How To Bend A Tree Trunk

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When working with Pino and Spruce bonsai, or many coniferous species, it can exist necessary to bend quite thick branches and even trunks. Existence able to bend a thick branch enables you to place foliage more easily when styling. Being able to bend the trunk heavily, as with the two examples in this article, allows you to reduce the elevation of a thin torso or bring foliage downwards, closer to the trunkbase.

This Norweigan Bandbox is much too tall for the size of its trunk. Despite its age of 100+years, the tree spent its life growing in a bog high upwards in the mountains of Sweden. Out of necessity, the tree had grown alpine as not to be overshadowed by grasses growing in the bog.

Past introducing large bends to the trunk , it was possible to reduce the height of the tree considerably, and place the branches much lower than earlier.

The heavy bend was carried out in Sweden during May 2018. A year after and the tree is safely in my garden in the UK and in practiced health.

Pictured alongside me, it is possible to see how thick the body is.

A closer look at the bend itself. Heavy protection to the trunk meant that I was able to bend it without also much gamble of snapping. By reinforcing the forest along its length, a whole series of micro-fractures were created as the bend was made, whereas an unsupported trunk would have snapped at its weakest betoken.

The following serial of images taken while I reinforced a Scots Pine trunk, illustrate my method for carrying out heavy bends.

The body itself is wrapped with elasticated black textile. Available for sale on the Bonsai4me.com shop, this is a product known equally "VetWrap" and can also be found at veterinary supplies.

After a layer of elasticated material, 2 4-5mm lengths of wire are laid along the trunk (or branch) before a second layer of cloth is used to secure them into position.

The trunk with the ii lengths of wire wrapped in a layer of elasticated fabric.

Finally, ii further lengths of heavy wire are coiled around the trunk. This combination of tightly wrapped fabric and heavy approximate wire not only secures the torso into its new position, information technology protects the trunk from snapping and getting damaged.

The trunk of the Scots Pino after bending. In this case guy-wires were not necessary to concord the trunk in its new position, even so this is often the case.

Make heavy bends slowly. If necessary, wait a few weeks earlier completing a curve.

Spread your fingers forth the outside of the bend, and gently 'squeeze' with your thumbs. By squeezing the trunk or branch slowly, you remain in control of the procedure and are set to terminate applying pressure the moment yous hear any cracks (of the wood breaking). If this happens, practise not bend the branch or trunk whatsoever further for fear of opening the wound then far that the co-operative or trunk is lost.

Source: http://bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/AT%20Bending%20Thick%20Bonsai%20Trunks%20and%20Branches.html

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