Wiring pre bonsai
- Thread starter brentwood
- Start date
leatherback
The Treedeemer
It is what I do. I even wire the sacrifice branches so that either the Yins or the cuttings/layers later on have a basic shape.
Shinjuku
Mame
I do this too. The earlier you wire seedlings, the more you can influence the shape of the trunk that you want.
I’ve found that aiming for “proper” wiring technique on young seedlings isn’t worth it for two reasons: 1) It’s too easy to break the trunk or branches if you strive for pristine and immaculate wiring technique, and 2) Seedlings can grow so fast that you may need to remove the wire very soon anyway.
Obviously, on older trees, proper wiring technique is important.
I’ve heard about some people using window screens for a similar purpose. Get a mesh window screen and lay it on the ground horizontally perhaps in inch or less above the seedlings. As the tree grows and touches the screen mesh, it will naturally bend as it grows sideways against the mesh. This creates random bends instead of planned bends, which could be interesting.
I’ve found that aiming for “proper” wiring technique on young seedlings isn’t worth it for two reasons: 1) It’s too easy to break the trunk or branches if you strive for pristine and immaculate wiring technique, and 2) Seedlings can grow so fast that you may need to remove the wire very soon anyway.
Obviously, on older trees, proper wiring technique is important.
I’ve heard about some people using window screens for a similar purpose. Get a mesh window screen and lay it on the ground horizontally perhaps in inch or less above the seedlings. As the tree grows and touches the screen mesh, it will naturally bend as it grows sideways against the mesh. This creates random bends instead of planned bends, which could be interesting.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
I have some 1ft bits of thick alu wire laying around in my growing beds which I pus in the plants. Then a few sections of small alu wire and I clamp the growing branches to the alu wire, twisted and everything, as the plant grows. In winter I take it off, and leave it around for the next growing season. Takes a few seconds a month per plant and results in unpredictable shapes and twists.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
I wire them out a bit too. I still believe you should practice proper wiring technique any time you are wiring branches, if for no other reason than good practice leads to good results. However, I wire the first/interior 2-4” of the branches, then leave the rest unwired so they will grow and thicken up.
You can get into a rhythm of selection pruning, wiring and planting in year 1, unwiring in year 2, unrestricted growth in year 3; 3-4, and then digging it up again to repeat pruning (add a little jin/shari) and wiring. It is important to get a lot of movement in close if you want to end up with a smaller tree. I have lost years of good growing by planting trunks straight up instead of adding movement right from the base.
These Itoigawa junipers are 6 year old cuttings, and are beginning the second wiring and pruning cycle. Trunks are reaching 3” in diameter, and branches are spreading out to about 48” wide.
You can get into a rhythm of selection pruning, wiring and planting in year 1, unwiring in year 2, unrestricted growth in year 3; 3-4, and then digging it up again to repeat pruning (add a little jin/shari) and wiring. It is important to get a lot of movement in close if you want to end up with a smaller tree. I have lost years of good growing by planting trunks straight up instead of adding movement right from the base.
These Itoigawa junipers are 6 year old cuttings, and are beginning the second wiring and pruning cycle. Trunks are reaching 3” in diameter, and branches are spreading out to about 48” wide.
RobertB
Chumono
Good grief, 3 inch trunks on 6 yr cuttings.. that sounds great! I didn't know itogawa would thicken up that fast in the ground. I just started about two dozens cuttings of itogawa. Guess I need to put some in the ground after a few years.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
3 inch trunks is far better than I've been able to grow in J. chinensis. Congrats Brian.
Agree wholeheartedly that early wiring is vital. Without it you'll get long, straight trunks that are not good for bonsai.
Wiring trees in the ground does have some drawbacks - lying/crouching down to wire low is difficult and can be painful for those of us with older backs. Also hard to get really good bends when you can't move the whole tree around to see what it will look like from the other sides. Need to keep a better watch on faster growing wired trees to save from wire mark damage - some scarring is ok but regular spiral shari will not look great.
I have occasionally tied long branches into knots and wrapped them around sticks, etc (avoid the dreaded corkscrew) to get some extra random bends while trees are in the ground.
I've also taken to wiring sacrifice branches in case I need an interesting jin later. Doesn't take long and they can always be cut short but straight, thick jin is harder to bend.
Agree wholeheartedly that early wiring is vital. Without it you'll get long, straight trunks that are not good for bonsai.
Wiring trees in the ground does have some drawbacks - lying/crouching down to wire low is difficult and can be painful for those of us with older backs. Also hard to get really good bends when you can't move the whole tree around to see what it will look like from the other sides. Need to keep a better watch on faster growing wired trees to save from wire mark damage - some scarring is ok but regular spiral shari will not look great.
I have occasionally tied long branches into knots and wrapped them around sticks, etc (avoid the dreaded corkscrew) to get some extra random bends while trees are in the ground.
I've also taken to wiring sacrifice branches in case I need an interesting jin later. Doesn't take long and they can always be cut short but straight, thick jin is harder to bend.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
I am sure @Brian Van Fleet meant 3 inch tall trunks.
I am doing something really wrong here. Maybe I should water and fertilize my trees that are in the ground.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Life ain't fair, is it. Any tips on how to make thise grow faster? More water and fertilizer? I have them in full sun, growing season for them about mid-march to mid oktober. I get maybe 6-10ninches extension per year.
Brian Van Fleet
Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
Yes to all...and let them grow. The result is exponential really. Once the foliage starts to pile on, they begin to trunk up relatively fast. Limit pruning to every few years at most while they’re in the ground, and watch them fatten up in year 3.
Life ain't fair, is it. Any tips on how to make thise grow faster? More water and fertilizer? I have them in full sun, growing season for them about mid-march to mid oktober. I get maybe 6-10ninches extension per year.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Year 3 (or is it year 4?) for some of mine in the ground. All other cultivation aspects as you have outlined (except harvesting occasional cuttings). So now I'm watching...... still doesn't seem to be making much difference?
Thickening (and growth) does seem to be exponential. First year very little change. Second and 3rd year growth above ground certainly accelerates and commensurate trunk thickening begins but still not as much as you are getting.
I certainly get many shoots extending more than 12 inches each year.
I read some comments to the effect that junipers grow better in sandy (gritty?) soils. Would soil pH affect growth much? Soils in my area are slightly acid rather than alkaline.
Thickening (and growth) does seem to be exponential. First year very little change. Second and 3rd year growth above ground certainly accelerates and commensurate trunk thickening begins but still not as much as you are getting.
I certainly get many shoots extending more than 12 inches each year.
I read some comments to the effect that junipers grow better in sandy (gritty?) soils. Would soil pH affect growth much? Soils in my area are slightly acid rather than alkaline.
