How can I bend thick trunks?

vance hanna

Jerry is an authority on Ficus and many other bonsai related topics! And I have to say he's got the best solution. It works, and I've done this as well on Ulmus Carrisoflia (decideous) and even on juniper and pine. I nearly lost an important branch on a P.Strobus after it was carelessly knocked off by a consumers power crew.

The concern is stabilty. Don't move or touch the tree uncessairly.

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vance hanna
fine bonsai take time

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MartinBorjesson

Can someone please answer my question. My tree´s health might depend on a quick answer.

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Adam_MA

I would think that you have to get the the gap closed up for the bark to fuse back together in any reasonable time frame. If it were mine I would try to use a very thin knife or saw to remove as much material as needed to get the bark closed up again. If it has been overnight since you did this, you may need to wound the ends of the bark to get a fresh green color before closing it up.
On Jerry's site he says
"Heavy wire is used to bring the cut edges back together and to move the branch to its new orientation."
This leads me to believe that it needs to be back touching each other again. You can read more about this HERE

Hope this helps
Adam

Note: I am just using my best educated guess here. I have not performed this procedure.

Will_Heath

I have used this technique on trunk chops in order to get a straight trunk afterwards as I described here. Adam is correct, you must be sure that the trunk touches itself and that the cranium lines up in order to assure success.

Depending on the size of the trunk, heavy wire, rebar, or guy wires can be used to bring the trunk into shape. For the straight chops I use this technique for, I used either rebar or a chop stick wired to both sides.

When I have removed a wedge from under a thick branch that I need to bring down or on a species that does not respond well to normal wiring, I used heavy gage wire or a tie down to assure the two parts met.

The key is to judge the size and depth of the wedge correctly (this comes with practice) so as to prevent bending the branch back and forth repeatedly. I have always used a straight razor for these cuts as it allows me to take out thin slivers and gives me more control over the process.

Good luck,

Will Heath

EDIT: As John Dixon pointed out to me with a laugh.... the above should read Cambium and not Cranium as we can never seem to get two heads to line up here. Thanks John.

John Dixon

I know it's too late, but does no one use trunk splitters? Granted, thet aren't the most common bonsai tool, but they do that specific task perfectly. The cambium matches back up nicely and the scarring is minimal, almost surgical in appearance. The tool has no other use that I know of, but so what.

If you have never used the technique, the best analogy is to think about laminates or plywood. Thin sheets of wood and very flexible by themselves, but when glued together, they rival (even exceed) the strength of a similar solid piece of wood cut to the same thickness. The trunk splitters allow you to "split" the trunk into thin strips at the point of the pending bend. When enough strips are cut, the wood is more compliant and bends easier. Normally, you need to seal the cuts up and allow them to heal. Once healed, the wood is, once again, as rigid as before.

There are some risks to the technique (very few don't have risks), but the scarring is much less than a "chop". The splits with a trunk bender (like in the pic) work great for me, but I have to admit I've never tried it on that species. I'm just curious why it wasn't considered.

Anyway, I hope your technique works well.

John

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John Dixon

Si vis pacem parabellum

Stay off the trails of others, that's where the booby-traps are.

Will_Heath

John,

The trunk splitter is a valuable tool and it has it's place in certain circumstances, although I have never had the opportunity to use mine yet. However, my understanding here was that movement needed to be introduced throughout a 10 inch length of the top portion of the trunk and not just at one point. I would hesitate to split that big of an area so near the apex, although my fears could very well be unfounded.

Will

John Dixon

I can understand your concern, but I once watched Chase Rosade split a juniper for a good 16" or more and introduce several bends of movement in that section. I really believe the trunk splitter is one of the most UNOBTRUSIVE techniques. The splits are so thin, that the cambium is not really bothered. Plus the split is vertical, which supports the natural flow of the cambium, whereas a chop or horizontal cut interupts the flow (not that they aren't useful techniques). The xylem is not affected greatly, and the "heartwood" is not a significant concern (really, it's the problem to be resolved).

I know it looks like you are being terribly hard on the tree, but the trunk split is easier on it that many other methods, in my opinion. I had to force myself to do it at first, but now I'll do it with no hesitation.

Try it, you'll like it (a heymikey pun).


Best regards,

John

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John Dixon

Si vis pacem parabellum

Stay off the trails of others, that's where the booby-traps are.

Will_Heath

Excellent idea and suggestion John. It very well may be the best solution. Thanks for stirring the cranium.


Will

MartinBorjesson

Ok... now its sealed, I cant get a needle throu the gap..... hope it survives.....

Thanks a lot

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