What happens if one wires the branch in a way that all leaves are upside down?

[HorseloverFat]

So they say.
But...
Who are they?



Aha, @HorseloverFat is they.
Tell us more, you did try and your thuja died, or the branch died, or the leaves died?
Now I am a little concerned about my wiring!

The branch died... but I noticed it early(er) and “corrected” the branch... it still died ... sooo maaaybe that particular piece was “on it’s way out” anyways.

 

[just.wing.it]

I thought thats how you're supposed to do it.....

 

[penumbra]

Like almost everything else it is species dependent.

 

[Clicio]

You should be. Redo better! Learn. Get better!

The point is it wasn't sloppy wiring per se; in fact I needed those branches in a definite position and the leaves in the end were upside down.
I have tried twisting one branch, but it was going to break, so I stopped. Better safe than sorry.

 

[leatherback]

The point is it wasn't sloppy wiring per se; in fact I needed those branches in a definite position and the leaves in the end were upside down.
I have tried twisting one branch, but it was going to break, so I stopped. Better safe than sorry.

So what if it drops some leaves. Tomorrow it will grow new ones>?

 

[Clicio]

Like almost everything else it is species dependent.

So I am learning.
I will not try it on Thujas.

 

[Clicio]

So what if it drops some leaves. Tomorrow it will grow new ones>?

Yes, in the first week of Spring, surely.
But I was having faith the leaves were capable of flipping back to the right position, only if it's a matter of profiting from the better light.

 

[HorseloverFat]

So I am learning.
I will not try it on Thujas.

Out of curiosity, how cold does it get by you?

 

[ralf]

Someone has tried it. It looks like cotoneaster I guess...

Twisting branches_What would happen with leaves?

doriyama.blogspot.com

 

[Forsoothe!]

I think it depends upon the normal lifespan of the leaf. I speculate that leaves with a long life ahead of them like Boxwood will perish, and those that only one season and will stand some shade like JM will coast along, but something high-sun will react as though planted in the shade and will die, if slowly.

 

[Clicio]

Out of curiosity, how cold does it get by you?

This winter between 15C and 5C.
Winters here were colder twenty years ago.

 

[Clicio]

Someone has tried it. It looks like cotoneaster I guess...

Twisting branches_What would happen with leaves?

doriyama.blogspot.com

Yes, with this tree the leaves turned back to the upright position, documented.
Interesting.

 

[Clicio]

I think it depends upon the normal lifespan of the leaf. I speculate that leaves with a long life ahead of them like Boxwood will perish, and those that only one season and will stand some shade like JM will coast along, but something high-sun will react as though planted in the shade and will die, if slowly.

The tree is in the shade right now for one week.
Let's see what happens then!

 

[HorseloverFat]

This winter between 15C and 5C.
Winters here were colder twenty years ago.

5C??? That’s skinny-dipping weather, still!

 

[Clicio]

5C??? That’s skinny-dipping weather, still!

Yes it is.
The tropics, you know...
Let me say, plants love it here. Very long growing season, mild winters. In the summer it rains almost every afternoon.
Easy to water!

 

[Clicio]

I airlayered a prunus branch growing downwards, so all the leaves were upside down. After separation it dropped most of the leaves, but in the spring it grew normally. I am sure that happened because of the separation

Well, one of the bonsai I have wired with many leaves upside down is a Prunus Mume.
So, the good news:
The leaves are flipping over by themselves!
And the best news:
New shoots are sprouting after the wiring.

Leaves already in the right position:


New shoots sprouting:

 

[Forsoothe!]

I wired a Ficus Too Little to be weeping, and almost every branch died. Muy pronto. I also wired a Tigerbark so the lower thin branches would be banyans with the tips in the soil, and they all whithered away, too. Go figure.

 

[penumbra]

I wired a Ficus Too Little to be weeping, and almost every branch died. Muy pronto. I also wired a Tigerbark so the lower thin branches would be banyans with the tips in the soil, and they all whithered away, too. Go figure.

I am not sure why that happened. I have been working on a couple for several years and I just keep top pruned frequently to send more energy down low. One group of ficus where left to grow wild for the last few months and they actually have stronger bottom branches now. I'll try to post a pic tomorrow.

 

[Clicio]

Update:

Apparently all leaves are in the right position after one week.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Title says it all.
When a tree is not a conifer, will the leaves eventually turn their top side up to reach for the light by themselves?
I am trying NOT to twist the wire alongside the lenght of those branches.

I'm sorry I missed this post the first time around. Obviously the solution is simple - you must export the tree to a country on the other side of the Earth.