It might just be me, but I’ve found that it can be easy for wired branches to split away from the trunk during branch setting.
This is more of an issue for deciduous trees than for conifers, but it can happen to all species trained as bonsai.
Fortunately, there’s a simple tip that can help: take care with the transition of wire from trunk to branch. Here’s what this looks like, starting with an example of what not to do.
The wire doesn’t support the base of the branch
Broken branch resulting from poor wire placement
The alternative is to apply wire so it crosses the branch shoulder, the place where the branch emerges from the trunk.
Wire crossing the branch shoulder
The same problem can arise when applying wire to a Y-shaped intersection. If the lowest loop of wire is positioned below the split, it’s easy for the branch to break.
Wire incorrectly positioned below the split
Another broken branch
As in the first example, the alternative is to apply the wire where it crosses the branch shoulder.
Wire crossing the branch shoulder
When connecting two branches with one piece of wire, you might find that the first pattern applies to one end of the wire, and the second pattern applies to the other end of the wire.
With practice, these adjustments can become natural, and fewer branches will split off when branches are set. There are plenty of other ways to break wired branches, but we’ll stop here for today.
Interview with Bill Valavanis published this week on the Bonsai Wire Podcast
The bonsai teacher, publisher of International Bonsai Magazine, and organizer of the US National Bonsai Exhibition, William N. Valavanis, joined Michael Hagedorn and I for a recent episode of the Bonsai Wire Podcast. Hear Bill share his approach to styling trees along with stories from his 58 years in bonsai at: