Question regarding wiring seedlings

[casun]

I have some 1-2 year old seedlings in 9” colanders and I’d like to wire some of the trunks for movement. I plan to insert the wire next to the trunk, straight through the substrate, out the bottom of the colander to secure it. Good idea? Bad idea? Is there a better way to get some movement started in 1-2 year old seedlings?

 

[Haines' Trees]

What species are they?

 

[casun]

What species are they?

JBP, Atlas Cedar, Ponderosa Pine, Aleppo Pine, Sugar Pine, Stone Pine, and Monterey Cypress.

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

I plan to insert the wire next to the trunk, straight through the substrate, out the bottom of the colander to secure it.

Good idea, this way you can get a really good and secure anchor.

 

[Haines' Trees]

Yeah that methodology works. Tight movements are appropriate if your endgame with a particular tree is a smaller bonsai. If you want to create a larger one in the future with one of them then go with gentler bends.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I wouldn't secure it to the collander. Soils can shift a lot and I like it when my trees can move with it.
It's a good idea to tie the roots to the collander though, but a trunk can get some nasty cuts if you make a wrong move.

I use the cheapest galvanized iron wire for seedlings. If you treat it with a blowtorch before you use it, it'll oxidize in a year and a half and fall apart in two years.

 

[Adair M]

I wouldn't secure it to the collander. Soils can shift a lot and I like it when my trees can move with it.
It's a good idea to tie the roots to the collander though, but a trunk can get some nasty cuts if you make a wrong move.

I use the cheapest galvanized iron wire for seedlings. If you treat it with a blowtorch before you use it, it'll oxidize in a year and a half and fall apart in two years.

Sorry, I disagree 100% with everything in your post, except securing the roots to the container..

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Sorry, I disagree 100% with everything in your post, except securing the roots to the container..

No need to be sorry, I'd rather hear why you disagree.
My collanders are pretty flexible, and if I would connect a trunk with the bottom, the wire will tear the trunk apart when I lift the collander.
If the wire is left on to thicken the trunk faster, it's easy to forget that it was connected. That's problematic for repots.
I'm leaving the wire on some, and oxidized iron is easier to hide than sparkling silver colored wire.

I'm not saying it's the best way of doing things, but I think I have good reasons to do what I do.

 

[Adair M]

“sparkling silver wire”? I don’t use aluminum on conifers. Only copper.

Flexible collanders? You mean when you pick them up they shift? Uh... that’s a problem. Regardless of whether you wire them in or not. The whole point of wiring trees into pots is so that the roots are absolutely stable within the pot. Shifting soil within a pot can break the fine feeder roots. And the trunks moving due to winds, etc., can cause the roots to move and therefore break roots. Wiring the trees into the pots so that they absolutely cannot move is very important.

 

[casun]

The colanders I’m using are round and very rigid so I’m not worried about anything shifting. These seedlings are already in the colanders and I don’t think they have enough of a rootball to secure it with wire even if I wanted to go down that path, which I don’t, because it would require a repot. I’m going to try a single wire straight through the center of the colander. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[leatherback]

I’m going to try a single wire straight through the center of the colander.

I do this often with trees with few roots, or seedlings. It works well.

If you have the option: I tend to use a thick wire (say 4mm) which I loop underneath the pot through 2 holes in the pot, as you would normally. One end I however clip short and bend around the pot, so it just hooks the hole. The other I bend inwards and up so it stands up by itself. Fill the pot partially with substrate. Place the tree in there and then use a thin wire to wire the seedling / layer against it. AFter 3-6 months you can remove the thin wire and the plant stands by itself.

 

[Adair M]

I do this often with trees with few roots, or seedlings. It works well.

If you have the option: I tend to use a thick wire (say 4mm) which I loop underneath the pot through 2 holes in the pot, as you would normally. One end I however clip short and bend around the pot, so it just hooks the hole. The other I bend inwards and up so it stands up by itself. Fill the pot partially with substrate. Place the tree in there and then use a thin wire to wire the seedling / layer against it. AFter 3-6 months you can remove the thin wire and the plant stands by itself.

That sounds like a clever idea!

 

[casun]

I do this often with trees with few roots, or seedlings. It works well.

If you have the option: I tend to use a thick wire (say 4mm) which I loop underneath the pot through 2 holes in the pot, as you would normally. One end I however clip short and bend around the pot, so it just hooks the hole. The other I bend inwards and up so it stands up by itself. Fill the pot partially with substrate. Place the tree in there and then use a thin wire to wire the seedling / layer against it. AFter 3-6 months you can remove the thin wire and the plant stands by itself.

Interesting idea. I think I’ll try that when I have some new seedlings.

 

[sorce]

Throw a brick on em!

I'm super anti "wire in the soil" to wire a trunk. (I typed a post recently but don't know where)

Unless your soil is compacted to the point where it is unhealthy for the tree, you're not going to get any leverage besides the first wrap anyway, so everything below the soil is wasted.

You're better off placing it to soil line and ziptying it tight at the base, just don't forget to cut the ziptie early.

Or just wire em when you Repot if you got no bricks.

Sorce

 

[casun]

No bricks. Maybe I’ll use cinder blocks.

 

[River's Edge]

I have used wire on a 45 degree through the side of the colander, with the tip tucked into another hole for an anchor. This approach allows you to wire the trunk with the normal approach to winding the wire on the trunk. It also tends to put less pressure or damage on the roots closest to the trunk as it exits on an angle rather Han directly through the roots close to the trunk. Less likely to rotate and damage roots when winding and unwinding after use, Simply proceed with the normal anchor position but hook through holes in the side of the colander.