Betula nigra (River Birch) wiring question.

[Michigan Tree Murderer]

Just wondering if anyone has advice on wiring this type of Birch. Bought one back in March & the person helping me showed me how they'd wire it, and proceeded to wire a couple of branches, I asked how long should I keep the wire on, and he said four weeks. Well after five weeks I removed the wire, and the branches pretty much went back to their original pre-wired position. So, how long should I leave the wire on? Here's a picture from Mid March.


Any advice (links or pics) on this species is appreciated even if it's not about wiring.

 

[Paradox]

5 weeks is too short.
We leave wire on until it just starts to bite in.
How long this takes varies on how fast the tree thickens its branches.

You need to check it every so often so you know when to remove it. If you leave it too long, it can cause ugly scars that will be noticeable for a very long time.

Birch can be a frustrating species to work with. They are known to kill off branches for no apparent reason and it's usually one important for the design