I’ve been doing this technique for years. It’s the best way to get branches where you want them. I can count on buds popping on almost every wrap that bites in dramatically. It was something I didn’t expect to happen but over the years it has consistently so it’s something I now tell people to try.
Thank you for the useful video and your subscribers for their comments!!! The production quality of your videos is great too! I just bought two Balkan/Macedonian pines (5-needle white pines), pinus peuce. And will try this technique - more for the back-budding. Pines seem to be around 5 years old (~1m long, until I cut off the upper half). As these nursery stock specimens have very few structural branches in proper places, that can be kept... You know, 4-5-6 branches on the internodes with relatively big distances between those.
Thanks Yevhen! If you find the content helpful you could thank me by clicking the "Thanks" button found just below the video. Thank you! I am sure this technique will work for you, and you may also try grafting onto those currently unusable branches.
Hi Terry. Thanks for this video. Very helpful in understanding what to do next with my JBP that I purchased from you. Would it be possible next time to do a video with a slightly older tree showing the next step when the main leader sacrifice branch is removed and the lower branches developed?
Thanks Andrew. You will not remove the leader for many years so such a video is not relevant to you now. Be patient with these trees and it will be rewarded.
Hi Terry and thank you for the technique. I read you blog about a year ago and tried cage wiring all of my three year old previously trained JBP. They were curved just like the ones you are demonstrating. So now, with the first wiring (mostly) removed, I’m looking forward to doing it again on the trees once they have recovered. Like yours, I had to start removing the top half and leave the bottom to cut in more. It’s a very satisfying technique! Now after watching your video, I’m wondering how caging a couple of older trees might work. They are pretty straight and boring and only one lower branch. You say that there are buds forming on the swelling. I wonder if it can improve them? I’d say the trees are between 7-8 years old. Thoughts?
You can definitely use cage wiring on older trees. Whether they will form buds one this older wood I am not sure. If it has formed noticeable bark it’s unlikely.
Thanks! Sure I can. I have learnt a lot from the expert pine growers in Takamatsu, Japan. They use decomposed granite, which I do not have but what I use instead is silica stone or lava stone. I add 20% akadama to this. So its a very free draining mix, which I place into development clay pots (not colanders). As it drains so well I do need to water a couple times a day in summer but this means I can fertilize strongly (so I am using a lot of solid, organic fertilizer).
I am curious if this technique will work with a grafted pine? I bought this pine last summer, and am waiting for spring to repot with bonsai soil. Not happy with a graft, the only way this variety is available, so I will make the best of it.
Thanks Christy. I am guessing as I do not know from fact…. For this technique to work you should use a species which is going to bark up. This technique is perfect for black pine as it develops a good bark. For something like a Japanese white pine which for the most part has a smooth bark it would leave a scar for MANY years until it’s very old indeed. Grafted trees are here to stay and for a reason. The best is to look for a tree which has been grafted well to begin with. A bad graft will most likely remain a bad graft.
This is the first I’ve seen of actually removing the wire. I was always told to use small wire, 2mm maybe and allow it to be consumed by the trunk or just letting it grow in. What is your opinion of this?
Thanks Mark for the question. It’s best to remove the wire IMO or it will cause some pretty ugly swelling. I’ve also never heard/read of keeping the wire on permanently. It could be that when field growing pines and using “cage wiring” it’s not possible to remove the wire in time but the resulting scars are visible for a very long time. However if you for instance refer to the well established techniques as described in the earlier Bonsai Today publications, the wire is removed before it is completely enveloped. This is the technique I use although I fully respect there are variation or simply other ways of doing things. By the way, the use of thicker wire is not only to cause swelling and thus accelerated thickness - it’s also for giving the tree some exaggerated curved at a young age. You definitely will not be able to give curves with a thin wire unless you’re wiring very young pines indeed.
Thank you very much! I want to create a bonsai with big trunk. So I should grow it on the field or on the pots? Please give me an advise. Thank you very much!
