Mugo pine

[Rod]

I’m figuring this tree will end up broom style, but would it be worth trying to giving it a taller apex. Letting one of the upward growing branches thicken to become an extinction of trunk?

 

[PonderingSage:]

Looks like you have a good start.

 

[Shibui]

Traditional broom style has a straight vertical trunk. Broom is the deciduous version of formal upright.
The bent trunk on this tree is traditionally informal upright - branch distribution does not really affect which style it comes under.
More recently many Western growers have been talking about 'natural' style which allows for a rounded crown on bent trunk.
Don't worry too much about style classification. Concentrate on producing the best tree from the material you have for good bonsai.

Eventually the tree is likely to be taller but Mugho grows slow so for the next 20 years or so the branches need to match the trunk thickness. IMHO the branches are a bit too long for the trunk as it is. I'd be trying to reduce the length of as many branches as possible and trying for back buds to reduce the bare areas. More shoots on the branches might also give you the opportunity to remove some of the excess branches growing close together. Those close branches will slowly contribute to reverse taper in the trunk.

 

[Rod]

Traditional broom style has a straight vertical trunk. Broom is the deciduous version of formal upright.
The bent trunk on this tree is traditionally informal upright - branch distribution does not really affect which style it comes under.
More recently many Western growers have been talking about 'natural' style which allows for a rounded crown on bent trunk.
Don't worry too much about style classification. Concentrate on producing the best tree from the material you have for good bonsai.

Eventually the tree is likely to be taller but Mugho grows slow so for the next 20 years or so the branches need to match the trunk thickness. IMHO the branches are a bit too long for the trunk as it is. I'd be trying to reduce the length of as many branches as possible and trying for back buds to reduce the bare areas. More shoots on the branches might also give you the opportunity to remove some of the excess branches growing close together. Those close branches will slowly contribute to reverse taper in the trunk.

I’m getting quite a bit of back budding and planning on reducing branch length.