Bonsai Wiring

The wiring of Bonsai trees to attain desired shaping is used in association with your long-term trimming plans. The use of good wiring techniques permits us to train Bonsai trees in virtually any shape or style.

For example, it is used if you want to make a Bonsai tree look older by means of low-hanging branches, or if you want to keep a bend in the trunk or want one eliminated.

The best material to use is copper anodized wire. It is always advisable to use the thinnest training wire that will hold a branch in the desired position.

We do not wire our Bonsai trees after they have been repotted. Always give your Bonsai tree adequate time to recover from one technique before you start another.

Always wind the training wire in the direction the branch is bent in order to prevent loosening of the wire. Do not put the wire on too tightly because it will cause physical scarring to the branch. Wrap the training wire around the branch just tightly enough to get the job of styling done properly. Begin to wire your Bonsai tree at the base of the main trunk and slowly rap the training wire around the trunk so that it becomes the anchor of the training wire. Continue wrapping the training wire along the branch you are planning to train. Repeat this process with each branch until you are finished.

The wiring process takes approximately six weeks to six months before the shape will be complete. This depends on the thickness of the branches and the variety of Bonsai tree being shaped. In any case, the training wiring process, as the Bonsai tree process, is an ongoing process throughout the life of the Bonsai tree.

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