Bonsai Wire
When choosing which wire to use for wiring your bonsai tree, the decision to choose between copper or aluminum usually arises. We’ve outlined some of the basic pros and cons of each below. Hopefully it will give you some guidance in choosing which type of bonsai wire to use on your tree.
Copper Bonsai Wire
Copper wire is typically stronger than aluminum, meaning you will be able to hold a thicker branch with a smaller diameter wire when compared to aluminum. The benefits to this is that smaller size wire tends to not show on your bonsai tree as much as aluminum. The color will also fade over time to match your tree’s trunk. Therefore, the overall advantage to copper wire is that the tree will be more aesthetically pleasing to the eye where the viewer can see more of the tree than wire. The downside to copper bonsai wire is that it cost much more than aluminum.
Aluminum Bonsai Wire
Aluminum wire is extremely affordable and therefore serves as great practice wire. The wire can also bend much more easily. However, the downside is that you will need to use a thicker wire on branches to get them to stay. Aluminum also tends to be darker in color and can be more visible than copper wire on bonsai trees.
Overall, most bonsai tree enthusiasts use aluminum wire for their trees to practice on. On showcase trees that are either displayed or entered into competitions, you will usually see copper wire.
