Oops. The plural of genus is genera. I guess I was pretentious and wrong.Genii
Hmm... how about wiring deciduous trees in early spring, before buds burst?Wrong time of the year?
For Pines, it's when the candles (shoots) are growing because they're delicate and easily broken.
For Juniper, it's summer. The branches are full of sap, and the bark and cambium are very loosely attached to the heartwood, making it very easy to damage.
For deciduous, its fall after leaf drop. By that time the wood has lignified. Wiring (and bending) may damage the branches, but they're going (or already are) dormant, so they can't repair themselves until the following spring. The time to wire deciduous is while they're growing, with green soft shoots. They can be wired into place and they lignify into place within weeks! Then the wire is removed, and the shoots are cut back. When new shoots appear, wire those, and when they lignify, unwire and cutback. Depending on the species and length of your growing season you can do this 3 or 4 times a year.
Remove wire before winter for deciduous because the wire can concentrate the cold and cause branch die back.
Wrong time of the year?
For Pines, it's when the candles (shoots) are growing because they're delicate and easily broken.
For Juniper, it's summer. The branches are full of sap, and the bark and cambium are very loosely attached to the heartwood, making it very easy to damage.
For deciduous, its fall after leaf drop. By that time the wood has lignified. Wiring (and bending) may damage the branches, but they're going (or already are) dormant, so they can't repair themselves until the following spring. The time to wire deciduous is while they're growing, with green soft shoots. They can be wired into place and they lignify into place within weeks! Then the wire is removed, and the shoots are cut back. When new shoots appear, wire those, and when they lignify, unwire and cutback. Depending on the species and length of your growing season you can do this 3 or 4 times a year.
Remove wire before winter for deciduous because the wire can concentrate the cold and cause branch die back.
Hmm... how about wiring deciduous trees in early spring, before buds burst?
Like right before repotting, for example?
Again, the old wood is already lignified. Which means if you bend it, you break it. (Wood has some natural flexibility, allowing trees to sway with the wind. If you bend so little that you're within the sway, it's not doing any damage, but it's not until the tree adds new cells, and those lignify, that the wiring bends "take".Hmm... how about wiring deciduous trees in early spring, before buds burst?
Like right before repotting, for example?
Again, the old wood is already lignified. Which means if you bend it, you break it. (Wood has some natural flexibility, allowing trees to sway with the wind. If you bend so little that you're within the sway, it's not doing any damage, but it's not until the tree adds new cells, and those lignify, that the wiring bends "take".
Deciduous trees develop movement much better if the curves are put in when the new growth has not yet lignified. Then when it does lignify, those curves are there forever!
Deciduous trees should be grown into shape. Yes, it's tedious, and takes a long time. It's also why you see far better deciduous bonsai in Japan than here in the West.
is there a WRONG time of year to wire most bonsai?
I'm struggling with the right time to do Maples, if you do it on young growth they just snap. If you do it too late it's hard to bend the joints.
If i do it in fall then i have to worry about winter protection up here...who knows how cold it's going to get this year.
I NEVER wire my maples in summer.Young growth. Be gentle. Before it lignifies.
There's a thread by MarkyScott called "Ebihara Maples". It starts off with developing good nebari. About halfway thru the thread we discuss how to train Maples.
The truth: great Maples are grown into shape, not bent like conifers. But, they do get wire when the shoots are young, say 6 to 8 leaves. The wire only has to stay on a couple weeks, then it's removed, an the branch is cut back. When it grows out again, wire it again. Remove and cut back. Repeat as many times as you can each spring/summer!
I'm struggling with the right time to do Maples, if you do it on young growth they just snap. If you do it too late it's hard to bend the joints.
If i do it in fall then i have to worry about winter protection up here...who knows how cold it's going to get this year.