Hey folks, I recently got 2 new Chinese Elms. After reading / researching it was my understanding in order to prune you should:

1) Cut any branches going directly up.
2) Cut any branches going directly down.
3) Cut branches criss-crossing into the tree.
4) Cut back where there's over 4 nodes.

guide.makebonsai.com/how-to-prune-bonsai

So, I did this:

[Before]


[After]


But now I'm thinking I've taken too much off? and if it's going to grow back? And there's still things I'm not sure about, like ( 14seconds in) where there's 3 / 4 main branches all coming out around the same side.

Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Simon.

Well...
It seems grafted.
I think the trunk is way too straight; why not train it in the future as a broomstyle?
Why did you stuck the cuttings in the same pot? The roots will be tangled and difficult to separate later.
Pictures (close-ups) would help, but thanks for the videos.
Put it outside and change to a proper soil when you can.

Thanks for the reply

By grafted, do you mean that you think that it has had other branches attached to it?

I got 2 bonsai at the same time, both broom style I think, so I was thinking of doing something different with this one.

I stuck the cuttings in the same pot for now, but I'm going to move them.

I'm wondering, was I right to cut the bonsai as I did? or would another way have been better? I'm wondering what I should do with my other one, for now I'm thinking leave it and let it grow a bit more until I do more research.

Here's some more photos:

The one I cut:

My other bonsai: