Can you spot my wiring mistake?

[Gene Deci]

Do you see wire that detracts?

The thing is, Pines grow new candles every year. Those candles grow straight up. On a small tree, if no wire were on, all the foliage would grow straight up. We are trying to create the image of a mature tree in miniature. On a full size tree, the new foliage grows straight up, but after a a couple years, that foliage gets heavy, an the branch bends down due to its own weight. Also winds and snow weigh down on the tree’s branches.

Our little trees stay so small the weight of the branches is insignificant. Unless we do something, they will continue to grow straight up. Over the years, spiral wiring has found its place in bonsai as being both effective and the least obtrusive way to “train” bonsai.

Hardwood trees in the winter are lignified. Their shapes won’t change. Pines and other conifers are considered “softwood”. They stay sappy, and can be bent long after being “lignified”. In fact, many can be bent with wire, and after the wire is removed, they will revert back to their original positions! (Maybe not all the way, but they don’t keep their “trained” position).

So, given the nature of the material, it is unreasonable to expect conifers to remain unwired for any period of time.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, a really nice unwired conifer is great! It just won’t stay “great” very long!

So, having wire on conifers became accepted for shows. And, the skill of the artist applying the wire is part of the beauty of the bonsai.

None of that, which is all obvious, changes the fact that the wire detracts from the tree

 

[quietobserver]

Your wire wasn't properly annealed?

My guess was ‘shit’ wire as well. Makes the whole branch look a little sketchy.....

 

[PiñonJ]

That's interesting, I think in general, coming from the bottom will help pull downward, which is what we offensive are doing.

No, the idea is that you enter the branch opposite to the way you want to bend it. That way, when you bend, you’re snugging the wire against the branch and stretching it, so after the bend, the work-hardened wire will resist being compressed as the branch tries to spring back to its original position. The exception is when the angle of the branch to the trunk is too acute to get a wire on correctly. The solution is to first bend right, or left before doing the vertical bend. So, for example, if the first bend is to the right, you’d enter from the left.