Guidance at this stage - Scots Pine - Michigan

[Jhpeet]

Hello all, this is my first post and I'm excited to tap into the knowledge bank, experience and passion of this community. Last October I dug this Scots Pine at our property in Northern Michigan and brought it home with me to Detroit. It was potted in a cedar box with Pumice and has largely been left alone other than watering. Like many, I've been reading about Bonsai for a while now but now am ready to start working with some live material. My year one goal was simply to maintain the health of the tree and watch it progress naturally across our four seasons. It seems very healthy and has a flush of new buds. I haven't had a chance to see the roots but I'm guessing there are a lot of new roots as its very stable in the Pumice. As a reference the tree is roughly 18" tall and the box it's planted in is 7"wide, 6"long and 4" tall.

Here's where I'd appreciate any suggestions:
1. Initial styling and cutting. I've included a few different angles to show options to build from and would appreciate any input of picking a front and then some styling ideas. I'm also thinking I should be selectively removing branches where I have more than one coming off the truck.
2. Thickening the trunk. There's a bit of reverse taper coming off the soil line and a wide scar a couple inches up the trunk. Given that the tree is so young I'm assuming neither of these are an issue in the long run.
3. Spring re-potting. Who you keep it in this box for one more year, plant it in the ground to thicken the trunk or move it to a training pot?

Hopefully these pictures are helpful, happy to take others if needed.

Again really appreciate any guidance, suggestions, etc and look forward to a day when I could offer the same help in years to come.

 

[Frozentreehugger]

Hello all, this is my first post and I'm excited to tap into the knowledge bank, experience and passion of this community. Last October I dug this Scots Pine at our property in Northern Michigan and brought it home with me to Detroit. It was potted in a cedar box with Pumice and has largely been left alone other than watering. Like many, I've been reading about Bonsai for a while now but now am ready to start working with some live material. My year one goal was simply to maintain the health of the tree and watch it progress naturally across our four seasons. It seems very healthy and has a flush of new buds. I haven't had a chance to see the roots but I'm guessing there are a lot of new roots as its very stable in the Pumice. As a reference the tree is roughly 18" tall and the box it's planted in is 7"wide, 6"long and 4" tall.

Here's where I'd appreciate any suggestions:
1. Initial styling and cutting. I've included a few different angles to show options to build from and would appreciate any input of picking a front and then some styling ideas. I'm also thinking I should be selectively removing branches where I have more than one coming off the truck.
2. Thickening the trunk. There's a bit of reverse taper coming off the soil line and a wide scar a couple inches up the trunk. Given that the tree is so young I'm assuming neither of these are an issue in the long run.
3. Spring re-potting. Who you keep it in this box for one more year, plant it in the ground to thicken the trunk or move it to a training pot?

Hopefully these pictures are helpful, happy to take others if needed.

Again really appreciate any guidance, suggestions, etc and look forward to a day when I could offer the same help in years to come.

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Welcome to insanity . Scot’s are great trees for bonsai . Naturally short needles . And great bark colour . The key advantage of starting with young material . Is you can add movement . And perform work like getting roots going correctly . These types of things can be greatly limited . And or take far more drastic . Interventions . At a latter date . Step one while it’s young and pliable . I would wire and add fairly drastic movement to the lower trunk . Don’t be shy . ( the years will soften the movement ) this can only really be done when the tree is young . And will show its great value . Latter . As for trunk thicken . All pines are very apical dominant . They want to grow up . By leaving the top to grow unrestricted . Without any pruning . As a sacrificial growth . With the plan to prune it off when it has done it’s job to thicken the lower trunk . At the same time you can pinch and candle prune the lower branches . You want to use in the future tree . To keep the growth close to the trunk . Plan a branch to be the future top . That you can wire up when you shorten the top, the youth also offers you the chance . To organize the roots to spread out and create a nebari for the future. All that said together I would repot the tree in the spring . Into a wide flattish , tray style container into good bonsai soil . ( course with good drainage) spread the roots radially around the tray . Wire the tree in so it don’t move , aggressively wire and bend the tree especially lower trunk . Allow the tree to grow . You can separate these events to be safer of success . It’s a matter of how daring and confident you feel in recovering the tree . If separating them I would wire the tree and repot next year . At this point your goal should be preparing the tree to be a bonsai in the future, this is actually the fastest way to a bonsai . Styling a young tree . And eliminating branches styling a tree just slows its growth , many are not prepared to listen to this reality . If they stick around in this hobby they will get there . Do yourself a favour and start now . Plan for the future . And perform the things that will make it a great tree . Years from now . As for style . I feel strongly that’s part of the hobby and up to you . Join a club and learn . At this point multiple styles can be started . What do you want is what’s important . Not what others would do . You should be proud . Most novices would have killed that tree with to much water . Good job so far . Take the correct next step . The answer to the patience needed to wait for the tree to grow . Is get more trees . Welcome to the madness .