Abstract ZnO nanowires (NWs) with different diameters were obtained by controlling the particles of ZnO sub-layer (SL) exploring hydrothermal method; the diameter of the epitaxial NWs could be tuned from 60 to 146 nm when using SL with a thickness of 70 nm. The thickness of the SL would influence the orientation of the NWs. The top agglomerate NWs could be formed on the SL with a thickness of 10 nm, and the NWs with better orientation were obtained using SL with a thickness of 70 nm. Well aligned ZnO NWs grew perpendicular to the completely stress released SL. The diameter of the NWs was also greatly influenced by the solution concentration; thus ultra fine (diameter∼11 nm) ZnO NWs were obtained through adjusting the solution concentration to 0.001 mol/L. Through our research, we also found that the growth rate of the NWs could also be influenced by the different polarity surface of the SL. In other words, the size of the ZnO NWs could be tuned exactly under optimal conditions.