If you mean you applied this technique and got reserve taper? I have found the tree is that young it corrects itself. However if an older tree then you could use this technique to the portion which is thinner. The wire needs to be coiled tightly though. And bear in mind that when working with seedlings the resulting wire bite has many years to disappear. With an older tree the wire bite may be more visible for longer.
Great video thanks Terry; I’m currently considering if this could perhaps be used to rectify ‘inverse taper’ created by a typical black pine whorl. I’ve got two with which i’m unsure what i’m going to do. Both have notable thickening from a whorl of branches which developed before i purchase them as nursery stock and occur maybe 100mm up the trunk. Alternatively, i think the options are problem to hope for some buds below the problem area from which to rebuild, or carving. Anyway, i’d be interested to know if you’ve used this technique to deal with anything similar.
Its an interesting proposition, although I don't think it will work. You can give it a go of course but you need to wire all the way from the base to this point and then you are going to have to allow an escape branch. I think you are better off scion grafting below the problem and creating a new trunkline. "Hope" when it comes to budding on a pine is a risky strategy at best...ha ha ha. Nope, never tried to remedy a problem you have with this technique. Therefore I cannot say it will not work.
After the first wiring... when can i apply the second wiring? Should it be next autumn? You said to wire the 2nd wiring should be next to first wiring?
This does not mean to put 2 strands of wire on. It means that you remove the 1st wire when it is biting in a lot. When you do this this you apply the next wire next to the groove left by the 1st wire. This is then the 2nd wire.
Great question José! I have only ever seen this technique being applied to pines. You could use it on junipers but this will influence the sapflow so might be done in preparation for making shari. Deciduous are usually grown, the trunks chopped and then grown again until a sufficiently thick trunk is achieved.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai great to see this technique. Many Indonesian also apply this it for tropical trees, such as Tamarindus Indica, Streblus Asper, etc.. Salam...
I would suggest that you do NOT cut anything when you are thickening the trunk as all this growth helps to speed up the trunk thickening process. It is only once the tree has reached the thickness you want that you can start removing the trunks, in stages - never all in one go.
I’m only aware of it being used on pines. This is due to the extreme wire bite. Theoretically any species could be subjected to this but it all depends on how the bite will be covered over, disguised or repaired.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks for the quick answer, i`ve been thinking about trying it on a larch .. it`s quite vigorous so it should be worth a try i guess?
You are of course welcome to do as you feel. However it is my opinion that it’s not a good idea because you keep changing the sapflow. The biting in causes the direction of the flow to change. Once this has been established and you then alter it by 180deg I assume this will not be good. So my comment is not based on scientifically sound evidence, it’s merely my observation and theory.
The constriction of the wire causes the tree to swell around it as the tree adds on new growth because the wire will not stretch it pushes the new growth up between the wire. When the wire is removed the tree fills in the gap left causing the thickening.
I’ve been doing this technique for years. It’s the best way to get branches where you want them. I can count on buds popping on almost every wrap that bites in dramatically. It was something I didn’t expect to happen but over the years it has consistently so it’s something I now tell people to try.
Yes I have noticed this too. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the useful video and your subscribers for their comments!!! The production quality of your videos is great too!
I just bought two Balkan/Macedonian pines (5-needle white pines), pinus peuce. And will try this technique - more for the back-budding. Pines seem to be around 5 years old (~1m long, until I cut off the upper half). As these nursery stock specimens have very few structural branches in proper places, that can be kept... You know, 4-5-6 branches on the internodes with relatively big distances between those.
Thanks Yevhen! If you find the content helpful you could thank me by clicking the "Thanks" button found just below the video. Thank you!
I am sure this technique will work for you, and you may also try grafting onto those currently unusable branches.
Brilliant! Thanks Terry
Very welcome Matt. Works like a charm. Also produces loads of budding on the trunk due to the concentration of hormones in those swellings.
Hi Terry. Thanks for this video. Very helpful in understanding what to do next with my JBP that I purchased from you. Would it be possible next time to do a video with a slightly older tree showing the next step when the main leader sacrifice branch is removed and the lower branches developed?
Thanks Andrew. You will not remove the leader for many years so such a video is not relevant to you now. Be patient with these trees and it will be rewarded.
