Hi Gang!

Last Tuesday at our monthly Bonsai Club meeting, we had a guest speaker come in to demonstrate how to create a *Shohin* bonsai tree (primarily for us newbies). The stock we had to work with was a miniature English Ivy (Hedra Helix). The leaves are extremely small averaging about 1cm or less in width. The plant foliage spread 10-12 inches across and trailed 1 foot or more below the pot's rim.

This is my first experience with a major chopping and wiring of a plant. It was very exciting :woohoo: and stressful :pinch: all at the same time however, I learned a lot! He showed us how to chop...and chop some more...yikes; how to find the best front view of the nebari and trunk; how to choose a form; and how to wire. Our speaker/instructor came around and gave each of us one on one assistance (thank goodness!).

My plant has an amazing nebari (I think) and it seemed very suitable for a *windswept* form. I think I was told three times to "chop some more!". :ohmy: LOL! I removed three of the trunks. He showed me how to wire by doing the main trunk for me. I did the rest of the wiring...and more trimming after I brought my little shohin home with me. My wiring looks kind of sloppy...I was afraid to wire too tightly around the bases of the trunks and/or branches.:dry:

I would really like your input on this. If there is more trimming I need do or if I need to improve the wiring or change something, your thoughts and suggestions are much appreciated. Here are some photos!

Ooooh I LIKE! A few quick tips, wire branches so that the coils of wire are just close enough to the branch for a strip of rice paper to slip through the gap this is what the Japanese say (Out of one of my reference books). This will give you room for growth and eliminate wire bite, {i got it on one of my trees:( }, but also that the wire will hold the branches.

Also, try wrapping the wire in 45 degree angles to each other coil. There are many debates as if one should wire 45 degrees or 60 degrees so go for inbetween

I also picked up that quite a few wires are crossing eachother, this is quite ugly, but no worries, my wiring is attrocious. However you spell that.

Lastly, do not make any major changes to your wireing now because you would have probably weakend the layers of fleshy bark underneath the branches and if you bend them again the branches will die

Hi Jon,

Thank you for your tips and suggestions...very much appreciated! Yeah...I kinda think it's pretty cool looking myself...

Yes, our instructor told us to wrap the wire at 45% also...guess I need some practice, huh? I luv your candidness, Jon...you're right tho, the wires are pretty messy looking! LOL! What I tried to do was attach the secondary wires to loops in the primary wires rather than make many wraps around the actual bark? Not sure if this is okay?...if not please say so, so I can improve on the next one.

The last point you made is a *good one*! Gosh...I never would have thought of that! :ohmy: Thanks so much for sharing!

If you want to practise wiring you can try it with normal plants outside, when they break or there happens something, it isn't that sad and you train a lot in things like, how thick wire do I need to use with which kind of thickness and how much wire do I need to use with a branch of 15cm so that you just have enough wire to wire the branch. It costs some wire, but how better you can wire, how better the results are and how less wire it costs to wire a tree (you don't have to do it over again when it is not right.

Also you can find on the wiring section ( www.bonsaiempire.com/train/wiring ) how to wire different kind of branches.

Good luck!

Thank you, Youri!

Your practicing idea is great. I should have my wrists slapped for not checking the wiring section of the forum. :oops: There really is an art to it as well. I guess I got caught up in it when watching our guest speaker do it, and thought I knew it all. :whistle: Hah! Thanks for the reminder.

Can this plant be fertilized now or does it need to rest a month first? Just as a reminder...there was major chopping and wiring done but no root work.

Have I trimmed back enough of the leaves?

Yes you have trimmed enough leaves, i would rather not fertilize now, plus its not growing season in Canada now right? Is it not just about winter? Only fertilise like mad in growing season. And NEVER, fertilize a weak plant or a plant that has had extensive work done to it, you should rather fertilise before and then work, those are the rules i stick to, since i have killed two trees from not abiding by them. I recently killed my Serissa (Chinese snow rose) SIIIIGGGHHH. I know why too, the plant had just dropped its leaves because it wasnt happy. (Thats what Serissa are known for doing) and i didnt give it time to grow leaves again i just re potted it. SO it died. Good learning curve tho.

So if it is growing season, wait about 2 to 3 weeks just for safety and then slap the fertilizer on. Its growing season here in S.A at the moment. Spring or whatever you call it, im so bad with seasons. Its nearly summer tho

Hey Jon,

Yes, I live in Southern Canada and it is the Fall(Autumn) season right now with temperatures in the low teens in celcius, mid-fifties farenheight (sp?). Isn't the official first day of winter on December 21st? Seems rediculous really cuz it's darn cold here by then and we usually have s-s-sn-sn--...(I can't say that four letter word):pinch: .

I am in the temperate climate however, all my plants are indoor tropicals. Ooookaay...I'll wait another two and a half weeks before fertilizing...:whistle: ...sigh..

Awwwh jeepers, Jon! I'm sorry about your Serissa.
I can understand your having a hard time with seasons there. Don't feel bad...I have a hard time remembering what day of the week it is. :lol: Thanks again for you input!

Hahaha me 2 its no problem sharing info, thats what this site is for