New juniper assistance

[blakeren]

Picked up my first bonsai today and have been further researching this afternoon on basic upkeep etc. The watering and location to keep it in is straight forward, however I cant seem to find anything on pruning/trimming for something that looks this young and am looking for some assistance to know which (if any) branches or needles to cut off.

Im also under the impression that it is too small/thin to wire but Im happy to be told otherwise. If it can be, what is the best approach to doing this?

It's a Sargent Juniper if unable to read in the attached image

Any other assistance would be appreciated

[alpineart]

Hi Blakeren, mate you can wire any stick in a pot , in fact its easier to wire thin material for future styles than it is to wire thick material into decent shapes with sharper tighter bends .
If you have a style and finished size in mind apply some wire and begin the process .

Most material wont thicker up in a small bonsai pot so i would slip pot it into a bigger training pot be it a large plastic pot cut down , wooden box made to suit , planter bag or orchid pots anything to give it room to grow .

More roots , more foliage , more to work with . As the tree grows remove the wire before it cuts in and re-wire it again and continue the process .It takes time when starting with small material but thats the process when starting out .

Cheers Ian

[Stu]

Congrats on joining the hobby (lifestyle/obsession). Given its your first bonsai I can understand if you are not keen to lose it while it grows in a bigger pot. I would trim the pointy bits off the top and try some wire to put some shape in the trunk. Even try to separate some of the branches from the trunk with wire. Keeping it as is also helps to learn how to care for a bonsai in a pot.
If you want a bigger tree, get another and pot that one into a bigger pot. At least that way you have your bonsai to enjoy.