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A wide range of techniques have been developed that help to create and maintain a tree’s miniature size and shape. Most important are pruning and wiring, which will be discussed below.
1. Bonsai styling by pruning. An occasional thorough styling as well as regular maintenance pruning are essential to create and maintain a miniature tree. When shaping a tree, deciding on which branches fit the design and which ones need to be removed can be very tricky. Take the tree’s basic shape as given (do not try to make radical changes) and decide what should be the tree’s front. From this position on start thinking about which branches need to be pruned in order to improve the tree’s overall shape. After having styled the tree regular pruning is crucial in forcing the tree to grow a dense foliage and branch structure, while remaining its shape. Read the pruning Bonsai trees page for more information.
2. Bonsai training by wiring. Like pruning, wiring is an essential technique to style Bonsai trees. By wrapping copper-wire around the tree’s branches you are able to set the shape and angle of the branches. When wiring a tree, start with its main branches. Thick branches need thick wiring; as a rule of thumb use wire of about 1/3 to 1/4 the thickness of the branch. Try to wire two branches of equal thickness with one piece of wire. It is important to maintain an edge of about 45° when wrapping wire around the branches, providing some room for growth. For background information see the wiring a Bonsai tree page.
3. Other Bonsai styling techniques. Many other Bonsai styling methods have been developed, including defoliation, creating deadwood and planting rock formations. For more information on these and other techniques see the menu above.
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