Koto Hime - when to wire?

[Dzhokar]

I need to wire the main branches on this tree to add some movement and position them where I would like them. But I'm unsure of when the best time of year to do that is?
I'd like to give the best chance of the limbs setting before the wire bites in, and I think wires would bite in pretty quickly if I wired right now.
Was thinking maybe mid fall... though I wired some willows last fall and by the end of fall the wire was nearly completely embedded so dunno.
Looking at the picture makes me want to chop it back for better proportion lol...
Thoughts?

IMG_0020.JPG

• Dzhokar
• Apr 7, 2020

 

[Maloghurst]

I need to wire the main branches on this tree to add some movement and position them where I would like them. But I'm unsure of when the best time of year to do that is?
I'd like to give the best chance of the limbs setting before the wire bites in, and I think wires would bite in pretty quickly if I wired right now.
Was thinking maybe mid fall... though I wired some willows last fall and by the end of fall the wire was nearly completely embedded so dunno.
Looking at the picture makes me want to chop it back for better proportion lol...
Thoughts?

IMG_0020.JPG

• Dzhokar
• Apr 7, 2020

Funny how pictures do that.
now is a good time to wire, you just need to monitor closely and remove before biting in. Probably 2-3 weeks maybe less.
What are you wiring anyhow? I would let this tree thicken awhile before styling. Or like you said if you are at the desired thickness then the height should be much lower. Be very careful those shoots break easily.

 

[Dzhokar]

Funny how pictures do that.
now is a good time to wire, you just need to monitor closely and remove before biting in. Probably 2-3 weeks maybe less.
What are you wiring anyhow? I would let this tree thicken awhile before styling. Or like you said if you are at the desired thickness then the height should be much lower. Be very careful those shoots break easily.

I was going to wire the 3 main vertical branches so they're not so straight.
As far as trunk thickness, I'm a bit torn, honestly. Grow it out or keep it tiny.
Leaning towards wiring the branches while they're still green and letting it grow a few years though.

 

[Maloghurst]

Wiring those main branches is not going to do you any good. I doubt you could put much movement in them anyway. Eventually you will be pruning much lower and any movement you create now will be gone.
Movement in main branches or trunk lines are created by pruning and a little wire. You need to decide on a direction for the tree then prune and start developing the branches if your good with the trunk size.
You can keep 1,2 or all 3 main branches and develop the tree from that.
But either way you’ll need to cut way back to develop taper and a much lower final height.

 

[InstilledChaos]

I have a few Koto Hime I grew from cuttings that are at about the same stage of development. I was actually wondering the same thing. The wood gets extremely brittle so quickly it seems that getting any movement in the trunk/branches would require wiring when very young. Is a better approach to let it grow wild and eventually pick a low branch to clip back to to make a new trunk line?

In the same vein, do people do any foliage reduction on these at a young age? The leaves are so dense that I would think left un-pruned the tree is very inviting to foliar disease issues.

 

[Maloghurst]

I would probably plan something like this. That said I don’t have a kotohime. I know their growth pattern is very congested and not sure if this style suit this variety of Japanese maple. If this were a regular JM this would be doable.

 

[Dzhokar]

Thanks for that feedback Maloghurst. I think I'll let it just grow for now and thicken up a bit.

 

[Maloghurst]

I have a few Koto Hime I grew from cuttings that are at about the same stage of development. I was actually wondering the same thing. The wood gets extremely brittle so quickly it seems that getting any movement in the trunk/branches would require wiring when very young. Is a better approach to let it grow wild and eventually pick a low branch to clip back to to make a new trunk line?

In the same vein, do people do any foliage reduction on these at a young age? The leaves are so dense that I would think left un-pruned the tree is very inviting to foliar disease issues. View attachment 294975

Your seedling are probably 3-5 years younger at least and I would just let them grow untouched except for some root pruning every couple years and eventually prune to create movement.

 

[Dzhokar]

Your seedling are probably 3-5 years younger....

Oh, yeah. That is about an 8" oval pot in the op for reference.

 

[Shibui]

These very dense dwarf JM need to be thinned out regularly. Normally we spend a lot of effort growing ramification - pinching and pruning. The dwarf forms do it naturally so your job is not to pinch and prune to get ramification but to pinch and prune to open the structure enough so that it is not overcrowded.
Wiring needs to be when young because they get stiff and brittle quickly. Wiring can put in subtle bends but probably won't give strong movement. Pruning will give more definite bends. Your approach will depend on the look you want. Both approaches are useful.
Wiring in spring is good. Growth will allow the bends to set quite quickly and the wire can come off. Trouble is I often forget and can't see the wires due to leaves.
Trunks seem to also thicken up a lot in fall so don't make the mistake of wiring mid summer and forgetting about it.
Nothing prevents wire marks like close monitoring and remove wire as soon as needed. Does not matter what time of year. Rewire if necessary but I have found that bends set far quicker than many people realize.

 

[Dzhokar]

Thanks, Shibui. Appreciate the info.
I hadn't actually tested the branches to see if they were bendable until now, and yeah they are stiff.
Think the appearance was making me think it would be like a schefflera, lol, nothing of the sort.
I'm content to let it grow out for a while.
These grow fairly slow I'm assuming?

 

[Shibui]

Certainly a lot lower than many of the larger JM varieties but still faster than some really slow growing plants. Occasionally you an get some quite long shoots grow though.
Keep feeding and let the parts you don't need in the final design grow with as little pruning as possible to get best thickening. A larger pot will always allow more growth.