Let this trident maple grow out more or begin refining/styling it?

[Bonsai Noodles]

Picked up this gnarly looking trident, and it's my favorite tree. So far, it's acting healthy, and it just dropped leaves. I'm considering what to do with it in the near future. The person I purchased the tree from said it was last repotted Spring 2019, so it might be due for a repot in the next year.

In general, how would you go about developing this tree? I was thinking of putting it into the Anderson flat it's currently sitting on (right now, I'm just using it so that it won't tip over). Or is this tree ready for refinement, you think? I think the nebari looks good, but if I do decide to let it grow larger, maybe I should grow on top of a tile too.

Thanks!

 

[TN_Jim]

would grow making branches from chops more congruent with trunk sizes & eliminate inverse taper on tall trunk

 

[Shibui]

Refinement will not make those chops look good. The grower has done a good job of growing you a trunk. Next stage is refine the chops for taper and direction. At this stage that means some moderate growing to match the new with the thicker old trunk. It is possible to start developing some initial branch structure while that's going on but watch out for long internodes on fast growing spring shoots. Long internodes make it really difficult to develop good structure later so cut and grow again is common.

 

[Dystopics]

I would not put this trident into that anderson flat. If you were still working on developing trunk caliper, sure, or wanted to detour for a few years to try and encourage a more robust, ebihara-esque nebari, but at this point it would it set you back more than you might think. As @Shibui said, you're not quite at the refinement stage, but you should be making your decisions with an eye towards refinement. One of the big benefits for having a small pot, is that the restriction of the roots is reflected in the growth above. In a small pot, you get smaller internodes and smaller foliage. Put it in an anderson flat, and its going to spend a ton of energy growing roots to try and fill that space. Growth is going to come in long, leggy shoots, with giant internodes that can make the branches useless. If you arent careful, this wild growth can get to a size large enough to leave noticeable scars on the trunk that will be visible for years.