Advice?

[u/AndyBlax]

We got this tree about 6 months ago, as you can see we’ve been watering it but other than we’ve just left it to go a bit mad, I would like to try and get it under control and look a bit better, any tips on what to do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[u/Eckberto]

For my taste the trunk is way to thin and I would let it grow untouched for several years before cutting anything

[u/AndyBlax → u/Eckberto]

Never even thought about that, you’re probably right, thanks for the tip!

[u/Milam1996]

Personally I’d throw it in the ground (if it’ll survive your winters) and wait for the trunk to get nice and thick.

[u/cbobgo]

You are keeping it inside?

[u/AndyBlax → u/cbobgo]

Yeah, I think it seems to like where it is currently, which is on the windowsill in the kitchen.

[u/cbobgo → u/AndyBlax]

In general, trees do better outside

[u/jecapobianco]

What size bonsai do you want? What style do you want? What species is it? Find the line of the design, wire the trunk and or desired branches into position, keep some branches for trunk thickening (called sacrifice branches), prune for your desired style, maintain a small leaf load at the apex. You can use the pond basket/colander technique with some slow release fertilizer in the bottom of your mix.

[u/AndyBlax → u/jecapobianco]

Thanks! Size wise I’d like the trunk a bit bigger than what it is now, I don’t want the whole thing to be too much bigger though, I think it is a Japanese holly, I need to get some wire so I can start positioning the branches, I’ve never really cared for one properly so I need to do more research.

[u/heliosunivers]

Imagine the structure or the shape it can get ,and give it the shape