Bonsai wire?

[Nievesgirl]

I typed out a long post ... then I hit submit and says I am logged out

I am to lazy to type it all so I wanted to say I am new here and new to bonsai. ( I have a few books ) I would like to know what type of wire I should use on my adeniums ?

I also have a 1 year old hibiscus cutting I rooted just for bonsai. What would you suggest for this plant. ( I know they have different wire sizes )

Thanks

 

[october]

I do not work with the species you suggested. However, aluminum would be the way to go because it is a bit more flexible and can be re-adjusted if necessary. The gage would depend on the thickness of branches. Usually a quarter of the thickness of the branch is the wire thickness you would use. Of course, this depends on individual species, individual branches, whether you are using copper or aluminum wire. For wiring with aluminum, you would need a thicker gage.

Also, wiring has techniques and sequences which need to be adhered to. Such as, what direction to wire a branch up, down, back and forth. Also, wiring one branch to another (this is necessary). It takes lots of practice, but is worth it to learn at least the basics. The alternative is scarred branches, broken branches and lack of results.

Rob

 

[Nievesgirl]

Thanks Rob,

I am horrible at math and measuring. I attached pictures of the plants I will be working on. Thanks for the info. I was looking at wire sets on ebay ( I did not look to see what type of metal wire was made out of ) but I will look.

The first plant has maybe .5 inch diameter branches probably less the middle plant has thick branches 1 inch and above ( I am going to prune and shape this before I do wire work ) the last plant really doesn't need much its branches are smaller than the first plant. I am going to prune and shape with light first and see how it looks and lightly shape with wire.

 

[flor1]

Before wiring take a class where someone can work with you.
In the long run will be money well spent

 

[october]

Thanks Rob,

I am horrible at math and measuring. I attached pictures of the plants I will be working on. Thanks for the info. I was looking at wire sets on ebay ( I did not look to see what type of metal wire was made out of ) but I will look.

The first plant has maybe .5 inch diameter branches probably less the middle plant has thick branches 1 inch and above ( I am going to prune and shape this before I do wire work ) the last plant really doesn't need much its branches are smaller than the first plant. I am going to prune and shape with light first and see how it looks and lightly shape with wire.

I would like to suggest something that might prevent some problems and might make you happier in the long run. These plants you have selected. They are really not used very often for bonsai. There are many reasons for that. They are generally not good bonsai candidates. These are more like house plants. Personally, I would not wire or prune these. You might break some of the branches and they do not look like they have lots of foliage that needs to be pruned. I would just put these in some nice pots and keep them as house plants. If you want to get into bonsai. You will need to look into species like juniper, yew, azalea or trees that can be indoors for parts of the year like ficus.

Rob

 

[CamdenJim]

Wire them not

I agree with october/Rob -- Adeniums (Adenia?) aren't typically used for bonsai, and based on my experience with one, wiring simply wouldn't work. I have never tried, because comparing those stubby, thick, not-at-all-woody stems to branches on my "real" trees made me reject the idea.

HOWEVER, I think the chubby, stubby plants can look great as house plants in a bonsai pot. You'll have to do some serious root-pruning first. My big one had several long roots the size of large carrots extending straight down from the base of the caudex. Whacked them off, let the wound dry for a week, then used 50/50 akadama and lava rock to put it in a clover-shaped bonsai pot. Did so well last year I put it in a nicer looking pot this spring.

The spunky little devil now has two large roots growing in horizontal curves, following the curve of the pot. The crazy late winter weather around here shocked the poor thing, so blooms are real late, and most of the mature leaves fell off last week. But it looks good in a pot fastened to the south-facing rail of our deck. Loves the sun.