@Leo in N E Illinois
Have you any general pruning advice on this?
It appears to be a good candidate for cut backs.
I need to thin the middle out for a little better definition of the trunk next year, when?
It's just been so slow that I'm apprehensive of other cut backs and plan to let it continue
to take to the pot for a couple years and see where the interior buds go. Just would like
to avoid it getting leggy if I could pull on your knowledge pool.
Sorry
@Japonicus - The Thanksgiving holiday was busy. I have not had time to spend on BNut. I will probably be scarce through Christmas. Family and "stuff" keeps me pretty busy this time of year.
I can not identify which species of fir you have just from photos. I would trust the name your vendor gave you. Besides pretty much all species of fir are treated the same way as bonsai. s
General advice - I've only kept a fir or two for a year or two. That was more than 10 years ago, so I have no "current" experience. They need to be kept moist, not soggy, but they will not bounce back from drought. A spruce can get nearly "bone dry" and do quite well once regular watering returns. Abies, the firs, seem to be less tolerant of getting bone dry. They also suffer heat stress more quickly than spruce. When hot sun heats up black plastic pots, fir are less tolerant of this sort of heat. They need sun on the foliage but prefer somewhat cooler roots. Wooden grow boxes, Anderson flats and ceramic bonsai pots are fine. The typical "gallon sized" nursery pots, which are taller than they are in diameter potentially can get too hot at the roots. Low, wide pots are no problem.
In general, Fir are pretty much like spruce in the bonsai care and techniques used. Usually by middle August, buds will be visible on the current year's growth. You should be able to see secondary buds by Sept for pruning back new growth. I would prune for shape and style somewhere between August 15 to Sept 15.
Pines have adventitious dormant buds in the base of every bundle of needles. Spruce and fir do not have buds at the base of every needle. When pruning back, in order to keep a branch alive not only do you have to make certain there are some remaining needles, but you must also have a bud or two. As long as you see buds, you can cut back more than one years worth of growth, but you must see dormant buds on the remaining segment of branch. And a few needles too. So as long as you prune back to a bud, and leave a few needles, Fir are good candidates for cut back. Cut backs for styling and to maintain shape should be in the Middle August to Middle September.
Thinning out the interior to let light in can be done at any time.
Don't worry that growth has been slow. Just go with the flow. To just maintain shape, you can usually cut back the current season's growth, usually by about half. Half way along the length of a current year's growth there will be a dormant bud. Cut back to that bud and you will be able to keep it from getting leggy. Always cut back to a bud, and you will have no trouble.
When you style slow growing trees, plan to style by subtraction only. Don't use a design if it requires you to "grow out a branch here" or "add growth there". Slow growing trees just won't add the way you want them too. They do bulk up, but it takes much longer. They don't grow like elms.