I will do the same on my JBP's, thin trunk..... thanks!
It really works. Good luck.
Hi Terry and thank you for the technique. I read you blog about a year ago and tried cage wiring all of my three year old previously trained JBP. They were curved just like the ones you are demonstrating. So now, with the first wiring (mostly) removed, I’m looking forward to doing it again on the trees once they have recovered. Like yours, I had to start removing the top half and leave the bottom to cut in more. It’s a very satisfying technique! Now after watching your video, I’m wondering how caging a couple of older trees might work. They are pretty straight and boring and only one lower branch. You say that there are buds forming on the swelling. I wonder if it can improve them? I’d say the trees are between 7-8 years old. Thoughts?
You can definitely use cage wiring on older trees. Whether they will form buds one this older wood I am not sure. If it has formed noticeable bark it’s unlikely.
That a very useful tip thank for sharing this idea
nice video .. beautiful shohin bonsai
great stuff Terry
Hi Terry, agreed awesome and insightful video.
Can this be applied to a root over rock pine?
Thanks Richard. Sure! Don’t see why not. Just be careful when applying the wire that you don’t dislodge the tree from the rock.
Interresting!
I am glad you found it to be interesting!
Thanks for this vídeo! Very interesting!
Glad you liked it Julio!
hi, thx for sharing, can you explain which soil do you use from seed to this 5 or6 year old trees? thank you
Thanks! Sure I can. I have learnt a lot from the expert pine growers in Takamatsu, Japan. They use decomposed granite, which I do not have but what I use instead is silica stone or lava stone. I add 20% akadama to this. So its a very free draining mix, which I place into development clay pots (not colanders). As it drains so well I do need to water a couple times a day in summer but this means I can fertilize strongly (so I am using a lot of solid, organic fertilizer).
I am curious if this technique will work with a grafted pine? I bought this pine last summer, and am waiting for spring to repot with bonsai soil. Not happy with a graft, the only way this variety is available, so I will make the best of it.
Thanks Christy. I am guessing as I do not know from fact…. For this technique to work you should use a species which is going to bark up. This technique is perfect for black pine as it develops a good bark. For something like a Japanese white pine which for the most part has a smooth bark it would leave a scar for MANY years until it’s very old indeed.
Grafted trees are here to stay and for a reason. The best is to look for a tree which has been grafted well to begin with. A bad graft will most likely remain a bad graft.
This is the first I’ve seen of actually removing the wire. I was always told to use small wire, 2mm maybe and allow it to be consumed by the trunk or just letting it grow in. What is your opinion of this?
Thanks Mark for the question. It’s best to remove the wire IMO or it will cause some pretty ugly swelling. I’ve also never heard/read of keeping the wire on permanently. It could be that when field growing pines and using “cage wiring” it’s not possible to remove the wire in time but the resulting scars are visible for a very long time. However if you for instance refer to the well established techniques as described in the earlier Bonsai Today publications, the wire is removed before it is completely enveloped. This is the technique I use although I fully respect there are variation or simply other ways of doing things.
By the way, the use of thicker wire is not only to cause swelling and thus accelerated thickness - it’s also for giving the tree some exaggerated curved at a young age. You definitely will not be able to give curves with a thin wire unless you’re wiring very young pines indeed.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thanks so much for the prompt response. Love your videos and enjoy learning from you!
Thank you very much! I want to create a bonsai with big trunk. So I should grow it on the field or on the pots? Please give me an advise. Thank you very much!
You can grow it in the field or you can use progressively larger containers. Good luck!
Hi. How do I correct reverse tapering.
If you mean you applied this technique and got reserve taper? I have found the tree is that young it corrects itself. However if an older tree then you could use this technique to the portion which is thinner. The wire needs to be coiled tightly though. And bear in mind that when working with seedlings the resulting wire bite has many years to disappear. With an older tree the wire bite may be more visible for longer.
Great video thanks Terry;
I’m currently considering if this could perhaps be used to rectify ‘inverse taper’ created by a typical black pine whorl. I’ve got two with which i’m unsure what i’m going to do. Both have notable thickening from a whorl of branches which developed before i purchase them as nursery stock and occur maybe 100mm up the trunk.
