trunk thickening

I have this BRT that I have been letting grow unrestricted. I want to try and grow the trunk for a couple of years. Was thinking of pruning down to one sacrificial branch and letting that one grow unrestricted. I saw Wigerts do one with a massive sacrificial branch as seen below. Anybody have...

Hey guys, I have seen many very nice trees with trunks such as the one in the attached photo. What are the general methods for creating these? I am assuming this isn't the usual trunk chop or cut and grow method. Any insight is as always very much appreciated!

Hello All— I was planning on buying a couple of large grow boxes for some trees to thicken trunks for 5 -10 years. What type of soil should I use? Regular well-draining bonsai soil fitting to the species? Or something more organic like one would find if you just planted the trees in the...

Hey! I bought a ficus carica (around a foot and a half tall) from the garden center. I want to turn it into a bonsai! :D My understanding is that I should keep it in a nursery pot for a while so I can thicken the trunk, then replant it in a training pot. What is the best way to go about...

Even being aware that wind produces tiny cracks on lower trunks, leading to stronger and thicker bases, I just watched a video where the author proposes "exercising" bonsai in training, both in pots or in the ground, by shaking them (in fact rocking the trees back and forth) periodically to...

I have a Chinese elm that I got from a bonsai nursery in FL last fall. I have managed to keep it alive thus far, but now I am contemplating my next step. Given that I have just moved from Northern FL to OH, I don’t want to stress him out too much, so I need advice on the following: 1.) I think...