Page 51 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q2

Top left; A wire is run along the
inside of the entire branch and
secured in place. Raffia and
grafting tape are prepared for
the next step.
Left, middle and bottom; and
right, top and middle; David
identifies the two most im-
portant points of the branch
to protect with grafting tape
and layers of raffia. One point
is where the separated live end
merges with the trunk. The
other point is the major stress
point on the branch where the
heaviest bend will occur.
Bottom right; While all the as-
sistants hold the tree, growing
box and table securely, David
steadies himself and bends the
branch.

Preventing a Split or Break
David identified the two most important points
of the branch to protect. One point was where the
separated live end merged with the trunk. The other
point was a major stress point on the branch where
the heaviest bend would occur. Failure to secure these
points would almost guarantee a split at the wrong
section or break along the branch.
To prevent this, David further secured the merg-
ing point of the live end and the trunk with grafting
tape. Once the grafting tape was set, he used raffia to
thoroughly wrap the base of the separated live end.
He repeated the process through the entire branch
overlapping as he worked upwards to the apex of the
branch. Additional layers of raffia were made around
the segment of the branch where the heaviest bend
would be made. Once David had reached the point
where the bend would no longer occur, the raffia was
tied and knotted to prevent unraveling.

April/May/June 2015 | BCI | 49