Things You'll Need:
- Bonsai wire (1.5 to 6 mm)
- Garden string
- Small weights
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Step 1
Choose your plant. Whether your opt for an indoor or an outdoor plant, choose a plant with an interesting character for your first bonsai. Traditional outside bonsai plants include Chinese elm, ficus, jade tree, maple and juniper; while schefflera, weeping fig and Natal plum can be used for inside bonsai trees.
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Step 2
Decide what shape you want to make your bonsai. You may want to look at pictures online or in bonsai books, but before you begin training your bonsai tree you will need to choose between an upright, slanting, cascade, elongated or weeping shape.
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Step 3
Wire your bonsai tree. Wrap the wire around the branch (or trunk) to be shaped at a 45-degree angle, and then gently bend the branch into the desired shape. The wire coils should be close together, but loose enough so the tree still has room to grow.
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Step 4
Tie the branch down. An alternative method for training your bonsai tree is to use garden string to tie the branch down. Gently pull the string until the branch is at the angle you desire and tie it to a small stake anchored in the pot.
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Step 5
Hang weights from the branches. Although this method will train your bonsai tree more slowly, you can use string to tie small weights to the branches of your tree. Purchase specialized weights from a bonsai supplier, or use several nuts threaded through the string to achieve the amount of weight you need.
