Bonsai training: Weights instead of Wire?

16 years ago

Total bonsai Newbie here.....

After having bought a couple of commercial bonsais, I bought an untrained Japanese Red Maple (and promptly nicknamed it "Horatio") from a local garden center.

However after wiring the branches to get the more "to the sides" style from the Soju or Sokan (I've got a multiple stem thing here), it looks more like a Terminator than a tree so I was wondering: Is it possible to use something to weigh down the branches and still get the correct "training" or is wires a "must"?

And no, I'm not going to use christmas ornaments...;)

Comments (5)

funkymiaow
16 years ago
Greeting to you and Horatio (from CSI?)
i had a very young Juniper that I wanted to shape quite early, and to start, I used a few big wooden beads (like little girls do to make bracelets and stuff) and it worked. However I prefer wire, because u can twist the branch the way u want to.
I dont know how how young/old your tress is so you might have to find something heavier, cos I'm sure Christmas balls will be too light....
Good luck
:)
scenter
16 years ago
Konnichiwa Hi-san to momiji Horeichio
(Japanese for hello Mr/Ms Fire and Horatio-the-maple)
(FWIW it is pronounced: koh-nee-chee-wah hee-sahn toh moh-mee-jee hoh-ray-chee-oh)

If Horatio is one tree - then your style is Sokan - twin trunk style (the smallest possible multiple trunk style). Soju is the style where two separate trees are trained together (a mini-clump so to speak). If they fuse over time, then it could be considered a Sokan.

I have seen all sorts of ingenious devices used to train branches - fishing weights, bread twistems and a bamboo pole, twine in a guy wire fashion, clamps etc. Use your imagination, but be cautious about damaging bark and cutting off the sap flow when placing and removing these devices.
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bonsaikc
16 years ago
As a traditionalist, I prefer wire to weights hands down. Proper wire technique will avoid too much wire, wrapping strand after strand around your trunk then up to the branches simply wastes wire.

The key with most deciduous species is that we don't use the older, harder branches so much. We cut the tree back, wire new growth and let the wire cut in a bit. That's right, let the wire cut in. Then remove the wire, prune the branches, and wire the new growth. As time goes on, the bit we wire moves farther and farther from the trunk.

This is what I am doing with my American elm in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: American Elm Development
lucy
16 years ago
BKC - Why would you let the wire cut in please - this is a definite first for me.
dsdevries
13 years ago
The wire breaks the sap flow so that callus will form in these area's allowing the branch to grow thicker must faster than it normally would. If the wire is removed at exactly the right time, no re-wiring is needed and the scars caused by the wire growing in will heal over time. You will get much faster results in this manner with much less wiring. Some people even wire young trees and let the wire grow in completely leaving the wire inside the trunk or branches.

Bonsai training: Weights instead of Wire?

Comments (5)

funkymiaow

scenter

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