Should I cut this to shorten?

[ibrakeforcake]

It goes without saying that, since I'm asking this question, I'm a newbie

I'm wondering if I should be cutting my bonsai's length here to make it shorter? What's the reasoning either way?
I haven't started training yet but will shortly and would appreciate any insight or tips there to get started. Is there a recommended way to get started with my bonsai since it seems like it's well along its way? I just got the bonsai last year. Thanks in advance.

 

[BrightsideB]

There are several reasons to cut back your tree. Usually the reason is to shorten the trunk to keep it small. Or start building taper.

Check out this video and others.

 

[ibrakeforcake]

Thanks for pointing this video out, it was helpful.

 

[bwaynef]

I'd keep all that length. I'd also see if there's an upright tree lurking in that cascade branch.

 

[pandacular]

That’s a nice long branch there! If that single piece is more or less the thickest part of the tree from the tip to the base of the trunk, you could attempt to wire it up straighter to form the start of a trunk. Such strong growth gives you a ton of options.

Personally, I’d be aiming to use as much as I could to start to form a more upright trunk. I don’t find procumbens cascades all that compelling, but only because there are so many of them, as they tend to grow that way naturally, just as yours has.

Often when growing out younger material, folks will have a long extension in their trunk beyond where “the tree ends”. This has numerous benefits, but mostly it helps add thickness to the trunk to let it run (which is one of the key features lacking in most procumbens). In a sense whether you make your bonsai shorter and whether you cut that branch are separate questions: you can make a shorter (future, showable) bonsai now and NOT cut that branch.

 

[ibrakeforcake]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Shibui]

I think the others have already covered most of the points I was going to make.

Reasons to prune/ shorten long trunks:
Pruning keeps the bonsai to the size and shape you want it to be.
Pruning adds taper to trunks and branches that have little taper.
Shortening a trunk makes the trunk look thicker because our brains measure things as relative.

There are also reasons to retain long branches/trunks:
You may want a larger bonsai.
You prefer the long, skinny look.
We sometimes allow branches/trunks to grow extra long because that speeds up thickening of the tree below that point. It is called sacrifice branch because it is grown with the intent of chopping off at some stage when the goals have been met.

By now you'll be starting to realise that there's rarely only one answer in bonsai. Different techniques give different results. Sometimes it depends on the species and sometimes on specific location.

 

[ibrakeforcake]

By now you'll be starting to realise that there's rarely only one answer in bonsai. Different techniques give different results. Sometimes it depends on the species and sometimes on specific location.

There goes my hope for a simple answer
But thank you for the explanation and to everyone else as well; I have a lot to learn, I appreciate all the help!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Bonsai is far from simple, so get ready to study. I would leave it for now for no other reason than it can be used as a sacrifice branch to thicken the trunk. However as it gets very dense foliage you would want to thin it. Here is a link to one of Ryan’s videos on pruning J. procumbens.

 

[bwaynef]

An example of what I mean when I say there might be an upright lurking in that cascade branch. https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/slipping-the-bark-on-junipers.60471/page-2#post-1060062 You might stake it upright for a few months before you introduce more bends in the trunk.

 

[ibrakeforcake]

Bonsai is far from simple, so get ready to study. I would leave it for now for no other reason than it can be used as a sacrifice branch to thicken the trunk. However as it gets very dense foliage you would want to thin it. Here is a link to one of Ryan’s videos on pruning J. procumbens.

I just had a chance to watch the whole video - wow, there's a lot to learn