About wiring.

[MichaelS]

MichaelS has his own opinions about things. I'm not saying he's wrong, but his opinions are shared by a minority of bonsai practioners.

It was the "invention" of wiring that really made bonsai an art. In fact, I know of no other horticultural practice that uses it.

You can use "clip and grow" to a certain extent. The Chinese perhaps use it more than the Japanese. But a tree styled exclusively with clip and grow tends to be more angular. Wire allows the artist to put in subtle curves.

Wire is a tool. Just like pruning shears and concave cutters.

Wire, when it's done right, is hardly noticeable.

There is a myth that trees when shown, should be shown without wire. Like everything with bonsai, "it depends". Generally, conifers can be shown with wire. The green foliage hides most of it. I have heard some judges say they will accept copper wire on a conifer, but not aluminum. Aluminum is more obvious. Also, trees should not be shown if the trunks have wire. Even if the wire isn't bending the trunk itself, just acting as an anchor. So, to wire a tree for show, the artist needs to figure out ways to run the wire across the back of the trunk rather than the front. That is acceptable.

Generally, deciduous trees are shown without wire. The big shows in Japan are during the winter, and deciduous trees are appreciated for their branch structure. Since they're bare when shown, wire would be too obvious.

Ha ha! I love throwing the cat amongst the pigeons.

So let me start by saying, I wire everything. All my cuttings and seedlings (and I grow hundreds of them) get wired for trunk movement. Why? It saves time. I use wire to position deciduous branches but do not use it to shape them. Cutting is unquestionably the best way for that. (if you want a natural look). Forming conifer branches by clip and grow is very difficult and probably would take 5 times longer than using wire...so I use wire.
It should be remembered that tree branches in nature are not shaped by wiring BUT they are shaped by clip and grow. (amongst other things like shading, wind, weight etc. of course) Whether by chewing insects or violent storms, branches/twigs are broken off or killed in some way and the next one takes over. This leaves an angular transition and that's why cutting looks more natural obviously...
Unfortunately wiring becomes a bit of a cop out after a while. It takes much more thought when cutting a branch than when wiring, and because we tend to look at other bonsai for inspiration (which have also been wired) and the end result is often very artificial. A good example of this is the wiring of a branch into a flat fan shape with all branches on the one plane as everyone does on most pines and junipers. Natural branches almost never grow this way. Maybe, perhaps! on Cedrus species and some other conifers here and there. The end result. Lots and lots of cloned trees which all look the same (because they were all trained the same)
Wiring is not indispensable but it is very helpful. We just need to start thinking a bit more on the application. (actually I'm doing a talk on this very subject next year...wish me luck)
The horticultural aspect must always be considered as well of course and one of the reasons for wiring into a fan shape is to allow for light penetration to all areas, but there are other ways.
Some things simply must be wired and Junipers are one of them. Another example that I'm working on is an Australian coastal tea tree which can have shapes as convoluted as any juniper so they must be wired all the way as well.
So I do believe wire is a great tool but I think it is often done badly, mindlessly and sometimes unnecessarily.
@Eric Group, You will notice in my first post I did not once mention that we should not wire or that you can easily do good work without wire. So I guess I don't need to show you an only clip and grow tree. I wouldn't even know were to start. I might have one or two, I'll need to look..........

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Yes wiring is an art and needs practice to master. 95% of the time i wire everything. For some styles on deciduous in the finishing stages wiring is only done every 5 years or so. Most of the time basic branches are set but as the tree grows more natural trough pruning the wired branches are cut back as far as possible. Here oak trees we tend more and more not to wire them to much. But it takes 20+ years to develop the branches.

http://dannybonsaicenterginkgo.skynetblogs.be/archive/2012/11/28/quercus-robur.html
But for most trees wiring is the fastest and the most aesthetic pleasing way to go.

 

[Adair M]

Ha ha! I love throwing the cat amongst the pigeons.

