Lavender star- wiring question

[HtxBonsai]

I have read a few care sheets on this plant my wife got me for father's day, and one of them specifically says not to use copper wire, that you should use aluminum instead.

I haven't encountered this yet and the only response I've gotten on Facebook is someone who is doing a clip and grow technique so he has no idea either.

Is this a thing? If I have annealed copper wire should I be worried about using it on the tree?

 

[Anthony]

Htx,

see if the Grewia c. is affected by copper reactions, especially if in contact with soil.

Plus that shrub looks like it needs to ground grow for a year or so for a trunk.
Check information on how much cold it can handle, I believe it is from South Africa ? zone 9 or 10 ?
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Where most bonsai artists use aluminum on deciduous trees, and copper on conifers. The main reason is aluminum is cheaper than copper, and deciduous trees the branches harden off and hold their shape quickly, less than one year. If your timing is right, some deciduous you can wire, and they will hold shape in as little as 6 weeks. Also the practice of growing out, cutting back hard, then repeat, means deciduous trees are wired more often, usually three or four times more often than conifers over the same time span. Conifers, especially pines get wired, it may be 3 years before wire is removed.

The above is most likely the original origin of the statement. Copper is a "self protecting" metal. As soon as you pull it out of the heat from annealing process, the outside of the wire begins to oxidize. The coating of oxides on the wire is hard and very insoluble in water. It is unlikely one could leach enough copper off the wire, into the soil to have a toxic effect on the Grewia. Heck, copper cook ware is popular and in use for centuries, and there is no issue with the copper oxides leaching into our food. I would not worry about it.

Many new to bonsai find aluminum wire easier to learn wiring with, go ahead and use aluminum, but other than expense no reason not to use copper.

Copper has superior strength, or holding power. Copper wire can be less than the diameter of the branch and it will be strong enough to hold. It also hardens as it is applied, which is great if it needs to be on the tree for several years, not an advantage if it is to be removed in a few months. The hardening as applied makes it difficult for newbies to work with.

So use which ever you want, copper or aluminum.

 

[GrimLore]

I have read a few care sheets on this plant my wife got me for father's day, and one of them specifically says not to use copper wire, that you should use aluminum instead.

Aluminum would be easier to use especially on new growth causing far less possible breakage. As far as it otherwise hurting the plant the answer is no. I recently acquired two very small starters and have researched them a LOT.
You can more then likely grow out the base a bit in that pot(pretty big in proportion) but a heavy cutback would be appropriate... Myself for at least the first year I would not let it get any taller.

Grimmy

 

[HtxBonsai]

Aluminum would be easier to use especially on new growth causing far less possible breakage. As far as it otherwise hurting the plant the answer is no. I recently acquired two very small starters and have researched them a LOT.
You can more then likely grow out the base a bit in that pot(pretty big in proportion) but a heavy cutback would be appropriate... Myself for at least the first year I would not let it get any taller.

Grimmy

Well I haven't had a ton of time to devote to pruning because we've been moving...And I'm still trying to figure out exactly what to do with this tree.

It's been growing pretty well since I got it though

 

[milehigh_7]

@HtxBonsai
Welcome to the Nut House. I'm one of the ones who told you I have been using clip and grow as all of mine are still really small. The thing I do know is that they grow VERY fast and if you do wire watch for bite in. I have pruned mine back at least 4 times this summer.

 

[HtxBonsai]

@milehigh_7 do you do any pinching on flowers? This is one of my first flowering trees other than my bougie(not really flowers so I guess it doesn't count) and I don't know anything about when and how o pinch the flowers off to encourage more flowers.

Any tips?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@HtxBonsai
Looks good. Since you are busy moving, don't worry, let it grow. You need growth to thicken the trunk. You could pot it up to a one or 3 gallon nursery pot. The 3 gallon will be big enough to get a bush large enough to develop a 2 to 4 inch diameter trunk. The more branches, the more leaves the quicker it thickens.

If it were mine, I'd move it to a nursery can for 2 to 5 years. Let it get to be a big bush. As big as you can handle when winter comes and you need to protect it.

Then, when trunk is over 2 inches in diameter, chop it back, reduce it to a single trunk, with no branches, cut to 4 inches tall. Size is arbitrary, I like that height. It should explode with new growth, back budding everywhere. Let it grow a few months, then select the second segment of trunk, remove all else. When second is about an inch diameter, cut back to half the length of first segment. Again this is all while in nursery pot. Repeat sequence, each added segment should be shorter than previous. After starting the third segment, you can keep branches that sprout in the right places.

So designing a tree, each segment of trunk should be half to three quarters the diameter of the previous.

Branches should be less than half the diameter of the trunk, 25% is a good target. Branches nearly as thick as the trunk give the illusion of a shrub rather than an old tree.

Generally, with deciduous or broadleaf trees, on young material only the first couple inches of trunk will still be there a decade after starting bonsai training. Everything else will be brown out then cut off several times before final branches are in place.

Do remove any suckers that sprout from the roots. You want a single trunk.

Grewia flower on new growth, no pinching or pruning if you want flowers. Enjoy lots of flowers while growing out to develop trunk.

I would only wire the main trunk to get a few bends in the first 4 inches, the rest will all be cut off in a few years, no need to get cranked about wiring.

However, do prune just enough to keep it attractive to your own eye while growing it out. It should look pleasant.

You don't have to follow this plan, it is what I would do. It will get you quickly to a trunk thick enough to look tree like when you finally prune it down small enough to go back into the pot it is currently growing in.

Most finished bonsai spend much of their first five or more years, 5 to 10 times taller than their finished height.