Wiring podocarpus bonsai
Podocarpus wood is reasonably flexible and takes wire well, but the bark is soft and marks easily. Wire scars on podocarpus last for years.
When to wire
In a tropical climate wiring can be done through most of the year. Avoid the period immediately after repotting, and avoid the peak growth surge, when trunks thicken fast enough to bite wire in within weeks.
Technique
- Use aluminium wire; copper is too hard for podocarpus bark.
- Wrap at roughly 45 degrees, loose enough not to press into the bark.
- Wrap the branch in raffia first for major bends on old wood.
- Bend slowly, spreading the curve along the branch rather than kinking at a point.
Removing wire
Check every four weeks through the wet season. The moment wire starts to press, take it off — do not wait for it to bite. Cut it away in short sections with pliers rather than unwinding it, which damages branches.