Care tips (sageretia, p afra, ficus)

[Aphystic]

I have a sageretia which survived the winter (yay) and is getting denser foliage now but several branches have none or very few leaves. Can I do something to make it wanna produce a lot of leaves and become dense?

Last year I propagated a cutting from my p afra and I’m wondering what I should do with it now that it is really tiny (but growing quickly!) just let it grow or should I be pruning it somehow to promote certain growth?

Also, I’m planning on keeping both outside when it is around 10c during the night as of right now I’m doing the bonsai shuffle.

See attached files

 

[Shibui]

Pruning is usually the key to getting leafy, dense branching. All trees aspire to be the tallest tree in the forest, even when there's no forest they still try so they almost always grow new shoots and leaves right out at the tips and don't waste time on inner leaves and shoots. They only make inner shoots and inner leaves when necessary - like after an animal browses or when we prune.
To get more density you'll need to trim all the long shoots relatively short to force the tree to activate buds way back.
You will get much better response to pruning if the tree is strong and healthy. Hard to be sure in those photos but your Sageretia doesn't look all that vigorous. Maybe needs more fertiliser or better conditions for a season before trying to cut back?

The portulacaria can grow free for as long as you like as it will sprout new shoots whenever you prune, no matter how long, thick or bare the trunk has gotten. I note you have it in a small bonsai pot. That will definitely slow growth and development so I can only assume you are trying for a smaller bonsai in which case pruning can begin any time you like. Pruning will promote branching but will also slow trunk thickening. You need to decide what you want this tree to end up like then plan to achieve that.

 

[Aphystic]

Pruning is usually the key to getting leafy, dense branching. All trees aspire to be the tallest tree in the forest, even when there's no forest they still try so they almost always grow new shoots and leaves right out at the tips and don't waste time on inner leaves and shoots. They only make inner shoots and inner leaves when necessary - like after an animal browses or when we prune.
To get more density you'll need to trim all the long shoots relatively short to force the tree to activate buds way back.
You will get much better response to pruning if the tree is strong and healthy. Hard to be sure in those photos but your Sageretia doesn't look all that vigorous. Maybe needs more fertiliser or better conditions for a season before trying to cut back?

The portulacaria can grow free for as long as you like as it will sprout new shoots whenever you prune, no matter how long, thick or bare the trunk has gotten. I note you have it in a small bonsai pot. That will definitely slow growth and development so I can only assume you are trying for a smaller bonsai in which case pruning can begin any time you like. Pruning will promote branching but will also slow trunk thickening. You need to decide what you want this tree to end up like then plan to achieve that.

the Sageretia had a really rough winter but since spring/early summer arrived here in Sweden it's looking really healthy. Lots of new leaves and they are developing quickly - although not much close to the stem. Can I just cut the branches back, any specific place on the branch?

I am fertilising every second week roughly and it's in a small bonsai pot because that is what I had at the time, I want it to grow big!

 

[Shibui]

New buds will grow from nodes - where leaves once were. Look for the little bumps on the stems. You can see some new buds are growing on some of the branches already.
We usually prune just above a bud that's on the side we want the new shoot to grow but you can just cut and wait to see where the new buds grow and sort out which ones to keep later.
I can see a few branches are bare and black which probably means they are dead - probably a result of the 'rough winter'. You can't get new buds on a dead stem but new buds will often grow from the trunk right at the base of dead branches.

I am fertilising every second week roughly and it's in a small bonsai pot because that is what I had at the time, I want it to grow big!

Fertilising is good for growth but small pot is not. If you want to get maximum growth pot up into a larger pot.