Bonsai Wire - aluminum or copper?

Choosing the right Bonsai wire is a step toward making progress in your trees’ growing process. The most commonly used wire is aluminum and copper. This is mainly because they are very ductile meaning they can bend easily and this makes them perfect wire for your Bonsai.

Bonsai wire is important when you want to manipulate and dictate the shape of your tree for your desired beauty. Well appliance of the wire can influence the form in which the tree grows and the shape it takes and all this is part of the Bonsai art form. If the bonsai wire is left too long on the plant, it can and will damage the tree. So it’s also important to monitor your trees to get rid of such avoidable circumstances.

It is important too that you let the tree dry out slightly before applying the wire so as to avoid breakage and damage of the already beautiful growth.

There is a very small but important difference between the copper and aluminum wires. The copper wire is very strong and bends easily but is a little hard to reshape while the aluminum wire is easy to bend and easy to regain its previous shape. Having said that, copper wire is really adaptable to reshaping and can be reused for quite some time.

If you are a beginner you are advised to use aluminum wire instead of copper since it is cheaper and does not oxidize when exposed to heat, this is safer for some plant varieties. One disadvantage with the aluminum wire is that its color and glaze is a distraction to the viewer or buyer of the tree. To avoid this flaw, use an anodized aluminum wire.

Compared to aluminum Bonsai wire, copper wire is dull in color and relatively stiff so it’s usually preferred by professionals who are already used to wiring. You should also oxidize the copper wire before using it; this will make it safe for the plants too.

There is a rule for the thickness of the wire. It should be at least a 1/3 the thickness of the branch that's being wired. For thicker and a bit huge trees you should use double the thickness to make sure the branches remain and retain their shape even after wiring. When wiring a tree, wrap each single branch with Bonsai wire so that the branch may be bent. The tree will then train the branches to grow in that specific desired direction. Another way is to attach not very heavy weights to the branches to make them sag and create an impression of aging of the tree.

The tree should not be allowed to outgrow the bonsai wire since it might grow into the bark and later trying to remove it may be traumatic to the tree.

As with anything you do, Bonsai wiring takes patience, which is a key to this art in order to achieve the desired look for your tree. Your tree won’t bring out your desired results in the blink of an eye so just watch it and take good care of it and before long you will have something beautiful to behold.

We hope this article on bonsai wire has been helpful. We have a large number of articles on bonsai if you would like to view some of them.