this is very personal as well as species dependend.
I try to wire all my trees at least once a year when the young growth is young and soft. However, for juniper, larch, pine you can still bend branches well after several years. With azalea, branches of a year old might already snap when you try.
And then some your green branches will happily be bend and twisted. And others will die once you put your fingers on. I would say: Get more specific; which plant/species. And/or work with someone who is growing bonsai well.