So let me start by saying, I wire everything. All my cuttings and seedlings (and I grow hundreds of them) get wired for trunk movement. Why? It saves time. I use wire to position deciduous branches but do not use it to shape them. Cutting is unquestionably the best way for that. (if you want a natural look). Forming conifer branches by clip and grow is very difficult and probably would take 5 times longer than using wire...so I use wire.
It should be remembered that tree branches in nature are not shaped by wiring BUT they are shaped by clip and grow. (amongst other things like shading, wind, weight etc. of course) Whether by chewing insects or violent storms, branches/twigs are broken off or killed in some way and the next one takes over. This leaves an angular transition and that's why cutting looks more natural obviously...
Unfortunately wiring becomes a bit of a cop out after a while. It takes much more thought when cutting a branch than when wiring, and because we tend to look at other bonsai for inspiration (which have also been wired) and the end result is often very artificial. A good example of this is the wiring of a branch into a flat fan shape with all branches on the one plane as everyone does on most pines and junipers. Natural branches almost never grow this way. Maybe, perhaps! on Cedrus species and some other conifers here and there. The end result. Lots and lots of cloned trees which all look the same (because they were all trained the same)
Wiring is not indispensable but it is very helpful. We just need to start thinking a bit more on the application. (actually I'm doing a talk on this very subject next year...wish me luck)
The horticultural aspect must always be considered as well of course and one of the reasons for wiring into a fan shape is to allow for light penetration to all areas, but there are other ways.
Some things simply must be wired and Junipers are one of them. Another example that I'm working on is an Australian coastal tea tree which can have shapes as convoluted as any juniper so they must be wired all the way as well.
So I do believe wire is a great tool but I think it is often done badly, mindlessly and sometimes unnecessarily.
@Eric Group, You will notice in my first post I did not once mention that we should not wire or that you can easily do good work without wire. So I guess I don't need to show you an only clip and grow tree. I wouldn't even know were to start. I might have one or two, I'll need to look..........

The wiring diagrams I've posted were simplified for clarity. Branches need to have "top branches" to provide depth and fullness. These branches will eventually become the main branches when the current main branches get too long and need to be shortened.

Here is the branch I posted before viewed edge on:



Looking at it this way, you can see the tips along the outer margin. But there's another layer of foliage comprised of top branches. They come off the top of the branch, but are wired to go in the same direction as the main branch.

Here's another view:



That branch has three layers.

 

[Dav4]

...and Adair's trees along with many of mine are being shaped in line with classical design. They aren't intended to look like a tree in nature but , instead, a fanciful embellished representation of a tree. On such a tree, shaping the branches into a fan works just fine. Long live the fan shaped branch!!

 

[aml1014]

...and Adair's trees along with many of mine are being shaped in line with classical design. They aren't intended to look like a tree in nature but , instead, a fanciful embellished representation of a tree. On such a tree, shaping the branches into a fan works just fine. Long live the fan shaped branch!!

There's also a horticultural reason. When we spread the branches out and wire them down flat, we get increased sun and air circulation in the tree. This helps with back budding, fungal problems, and pests as well.

Aaron

 

[Vance Wood]

Not only are fan shaped branches aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they tend to look natural even if they aren't, and the way they are managed, -----they are good for the health of the tree by allowing light into the interior of the tree but maintaining the outside impression/illusion of a fully formed foliage mass. Two major trees that should be fan shaped are the Spruces and the Chamecyperrus species.

 

[chicago1980]

Both. You should have taken time to attend the National Show in NY. That would open your eyes. It is true however that you can suffer from an abundance of branches on Nursery trees but that is not always the case. Even so those branches have to be trained. You can learn how to prune and trim and pinch an clip but in the end if you can't wire, the best you can hope to accomplish is having trees that look like someone has tried to make a bonsai out of them by cutting off a bunch of branches. Wiring techniques impart the elements that we associate with age.

I hope to make the larger shows over the next few years and further, till then I will continue with the Professional Bonsai workshops and attending the local Bonsai club. I have meet folks who do and don't wire. I prefer the trees that are wired and by far the best wiring I have experienced is Mauro Stemberger this past November. Also seeing photos of properly wired trees has helped also, thank you @Adair M and Boon for these photos.

My first full tree wired under Mauro's guidance used a lot of wire (less as I started to understand). A field grown Shimpaku.

 

[Dav4]

The tree in the pictures I posted is a centuries old collected rocky mountain juniper... it takes a crap load of wire to get it into shape. I also have a large JBP, probably 30-40 years old and likely grown out from a seedling. Guess what.... it also takes a crap load of wire to get it into shape.

I'm about 1/4 way through wiring out the old juniper... just used my Xmas money to place an order with Jim Gremel... $321... at least I get free shipping.

 

[chicago1980]

I filmed the wire lecture with Mauro Stemberger and he said it is ok to share the lecture. Hope this is helpful to everyone.

 

[M. Frary]

It should be remembered that tree branches in nature are not shaped by wiring

We're not out in nature are we.

 

[MichaelS]

The wiring diagrams I've posted were simplified for clarity. Branches need to have "top branches" to provide depth and fullness. These branches will eventually become the main branches when the current main branches get too long and need to be shortened.

Here is the branch I posted before viewed edge on:

View attachment 127899

Looking at it this way, you can see the tips along the outer margin. But there's another layer of foliage comprised of top branches. They come off the top of the branch, but are wired to go in the same direction as the main branch.

Here's another view:

View attachment 127900

That branch has three layers.

 

[Dav4]

View attachment 127929

I suspect most people will find Adair's input in this thread more useful then yours, Michael.

