How to Create Drastic Bends on a Bonsai Trunk

Hi Everyone! In this video I show you a few methods that you can use in order to create drastic bends on your Bonsai trunk.

I firstly demonstrate how to wire to create tight bends on a young Thuja tree.

I then demonstrate how to create a dramatic bend on a thicker and older tree, a Japanese Larch. I start with a Larch that has a very straight trunk and create a bend through the use of raffia and thick wire!

The second method is done without the use of trunk splitting - a practice in which you split the trunk vertically so that the trunk or branch becomes more flexible. Although I am not against this method of bending, I prefer to avoid it as scars from when the trunk was split may remain when the tree heals.

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TIMECODES:
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Working on Younger Material
01:08 - Bonsai Tools
01:24 - Wiring The Young Thuja
03:57 - Tightening Wire Demonstration
04:17 - Shaping The Thuja with Tight Coils
06:15 - Bending Older Material - Japanese Larch
07:26 - Why Use Raffia?
08:07 - Preparing The Tree
08:24 - Preparing The Raffia
09:12 - How To Apply The Raffia
11:14 - Wiring The Japanese Larch
11:55 - Creating The Drastic Bend
14:07 - Unwiring Another Tree To See The Results
16:05 - Cleaning Up The Trunk
16:47 - Widening The Shari
18:40 - Repotting
22:08 - Styling The Bonsai
23:54 - Watering
24:34 - Outro