When to wire Junipers in the UK

[Nickuk74]

Hi,
I would be grateful for advice on when to wire junipers in the UK. At the moment, the bark is so thin and fragile, it sloughs off very easily. Can someone please advise as to when it's safer to wire, but the trees will still be supple enough for some serious "bend it like Bjorn" styling.
Thanks,
Nick

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Mid winter, late winter, early winter, early and mid spring. If your area doesn't get below -10°C you're good for all those moments. I've done wirings with no issues at those temperatures.

 

[leatherback]

At leaf drop is ideal.

Make sure you use proper bonsai wire and techniques. Also now bark should not just come off when wiring.

 

[Nickuk74]

Mid winter, late winter, early winter, early and mid spring. If your area doesn't get below -10°C you're good for all those moments. I've done wirings with no issues at those temperatures.

Thanks. That's great to know.

 

[Nickuk74]

At leaf drop is ideal.

Make sure you use proper bonsai wire and techniques. Also now bark should not just come off when wiring.

My main issue is that when adding twists (rather than bends), i'm struggling to be gentle enough and still gain sufficient purchase on the stem to twist the fibres.

 

[bwaynef]

Could you post pictures of the material you're working with and the issues you've seen when twisting?

 

[Adamski77]

At leaf drop is ideal.

Make sure you use proper bonsai wire and techniques. Also now bark should not just come off when wiring.

leaf drop for junipers?

 

[leatherback]

leaf drop for junipers?

Yeah, you never heard of that.
Me neiter.

I was for sure reading Japanese maple. Absolutely no idea how that happened!

I have started to wire and bend juniper. As summer wanes and turns into fall I always find a good moment to start. After late october I fine the branches turn quite brittle. Tonight = clubnight and I will wire the sacrifices on a bunch of my junipers

 

[Nickuk74]

Could you post pictures of the material you're working with and the issues you've seen when twisting?

Hi, I don't have any pics, but here's a screen grab from a great youtube channel with the same issue (and the link - it's a really good new channel)

 

[Shibui]

Try to avoid bending juniper when they are growing rapidly. That's when severe bending can kill the branch. Does not always happen but enough to make me wary.

At the moment, the bark is so thin and fragile, it sloughs off very easily.

Are you talking about the flaky, brown outer bark? No need to worry about that, it is replaced every year. In Japan they often brush all the outer bark off to reveal the reddish inner bark.
If you are twisting the entire bark off a branch there's something very wrong. Even when bending in Spring you should not actually see the bark separating.
I would definitely like to see what you are working with so we can confirm we are all talking about the same thing.

Can someone please advise as to when it's safer to wire, but the trees will still be supple enough for some serious "bend it like Bjorn" styling.

To get sharper bends into thicker juniper branch you may need to wrap with raffia or some sort of tape to reduce chances of the branch breaking when it bends. Not needed for gentle bends.

My main issue is that when adding twists (rather than bends), i'm struggling to be gentle enough and still gain sufficient purchase on the stem to twist the fibres.

If you twist while bending that helps spread the tension in the bend so you should be able to get more bend before it breaks. I find it easier to twist if the wire winds along the branch then out on a side branch which helps anchor when you twist. Always twist in the same direction as the wire so the wire actually tightens as you twist. That menas planning before you wire so it's going in the correct direction.

 

[bwaynef]

Hi, I don't have any pics, but here's a screen grab from a great youtube channel with the same issue (and the link - it's a really good new channel)

I haven't watched the video, but looks like that tear wasn't wired. I assume it was twisted as an example of the damage that's possible. If you had a picture of what you were experiencing, its possible we could diagnose based on the wiring where your issue lies. I'm aware of the supposed issue and started a thread on it a few years back where I bent and twisted several Procumbens nana junipers during different months to see if I could force the bark to slip. I worked on them in June, July, and August w/ no real issue. (I'm willing to concede wiring/twisting earlier in the year is problematic.) Based on that (my experience), I think its probably safe to wire & twist junipers right now. Without more information, its hard to give you better advice.

 

[Nickuk74]

I haven't watched the video, but looks like that tear wasn't wired. I assume it was twisted as an example of the damage that's possible. If you had a picture of what you were experiencing, its possible we could diagnose based on the wiring where your issue lies. I'm aware of the supposed issue and started a thread on it a few years back where I bent and twisted several Procumbens nana junipers during different months to see if I could force the bark to slip. I worked on them in June, July, and August w/ no real issue. (I'm willing to concede wiring/twisting earlier in the year is problematic.) Based on that (my experience), I think its probably safe to wire & twist junipers right now. Without more information, its hard to give you better advice.

Thanks so much for the advice. I will have a go in a few weeks and see how I get on (and post pics if I have an issue).

 

[Nickuk74]

Try to avoid bending juniper when they are growing rapidly. That's when severe bending can kill the branch. Does not always happen but enough to make me wary.

Are you talking about the flaky, brown outer bark? No need to worry about that, it is replaced every year. In Japan they often brush all the outer bark off to reveal the reddish inner bark.
If you are twisting the entire bark off a branch there's something very wrong. Even when bending in Spring you should not actually see the bark separating.
I would definitely like to see what you are working with so we can confirm we are all talking about the same thing.


To get sharper bends into thicker juniper branch you may need to wrap with raffia or some sort of tape to reduce chances of the branch breaking when it bends. Not needed for gentle bends.


If you twist while bending that helps spread the tension in the bend so you should be able to get more bend before it breaks. I find it easier to twist if the wire winds along the branch then out on a side branch which helps anchor when you twist. Always twist in the same direction as the wire so the wire actually tightens as you twist. That menas planning before you wire so it's going in the correct direction.

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to have a go in a few weeks and see if the change in season helps. They have stopped elongating so I assume they are slowing down.