How Do You Choose The Right Size Bonsai Wire?

Wiring a bonsai is often seen as a daunting task and part of this is because you may be unsure about what size wire you should be using.

Choosing the right size wire isn’t too difficult and I will go through some ways you can learn how to do this.

The good thing is that after a while it becomes like second nature and you will not really need to think about it, you will just grab the wire you need and get to work.

Choose The Wire That Will Do The Job

When it comes to wire, it is very simple, you just need to pick the wire that will do the job.

This sounds very vague and almost stupid, but it is true. You need the wire to be strong enough that it can hold the branch into the position you want.

If the wire can’t do this, then it is pointless, so really so long as you have picked a wire that can do what you want, then it isn’t a problem.

(You can read more about – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

Consider The Aesthetics Of Your Wire

As important as it is to have the wire do the job, you don’t want it looking to thick.

It easy to pick the thickest wire each time and while it is going to get the job done, it is going to look stupid on a branch that is much thinner than it.

Really you want to try and use the thinnest wire possible, while still having the function you require. If you look at any professional who wires up a bonsai they try and make the wire as unnoticeable as possible. They almost want it to be invisible.

They do mostly do this by trying to use the thinnest wire they can get away with. They do also wire in a way that will hide the wire wherever possible. If you look at how they cross the wire across the trunk, it is always across the back of the tree, so when you are looking at it you do not see it cross the trunk line. 

If you are like me, you probably don’t care to much about hiding the wire, but you should still try and use the thinnest wire possible for the job, it just isn’t necessary to overkill it with super thick wire every time.

Look At The Thickness Of The Wire And Branch

As a very vague rule, the wire you need to use should be a about a 1/3 of the thickness of the branch.

You do not need to be too precise with this, you just kind of have to look at it and you will kind of know if it is about this. The more you wire, the better you will get at this.

This rule is probably truer for the smaller, outer branches which are quite thin. Once you try to bend the thicker main branches, you probably are not going to find wire that is 1/3 the thickness. This is why you will see people doubling up the wire or also using guy wires or similar to hold things in place.

Try The “Bend Test” To See If The Wire Is Thick Enough 

I think looking at the thickness of the wire and comparing it to the branch is decent, but really if you are new to this you will need a bit more hands on experience and the simple Bend Test will give you that.

All you need to do is take some of the wire you are considering using and push it into the branch to see if it moves.

You just need to unwind the wire so you have like 3 inches of wire …and just push it up against the branch. If the branch moves, the wire is strong enough to hold the branch into position.

If the wire bends… it’s not strong enough.

You can play around with a few different thickness of wire and you will start to get a feel for what thickness can bend what size branch.

(Don’t forget that different species are more flexible than others, so you will need to play around with this for each tree to really get a good understanding for what size wire will work)

Buy A Couple Of Different Thicknesses Of Wire So You Can Compare Them

If you are new to wiring bonsai you should start by buying a bundle of different wires. You can easily find “starter kits” online that offer 5 or 6 different wires of different sizes.

This is good for two reasons; firstly you can get a feel for the difference sizes. You will hear in videos on Youtube of people saying “this is 0.5mm wire” or whatever and it can be good to have that in your hand and understand the differences across the available range.

However, what I would say is more important is what happens shortly after you get these wires. You will put them away and the next time you pull them out you will have no idea what size is what …and this is good!

I have no idea what size any of my wire is. It doesn’t matter. You should be looking and feeling the wire, not worrying about its exact size. If the wire in your hand feels right for the job, then it is the right wire. It doesn’t matter what size it is.

Although, I guess it does matter when you want to order more, but you can work that out when you need to, but for the majority of the time you are working with it, just go by looks and feels.

Should You Use Copper Or Aluminium

Part of the process of choosing the right wire is also about what material you should use. Bonsai wire is either going to be copper or aluminium and while they can look similar, they are very different.

Copper wire is a lot stronger, which means you can use a thinner gauge to get the work done …but it is also much harder to work with.

Aluminium is a lot softer, but it is easier to work with. As a beginner you should start with this and learn to feel how the wire moves and get used to putting it on before moving on to copper. Aluminium is also fine for the vast majority of trees, especially deciduous, which can usually be held in place with no problems when using aluminium.

Copper wire is good for trees like pines and junipers, but it is usually preferred by professionals as they can use thinner gauges and hide their wiring even more. If you are just doing bonsai in your garden, this doesn’t really need to worry you, your tree may be great, but it is not going into a show  so you don’t need to stress yourself over how it looks with the wire on the branches.

(You can read more about – What Is Bonsai Wire?)

Guy Wires Can Always Be A Good Option

Sometimes wiring a branch isn’t the best option and maybe a guy wire will be more than enough to move the branch into the position you need.

This is when you loop some wire around a branch and then anchor the other end to the pot. This is going to allow you to pull the branch down and you can guide in to whatever direction you need.

The only thing you need to be careful of is the fact that all the tension and pressure is concentrated in one spot. Any time I do this I use some tubing to create a bit of a barrier between the wire and tree, which helps stop it from cutting in so much. 

Guy wires are extremely easy to apply and adjust and while they maybe do not give you as much control as normal wiring, they can certainly be very helpful; especially you are just trying to move the general direction that the branch is growing.

Conclusion

Hopefully now you are more confident about what thickness of wire you should be using. Just take your time and experiment with a few different sizes and you will quickly get a feel for what size is going to work or not.

The more you use wire, the more you will get comfortable with applying it as well as selecting it. Wiring really is an important skill to know for bonsai, so do not shy away from it, you will not regret it.

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Bonsai Wire)