1)
Some trees for sale on the web or at malls are wired to "make them
bonsai." Wrapping wire around a branch does not make a tree a bonsai.
The wire should be there for a prupose or it should not be there at all. 2)
Wiring a tree is like the ancient tradition of "foot binding." There is no
comparison between the two practices. Careful wiring improves not
only the beauty of a tree but also its health. But like foot binding, the
careless application of wire on a tree can lead to permanent scaring.
This is to be avoided
Which Wire?
The two types of wire commonly used for wiring trees are
anodized aluminum and annealed copper. Neither of these wires are the
same as what is used in electrical work. They do not have insulation.
The copper wire has been specially heat-treated or annealed to make it
very flexible.
Aluminum wire is less expensive and more commonly available at
garden shops or bonsai stores. It takes a greater diameter to hold a given
limb, but that greater diameter means that it is less likely to leave a
wiring scar on the tree.
Professionals and experienced bonsai artists use copper. Copper wire
holds more securely for a given diameter of wire. It has the interesting
feature of "work hardening" which means it is flexible as you put it on
but gets harder to bend as it is wrapped around the tree. This can be
used to great advantage in styling a tree.
Do not try to save money by using other wires. For instance, do
not use iron wire.
Do not use vinyl-clad wire.
Do not use two types of wire on a single tree. The wires will
invariably touch and where they touch, there will be galvanic corrosion.
A copper wire will eat right thru an aluminum wire.
There is a second factor to consider when choosing the wire for a
tree. All bonsai wires come in a variety of diameters usually given in
millimeters. One will generally want to choose the diameter of wire that
is strong enough to comfortably hold the various bends that one is trying
to accomplish. In aluminum, 2mm or 3mm wire is most common, but
one might go all the way up to 8 mm for a large branch. To make the
choice of which size wire to use, take a piece of straight wire and press
on the branch in the direction you would like to move the branch. If the
wire bends, the wire is too small. If the branch bends, the wire is
adequate for the job.
How to Apply Wire
One's skill at wiring is indicative of one's skill or experience with
bonsai. Professionals are often anal about not having crossing wires and
having the wire applied in a precise manner. That is fine and it is
permissible to display trees that are expertly wired. This is a matter of
art and not function. Beginners should have no qualms about crossed
wires - the purpose is to accomplish the bending required. Nonetheless,
one should aspire to good wiring and the following section provides
some of the basics.
When applying wire, the starting end of the wire needs to be
secured in place. If it is coming up the trunk, the wire can be started by
inserting into the soil at the base of the tree. Alternatively, the wire can
be looped around another convenient branch. Do not be stingy with the
wire. If you have started out a branch, take the wire all the way to the
end of the branch. It will hold better and there will be other
improvement to the tree that can come later in the styling process.
The first bend of a wire on a branch should be the same direction
that you want to bend the branch. For instance, if you want to bend a
branch down and forward, the wire should approach the branch from the
back and come over the top. Thus, as you bend the branch in place, the
wire will be tightened, holding the branch in position better. Were it
from the bottom and front, the wire would be compressed and would
loosen its grip on the branch during the positioning process.
As the wire is applied, it
should conform to the tree but it
should not be so tight that it
immediately starts to cut into the
bark of the tree. The wire should
appear to be crossing the branch or
trunk at about a 45 degree angle (or
less as you become more
experienced and know what will
work) because this will give the
optimal combination of holding
power and ability to put the desired
bends into the branch. The first
figure shows the application of a
wire up a trunk and onto a branch. In this particular case, the wire
would probably be used to lower the angle of the branch to provide age
to the tree. For that reason, it started out the branch from above the
branch. As the branch is lowered, the wire will tighten slightly and do a
better job of holding the branch in place.
The diagram purposely skips the first branch because that branch
will be addressed in the next picture. Note that looking down from the
top of the tree, the wire has been applied to the trunk in a clockwise
manner. It does not matter whether the applicaton is in a clockwise or
counterclockwise manner - that is a matter of personal preference.
However, all subsequent applications of wire to the trunk should be
applied in the same clockwise manner.
The second piece of wire
applied to the trunk (shown in red
for clarity) starts just below the
original wire and follows the
original wire up the tree. The
original wire was placed so that
there was a gap as it passed above
the first branch. That left a place
for the second wire which now
started out the branch from above
that particular crotch in the tree.
As an alternative to wiring both
of these branches from the base of the
tree, it would have been possible to
wire both of them using the same
piece of wire. In that particular case,
the two branches act as anchors for
each other. It is essential that there
was some wire up the trunk, as will
become clear later. Again note that
the wire was applied in a clockwise
manner on the trunk. If for some
reason, I want to apply another wire
to the tree starting from the bottom,
the handedness of this short section
on the trunk will become important.
In the next figure, the red
wire has been applied up the
trunk going thru the area of the
original wire. The red wire has
been applied in a clockwise
manner and is thus able to pass
the original wire without
crossing or making contact with
the original wire. Planning the
course of the wire can be
important to the final outcome of
the wiring process.