Alternatively, i think the options are problem to hope for some buds below the problem area from which to rebuild, or carving.
Anyway, i’d be interested to know if you’ve used this technique to deal with anything similar.
Its an interesting proposition, although I don't think it will work. You can give it a go of course but you need to wire all the way from the base to this point and then you are going to have to allow an escape branch.
I think you are better off scion grafting below the problem and creating a new trunkline.
"Hope" when it comes to budding on a pine is a risky strategy at best...ha ha ha.
Nope, never tried to remedy a problem you have with this technique. Therefore I cannot say it will not work.
After the first wiring... when can i apply the second wiring? Should it be next autumn? You said to wire the 2nd wiring should be next to first wiring?
This does not mean to put 2 strands of wire on. It means that you remove the 1st wire when it is biting in a lot. When you do this this you apply the next wire next to the groove left by the 1st wire. This is then the 2nd wire.
I will Apply. Thank you!!!
Do you think its too soon to do this in conjunction with repotting or exposing roots to make sure too position and angles are ideal?
thanks,
Mats H
You could apply the wire when you repot for sure.
Great! thanks! That technique can be used on other plants like juniperus, elms, ficus? Regards
Great question José! I have only ever seen this technique being applied to pines. You could use it on junipers but this will influence the sapflow so might be done in preparation for making shari. Deciduous are usually grown, the trunks chopped and then grown again until a sufficiently thick trunk is achieved.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai thanks!!! great channel. Take care.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai great to see this technique. Many Indonesian also apply this it for tropical trees, such as Tamarindus Indica, Streblus Asper, etc..
Salam...
@@avocatrok4186 thank you. That’s interesting to know. I was not aware that this technique could be used on those species.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai you should try it...
That is a great pine...
how old does your JBP have to be to start doing this? Thx for the video :)
Very good question. You can start as soon as it’s possible to put wire on without damaging the seedling. Realistically say in the 2nd growing season.
Would you cut the shoots at the bottom the thicken thunk? Thanks for reply!
I would suggest that you do NOT cut anything when you are thickening the trunk as all this growth helps to speed up the trunk thickening process. It is only once the tree has reached the thickness you want that you can start removing the trunks, in stages - never all in one go.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thank you very much! It will help me right now!
How old this tree?
2 years old I believe, from seed.
Does this technique only work on pines or also on other trees?
I’m only aware of it being used on pines. This is due to the extreme wire bite. Theoretically any species could be subjected to this but it all depends on how the bite will be covered over, disguised or repaired.
@@TerryErasmusbonsai Thanks for the quick answer, i`ve been thinking about trying it on a larch .. it`s quite vigorous so it should be worth a try i guess?
Tuyệt vời
Cảm ơn bạn!
Why can’t you crisscross?
You are of course welcome to do as you feel. However it is my opinion that it’s not a good idea because you keep changing the sapflow. The biting in causes the direction of the flow to change. Once this has been established and you then alter it by 180deg I assume this will not be good. So my comment is not based on scientifically sound evidence, it’s merely my observation and theory.
👍👍👍👍
ha ha ha, thank you
What about the wiring causes the trunk to swell?
Good question. I am not sure, I could speculate but thats no good. I just know that it works very well.
The constriction of the wire causes the tree to swell around it as the tree adds on new growth because the wire will not stretch it pushes the new growth up between the wire. When the wire is removed the tree fills in the gap left causing the thickening.
Can this be used on japanese red pine?
Yes but usually red pine is appreciated for a more slender and longer trunk in the bunjin style.
Your welcome camera is not close enough to tell what you are doing
Thanks for the advice Stan. This video was done about 100 videos ago, do you find the same shortcomings in the later videos?
Love watching these videos…..makes me so proud of the trees I’ve styled over 35 years…. I learnt nothing from your video..
Sure! If you have been styling trees for 35 years I’d be surprised if you did learn something from my elementary videos.
A hater is here. LMAO
What a strange comment.
Oh, please show us your instructional videos showcasing those 35 years champ. jeez
Hmmmm …..