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Wiring Bonsai.
Can the wire for bonsai be too small? ive heard too big can damage the tree but can small do the same?
Yes. Wire that is too small will not hold shape. However, there are plenty of ways to use wire. Simple bends can be made on most secondary branches by bending and securing to another portion of the tree, or to the pot. Depending on what you want to do, you might not even need wire. I would caution against buying wire in Home Depot or someplace like that. You want an aluminum alloy wire, not galvanized, for its flexibility but strength.
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Trunks? No way. Depending on the size of the bonsai, you *might* be able to do secondary branches, larger bonsai (large shohin on up) and you may only be able to do tertiary branches and smaller. For any trunk of any appreciable girth, benders are more what you'd use. For secondary branches on Shohin Ficus you'll probably need 2.5mm - 3.5mm
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Again, depends on the size of the trunk. For a trunk about as wide as your pnky, you're going to need some pretty thick wire, I'd say 5mm or better. Most bonsai shops I've seen only go up to 6mm in regular stock. If you're wanting to bend something bigger than that, as your first tree, I'd say you're getting WAY ahead of yourself. Have you purchased any books on styling, growing, anything yet?
I'm not t the wiring stage yet with mine, but I am sourcing out what I can get where... I don't know of any bonsai shops near me, but there is a lee valley... Does this wire look about the same as I'd get at a specialty shop:
https://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=66977&cat=2,50560,66997
Thanks
https://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=66977&cat=2,50560,66997
Thanks