As the wiring of the tree
progresses, there will be more
such decisions to make about the location of wires. The next two figures
show the application of wire to four branches. The first figure is a good
example of what not to do. It might seem to be convenient to wire the
two pairs of branches in that manner, but there is no vertical anchor to
the wire. As a result, the two branches held by a giver wire will teeter-
totter back and forth as you attempt to position the branches. It is far
more desirable to wire as shown so that there is sufficient vertical
anchoring. Once again, note that as both wires go up the trunk, they are
progressing in a clockwise manner.
When one gets to fine wiring out
on the ends of branches, there may be
no good location to anchor the wire.
At that point, it is possible to loop
over the main part of the branch to
pick up two smaller branches. This is
shown in the following picture. At
this point future wiring becomes a bit more difficult because as you will
note, the wire going our one branch is clockwise and the other is
counterclockwise. Generally, one would not need to add more wire to
this situation, but if it is necessary, then it can be done. In the next two
figures, wire is brought out the branch to pass the existing wire. Note
that to go one direction, the wire is applied clockwise and for the other
branch, the wire is applied counterclockwise.
Tie-Downs
As mentioned above, the initial wiring of a tree is often to make it
look older and this involved lowering the angle of the branches. At
times, it is difficult to achieve the desired positions with simple wiring.
As an alternative, one can resort to tie-downs. Tie-downs are as simple
as running a wire between two positions and applying tension to the wire
to achieve the desired movement. If a tree is well-secured in a pot, it is
possible to use a short piece of heavy wire to make a hook to be places
thru one of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. A smaller wire is
then attached to that anchoring hook and brought up from under the pot.
Run the wire thru a short piece of rubber or plastic tubing and then
around the desired branch with the tubing running across the top of the
branch where the pressure from the wire will be the greatest. The
branch should be pulled somewhat past the desired position and then the
wire is twisted to hold.
In particularly difficult cases, the wire can be applied as a loop
around the branch and a significant anchor point on the tree. A stick is
then placed between the two wires and the two sides of the loop are
slowly twisted together, applying significant tension like a turnbuckle.
Getting Results from the Wire
We have discussed how to put the wire on in the above section, but
the job is not finished. One can put significant bends into tree to make
dramatic changes in their appearance. When working on young
material, I have already mentioned that the branches should be bent
down to enhance the look of age of the tree. Wire taken up the trunk of
a tree can be used to put some movement into that trunk. Bend some
curves into the trunk such that the branches leave the tree at the outside
of curves. The curves should be broader at the thicker parts of the tree
and should become tighter as the tree narrows.
If the tree is two-dimensional, swing some branches around to the
back of the tree to give the tree depth. If there are holes in the overall
outline of the tree, move branches around to fill those holes.
If you have put movement into the trunk of the tree, the branches should
reflect that movement. Bend a branch back where it leaves the trunk and
then bring part of it forward before sending the tip back again. The
curves should be broader at the thicker parts of the branch and should
become tighter as the branch narrows, again reflecting the overall style
of the tree. The purpose is not to contort the entire tree, but to make the
tree more interesting.
How Long Does Wire Stay On?
The general rule of thumb for how long wire stays on is "just as
long as necessary" or "not too long." Are those answers ambiguous
enough? I prefer the answer you would get from a lawyer - "It all
depends..."
Wire applied to fast-growing deciduous trees in the spring can start
to cut into the bark in as little as a month. Spruce can take years for the
wire to achieve the desired effect. Thus, it is impossible to provide a
definitive answer. But it is possible to define what is too long and that is
if the wire is beginning to leave a scar on the tree. Just be sure to look at
the tree on a regular basis.
For trees like maples or crab apples, you should wire in the spring
and watch the wire on a weekly basis. You should be able to see the
entire circumference of the wire and none of the wire should appear to
be below the level of the bark. The branch will take a set into the new
position within that short period of time. On spruce, you may leave wire
on for two years. When you finally take it off you will see the branch
start to resume its original position. Thus you might have to re-wire the
tree immediately. This might seem like a lot of extra work, but it has the
advantage of moving the wire to a new position. Thus, it is much less
likely to be scarring. I have never had to have anything wired for more
than four years.
Azaleas are particularly this-barked and thus susceptible to wire
scars and the scars are close to being permanent. That is why it is a
common practice to wrap the wire in paper or raffia before applying to
the tree so that there is a softer material up against the bark of the tree.
This will allow the wire to be left on for a longer period of time before
any damage is done.
When one is doing tie-downs, there can be quite a bit of pressure
from the wire in a very limited area. This is a quick way to scar the tree,
so it is common to pass the wire thru a small piece of rubber tubing or
padding right at the contact area to minimize cutting in. Tie-downs
might remain in place for up to two years, but the point of actual contact
with the branch can be moved on a regular basis.
Wiring
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