Five-Point-tie to anchor your Bonsai

Apologies to those who follow.. it has been a crazy-long hiatus since I've updated my blog.  I have since found Instagram and have had a blast sharing photos and short descriptions on my trees. This topic however deserves more attention since I wanted to do a step by step for those who haven't tried a 5 point tie-in during repotting to really lock your tree into its pot.  I was taught this by the very talented Kathy Shaner years ago, who wants good information out there so people are able to make great bonsai.

Let's start here, a tree (sadly a dead Satsuki, but it'll be our mannequin today) and a small unassuming pot in need of a bonsai

We can use this same system with a two-hole or even a one-hole pot (a topic for another post), but for this one we will show the ideal situation: four tie-in holes located behind each of the feet.  Hint.. I drilled these holes in this pot for tie-downs and also for added drainage.  Don't be afraid of altering your pots to work better!  This pot is cheap, but I've bored holes in expensive handmade ones as well.  In the end, it needs to be a functional container.

Next take two lengths of wire, here I have chosen different colors: yellow and green.  To estimate the length, it is approximately twice the length of the pot. But this is important, place the wires in the holes on the short side, front and back.  This way you are wasting less wire under the pot and most importantly it is hiding the wires behind the feet so you don't see exposed wires under the front rim when displayed. Also, copper wires are MUCH better for tying in a tree. They don't stretch and are much less likely to break.  I prefer regular electrical copper wire, with the plastic coating still attached.  The plastic prevents corrosive metals from harming roots and even cushions the wire.  There is no point in using expensive annealed wire as a tie-in.  For this demo I used 18 gauge wire.

Flatten the wires on the bottom and pull them tight upward so there isn't extra slack left. Here are four points.  Some people will just cross them and tie down, usually yellow to green. But there's a better way

Now for the tiny detail which makes it all work so much better. Take a smaller length of wire, this time it is red.  It needs to be about the length of the pot.

Make a loop and twist the end around itself to lock the loop into place.

Fully locked loop, now ready to use.

Thread this on the back side wire, I prefer the back left because I tend to tighten the wires counterclockwise (probably because I'm right handed)

This is how the wires should look as it is ready for the next steps

Add soil to the bottom of the pot so that the tree will not be resting directly on the ceramic. It provides a cushion for the bottom of the root pad.

Just a thin layer is fine most of the time

Set the tree in the pot and nestle it down in the soil

Then add more soil so that it comes about halfway up the rootball.  Chopstick this in under the edge and also in among the roots to "set" the tree. It might carefully stand on its own at this point .

Now take the main wire (yellow) which has the 5th point wire (red) attached.  Push the red down to the soil line and bend the yellow down to the front.

Since I'm tightening the wire counter clockwise, I cross the wires the same way each time to make it easier for me to tighten them all the same way. I always cross it over to the inside.

Twist this down a couple of turns, but this first crossing doesn't necessarily have to be very tight.

Next pull this second yellow wire flat and over to the green, crossing to the inside.

Tighten down.  A tip: using pliers, pull up to take out the slack and then twist down, otherwise it may break the wire.

Bend this green over to the back, and again cross to the inside.

Tighten these down and then take the back green and bend it over to the left.

Cross to the inside with the little red 5th point dog tail wire we made, closing the circle.

Twist these together and remember to pull up first to remove slack and then twist down with your pliers.  This section is easy to break otherwise.

All of the wires are twisted and connected and the tree is secure in the pot.  If you have to put strong wires against roots, add a bit of padding under the wire first.  My preferred pad is a piece of rubber from a hose.  If there is a hollow and the wire doesn't quite touch, put in a piece of cork to fill the space and press down against a root.

Clip off the extra length to tidy it up.

Don't try this at home, but I'll demonstrate that the tree is completely locked into the pot: one finger lifts it all and the roots don't shift.

Fill in the remainder of the soil, covering the wires, and chopstick down soil into any cavities of the roots.  The wires are completely hidden now.

And here's what it would look like with invisible soil!  With all of the substrate poured out, the wires still hold the tree very securely into the pot,but as you can see it's a gentle hold all around the root base like a basket.

Try this technique out, it will revolutionize the way you repot your tree. Not only are your bonsai more secure, but you are able to place them in much more dynamic positions, some which seem to defy gravity.