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Writer's picturePeter Tea

Let's Bend! Part 1

Updated: Oct 8, 2020



The other day I was given the task to do some trunk bending on this tree.  The tree has nice old bark and very healthy.  Perfect for bending.  First thing I did was de-candle the tree and pulled some needles.


Here is what the tree looks like after the de-candling and the pulling of needles.

The reason why we’re bending the trunk is because the curves on it are very contrived and boring.  You always want to stay way from arch like shapes that looks like a,”C.”



In the future, the tree will be repotted somewhere in this angle.  The tilt was done to make the base of the trunk look like it’s coming out of the ground at an angle instead of straight up.

Lets bend!








After bending the trunk, I then bent the apex forward and to the left to shift the flow in that direction.  I then cut off two branches on the right side and jin them.  The future plan is to make the entire canopy smaller.  The work for this tree is now finished. The starting height of the tree was 21 inches.  The final height of the tree is now 13 1/2 inches.  The tree went from the large category to the medium category and looks so much more powerful now.  Hopefully I’ll get to repot and wire this tree in the future.

Note on Pine wood:

It turns out that if you are bending a branch that is old, it is actually easier to bend then a young branch that is the same size.   Assuming that there are no dead wood on the branch of course.  Pine wood is relativity soft compare to other woods so in general, they are easy to bend.  Also if they start to crack and separate when bending, they can handle more breakage then other trees.  A little cut paste and the break or tear will heal right up.

Thanks for reading.


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