WIRE

WIRE

Holding and positioning the bonsai branches with wire to give them shape is a technique that has its origin in Japan. Each branch will need a different calibre of wire depending on its thickness and flexibility. There are species that have very brittle branches and with which special care must be taken when using this technique, while others are easily moldable. 

There are two types of wire, aluminium and copper. The first one is more malleable and easier to use, so it is the one we recommend for less experienced hobbyists. It is also the one that is always used for the wiring of deciduous and broad-leaved perennials. Copper, however, becomes stiffer over time and is more difficult to remove, especially the thicker gauges, but it is preferred by the great masters for training pines, as it maintains the shape of the branch very well as it hardens once it is in place.

The wire also has other equally important functions, such as holding the grid that is placed in the drainage hole, anchoring the tree to the pot during transplanting and making tensors.