 

[MichaelS]

I suspect most people will find Adair's input in this thread more useful then yours, Michael.

No doubt whatsoever you are right but it's not a competition...
However, I will also say that this kind of wiring/styling of black pine has run it's course. (or maybe not quite yet?) It's no one's fault.. It's a fashion and we do what we think we should do, but it's a good example of the kind of thing I've been saying and will continue to say. Pines will not be styled like this in the coming decades and I'm sorry if I cause discomfort in pointing out that fact but I happen to believe it's a positive thing to do. A change from here will be a step forward not back. Being over-sensitive only hampers us in the end.

 

[Adair M]

By the way, this picture also illustrates why pines have to constantly be wired:



Look at the upper branch. You can see where the twigs were level or slightly descending, then they all turn up? The place where they turn up is where the old wire ended. I had removed the old wire before I decandled, and then started rewiring. Im guessing the old wire had been on for three or four years. When it was first placed on, the branch would have looked like the lower one. After 3 or 4 years, the tree outgrows the wire, and it must be replaced.

So, wiring is more than a "training" process, its maintenance.

There does come a time when the main branches become pretty much set. And the wiring is more about building pads and density than "pulling branches down".

When I wired this tree:



I didn't have to put any wire on the trunk until I got close to the apex. The primary branches were already at good angles. All that was required was to set the pads. It was still two days of work!

 

[MichaelS]

Not only are fan shaped branches aesthetically pleasing to the eye, they tend to look natural even if they aren't, and the way they are managed, -----they are good for the health of the tree by allowing light into the interior of the tree but maintaining the outside impression/illusion of a fully formed foliage mass. Two major trees that should be fan shaped are the Spruces and the Chamecyperrus species.

Well none of that is fully true. You think it is because that is what you've been told. This is the very essence of the problem when we use other bonsai as subjects instead of trees. The result become more and more diluted and warped because we are now using 4th 5th and 6th generation bonsai as subjects. Each one a little more refined and removed from the original. Can't you see the trend? The last place we should now look to as far as styling is concerned is modern Japanese bonsai.


No wiring......at least no evidence of it. This is the past and the way of the future. These trees have more soul than a hundred modern pines or spruces put together. It's just that some don't see it.




No wiring

 

[Solange]

Not really up for hashing this out, and people are totally free to use any technique they like to shape, but for those flipping out about the heresy of non-wiring and claiming they need photographic evidence I have one valuable search term for you - lingnan penjing. seriously who gives a flip? in any case, we should probably all have one fully wired tree and one fully clip and grow so we best understand why application of either technique will help, hinder, or produce similar results. ...and congrats to vance for improving his skills!

 

[Paradox]

I have really just started doing wiring in any great extent and I havent done many trees so far. I did a scots pine and one of my JBP so far this fall/winter. Took me about 4-5 hours to do each of these 2 relatively small trees. I do fine with the first and second wires (ie first and second secondary branches), but if I have to do a third wire for another branch, I get so frustrated with how I should apply the 3rd, 4th etc wires. It gets really frustrating for me. Using a piece of aluminum as a test wire is a great idea.

Its just going to take me time and doing more wiring to get down how I should proceed. But yes wiring is a important skill in bonsai. Maybe I should go find some of those videos Vance mentioned.

 

[Adair M]

Solange:

Lingnan penjing is lingnan penjing.

Bonsai is bonsai.

Bonsai is wiring. Wiring is bonsai.

I do bonsai. I do not do lingnan penjing.

Do not judge bonsai by lingnan penjing standards.

You want to do lingnan penjing? Fine! Go for it. I choose to do bonsai. I prefer Classical Japanese bonsai. You may prefer some other style of miniature trees.

 

[Solange]

Solange:

Lingnan penjing is lingnan penjing.

Bonsai is bonsai.

Bonsai is wiring. Wiring is bonsai.

I do bonsai. I do not do lingnan penjing.

Do not judge bonsai by lingnan penjing standards.

You want to do lingnan penjing? Fine! Go for it. I choose to do bonsai. I prefer Classical Japanese bonsai. You may prefer some other style of miniature trees.

I get it man. You like to wire. Wiring is a skill you, and I, value. Wiring is important for most people for the development of pines. I know you are a pine guy. I know penjing is not bonsai. I know you like to categorize things within your sphere of acceptable, we all do. You practice what you refer to as classical bonsai. No one is trying to tear down the perfect garden of definitions and constrictions you have placed on yourself, and I understand you are not going to change your ideology. I don't want you to. But I hope we can agree that clip and grow is a valid technique as well as wiring, and that, like bonsai, penjing are mostly just little trees in pots.

 

[Solange]

Furthermore... I am free to judge bonsai by any standard I like. As are you. As is everyone else.