New to Bonsai, looking for tips on my Trident Maple

[jadebullet]

So I recently purchased a Trident Maple bonsai from Brussels Bonsai and it seems to be doing pretty well on my balcony which gets just enough sun in the morning and is shaded for the noon and afternoon sun.

I am still a beginner at this though so I do have some questions. I have read that I should work on the trunk first, then start shaping the branches and leaves later, once the trunk is established. The look that I am going for is a straight vertical trunk that ends in some nice full branches at the top. Anyway, upon inspecting the tree's shape I noticed that at the top of the current trunk there are 4 branches all meeting at the same junction, with the narrowest one being the one that continues vertically. Currently I have rotated the tree so that the leaves connected to the vertical branch will get the most sun as I want that branch to continue onward as the upper part of the trunk. I was wondering if you guys had any tips and tricks to help give that branch some priority in growth without potentially killing the tree.

As you can see the tree has some lower branches that will eventually get clipped once the trunk gets to how I want it.

And here is the junction that I am talking about.

 

[seth ellwood]

Keep the branches you do not want to keep trimmed back to 1 set of leaves and continue this practice through out this season. Allow the apex you want to keep grow freely. Next year after the tree is dormant remove what you do not want to keep and transplant in to cement mix grow tub and let grow freely for the next 3-5 years . Fertilize, water, and keep in full sun. if leaves start to look fried put it in a spot where it will get am sun and afternoon shade. and sit back and hold on.

 

[sorce]

Nice start.

Everything up there is likely too high for your finished tree, if you are following the 6/1 ratio, or anything close.

I would let the thick one run, or all of them, if going for girth.

You'll get low budding for sure, which you can cut back too when you get the trunk you want.

If you keep those trunks up top different sizes, and practice wiring them, you can layer it for a nice clump style too when your lower trunk gets to what you need.

Sorce