The following article has large sections from a treatise by Mas Imazumi. I found  this piece on the internet several years ago. The full text can be found under ttp://www.main.org/bonsai/articles.htm#cascade. I have use it on Procumbens Junipers with very good results.  One useful thing that I will add is the clove hitch knot. The clove hitch knot is two opposed half hitches that when pulled tight, lay close to the limb and stay tight. I will end a wrapping of raffia with a clove hitch and overlap with the next strands of raffia that I start with the same knot. Trying to write down instructions on how to tie a know is a hazard, ask Joe Kuhn or me at a meeting and we will be glad to show you how to tie it. When you have wrapping, wiring or bending to do , try to find a time window of three or four hours.  Pick a comfortable location an turn on the radio, you will be there a while. Keep a copy of these instructions close by and refer to them often.  Have your wire on wet raffia handy so you don’t have to be getting up and down.  Raffia can be bought at some florist shops. I found some raffia at Cleveland’s on Airport Blvd., you might also try some of the big hobby shops.

Trimming.. Select the branches you with to keep. I t is best to alternate branches, and if you are not sure about removing a branch, keep it.  Of course, remove the small branchlets and twigs growing out of the trunk so you will have a clean trunk line to work with.

Wrapping.. Raffia is best to use to wrap the trunk of the tree as it protects the trunk when you do the heavy wiring and disintegrates over time. (Soak raffia well before using.)  Tie raffia at the base of the trunk. You should have determined the direction in which you with to bend the  trunk for the cascade. Keeping the strands of raffia together, four or five strands at a time, place them along the trunk opposite the direction of the future bend. Every so often , tie this raffia to the trunk with a small (1mm) piece of wire to keep raffia in place.  This wire is later removed when wrapping of the trunk is done. Place the raffia all the way to the tip of the tree.

Main Trunk Wiring..  First step– Prepare a 5mm aluminum wire by cutting a length a little longer than the trunk base to the tip of the tree.  Poke one end into the soil about two inches deep near the raffia know at base of trunk. Hold this wire with your thumb and with the other hand bend the wire back towards you and then push it onto the trunk, over the raffia, repeating this movement every so often. At this point it is not necessary to extend the wire all the way to the tip.  The bend/push maneuver assures that the wire will closely follow the trunk line. After you have gone a ways up the trunk with the wire, take four or five strands of raffia, push the end under the wire and bring these strands down to the trunk base.  Start wrapping the trunk with the raffia clockwise over the 5 mm wire. After wrapping about two to three inches, start wrapping counter-clockwise as you wrap the trunk, being sure to wrap it very tight. When you reach any of the 1 mm wire, remove it. Don’t forget to do this, as this little wire can quickly begin biting into the trunk. When the raffia strands begin to thin out, and there is still more trunk to wrap, take a new set of four to five strands, place about two inches on the prior raffia wrap, push under the 5 mm wire and continue the wrapping. Any time you reach 5 mm wire that hasn’t been aligned to the trunk , use the same bend/push motion as before, and do this as often as needed. If you need a rest, or your interrupted while wrapping, place the remaining portion of raffia strands under your wire so it will stay tight and not start unraveling. When you reach near the end of the trunk, where branches are thinner, discontinue wrapping. Tie raffia strands so there will be no chance of having it unravel.

Second Step.. Cut 5mm wire one and a half times the length of the trunk if the trunk is of fairly large caliper. If of a smaller caliper, cut one and one third the length of the trunk.  Now, start spiral wiring on the main trunk . Keep the spirals about 50 degrees apart. First, of course, anchor this wire in the soil at the base of the trunk.  When you reach the point near the end where there is no raffia wire somewhat loosely so wire won’t bite into the trunk when you bend in that area.  Now , anchor a second 5 mm wire, cut one and one fourth the length of the trunk and wire it in a spiral fashion between the first wire spirals. This method may not look neat, but it will help prevent the trunk from cracking during the bending process.

Bending the Trunk..Now the fun begins! If the trunk is of fairly small caliper, bend it in the direction you wish it to go using both hands. One near the base of the trunk….to keep it from falling out of the pot… and the other up the  trunk where you wish the bend to begin. Slowly and carefully bend the  trunk keeping the pressure as even as possible. If the  trunk is of a large caliper, you will need to use branch benders.  Try to make a sharp first bend 90 degrees or more if possible to avoid the “teapot handle”  appearance. To hold this bend, you may use a turnbuckle system covering the wire with tubing where the wire will be around the trunk. Make further bends in the  trunk as indicated by your trunk line, keeping any branches outside the bends and bringing the tip of the trunk , the apex, toward the front of the trunk.                                          Don Corley

Primary Branches...Start wireing your primary branches, beginning at the bottom, the apex of the tree. When these are all wired, place them the way you want them, being sure to keep them in a horizontal line. At this time, you can remove branches that you doubt about at first, and cut off any that interfere with other branches, are directly over another branch, or too close to other branches. Strive for an “airly” feeling. Remember that, although the cascade may look skimpy at this time, branches will fill out in the future and give a beautiful  appearance to your cascade.

Secondary/Tertiary branches and twigs.. After you have completed primary branch wiring, begin the fine detail wiring on remaining branchlets and twigs. Usually it is wise to  wait before wiring the really tiny twigs until they have developed further otherwise you will break them. Removing any growth below a branch so you will have a nice clean line on your primary branch.