So – my trees are pest free, properly watered, and well situated in my garden. I can tell the difference between merely healthy and vigorously growing bonsai. My trees are secure in their containers and I’ve started practicing wiring. I take a tree off the bench, sit down, and ask myself, what do I do […]
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Tips for anchoring bonsai wire
At the outset of this series, I mentioned that nine of the ten items we’d cover are easy and that one is difficult. Number nine is difficult: learning what it means to properly anchor your wire. This is different from learning how to anchor your wire. Mastering wiring requires good instruction and lots of practice. […]
How to wire a Y branch intersection
Wiring is a fundamental bonsai technique. It helps us guide new growth and rearrange existing growth. Its application can be difficult, and even removing wire from branches can be trying when there’s little space to work. Wiring can also be a lot of fun. We impart a little of ourselves when we wire, and with practice, the […]
How to secure bonsai in the pot
When I first heard that bonsai are commonly wired into the pot I thought, “That sounds crazy – you must be kidding me!” Over the years I’d planted hundreds, if not thousands, of plants in containers without wire for a retail nursery. The practice sounded extraneous and made me think that bonsai people were overly concerned […]
Tips for using basic bonsai tools
The most basic bonsai tools – scissors, concave cutters, tweezers, wire cutters and pliers – are pretty easy to use. Except for the concave cutter, all have non-bonsai counterparts with which we are familiar, and the concave cutter isn’t too tricky to figure out. Rather than discuss each in detail, I’ll offer a simple tip […]