Will this work??

[BonsaiBen23]

Found this in the reduced section at a garden centre for £5.

Do you think this would work as a bonsai if I cut where the red line is?
As I know these don't back bud, but it already has younger shoots there??

Any advice, opinions, knowledge welcome!

TIA

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Cutting it that short may kill the tree. You might reduce it by 50% or more now, and in the late spring, while it still has some growing season, reduce it again, ensuring you have healthy growth below the cut. It’s going to take a long time to smooth the transition. Often times with this type of material, you’d cut a little higher and ‘Jin’ (look it up) a portion of the stub to help with that transition.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I agree with all of @Brian Van Fleet 's comments. Just to add a little more info to the "you may kill the tree" - the tree depends on foliage to photosynthesize to provide the necessary glucose to keep the roots alive. If you have a tree with a lot of roots, and remove so much foliage that the roots starve and begin to die, it can start a chain reaction that the tree can't recover from. This is particularly the case with conifers, which can't typically throw new growth from old wood. If you want to dramatically shift the strength of a conifer from one area to another, you have to do so gradually - giving the tree the time necessary to grow new foliage as you are removing old foliage - trying to make sure that you never remove more than 50% (or 25% if you want to be conservative) of the foliage at any time before letting the tree recover.

This is quite different from deciduous trees, some of which can handle complete defoliation and come back none the worse for wear. If you defoliate a conifer, you will kill it.

 

[Shibui]

I'll also endorse the above.
Small, lower shoots don't grow much while there's healthy growth above (apical dominance). Reducing conifers too much in one operation can sometimes kill the whole tree. Begin by reducing the top by 1/2-2/3. That usually encourages the smaller shoots to grow. When they are strong and growing well the trunk can be reduced again to final height.

The price is quoted in pounds so I assume you are in Great Britain somewhere. Much of what we do in bonsai is seasonal dependent so it helps us to give better advice if we know your location. Adding a location to your profile means it pops up each time you post and saves us scrolling back through to work out what's appropriate advice.

 

[BonsaiBen23]

Really appreciate all the advice!!
Complete newbie, becoming slight obsessed since buying my first little Sageretia/Bird plum.

And I know the conifer was only £5, but rather leave it as it is than kill a tree that was never going to work for bonsai!
So will reduce gradually and see how it goes! Thanks a bunch!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

So will reduce gradually and see how it goes! Thanks a bunch!

As you are reducing the foliage, you also want to give that lowest foliage as much sunlight as possible - so that the tree will continue to prioritize it for growth. Make sure that none of the higher branches are overshadowing it, and consider stripping some of the inner foliage from upper branches that you are going to eventually remove so that the lowest branches get sun, wind and rain.