I just wanted to post some photos of my current collection and get any input on what i could do to improve them or different ways i could style them

Juniper - 2 photos - the original photo is how i got it and then i just straighten it out as i wasn't a fan of the movement, not sure what to do at this point but would be looking to try some wiring on the branches, this is the 1st tree i got

Black Pine - 1 photo - still pretty young and i have no idea where to really go with it, currently a semi-cascade look, not really sure what else i could do with it

Ginkgo - 1 photo - also pretty young, really just growing this one out at this point, don't really have a yard to plant in so just seeing where it goes

American Pine - 1 photo - one of my favorites because of all the branch structure, super small and considering keeping it just like that, possibly look to thicken it out some, still has a ways to go

3 Japanese Maples - 3 photos
[attachment:1]Juniper Orig.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment:2]Juniper Current.jpg[/attachment]

Smallest: i really like the look of this one and all the branches it has, pretty small at this point
Medium: not a lot of foliage but the 2 trunks make it look promising
Largest: not a whole lot bigger than the other 2 but is taller, however it is basically just straight with no real branches coming off of it, need to figure out how to promote branch growth

any input would be great, i would love any advice on how to grow these to become something amazing, open for any and all suggestions, comments, or concerns

*please note that while the photos taken inside they all live outside, east facing and get morning sun with indirect light the rest of the day*

Having a hard time upload to the site directly as i believe the files are to big, so here is the same photos on my flicker site...

www.flickr.com/photos/axioq/7346270488/

or

www.flickr.com//photos/axioq/sets/72157630006361983/show/

no photos???

try again please...click link to view...cant get them into file for some reason

oh ok ...nice stock you have there, well in my opinion:
juniper let the top grow as a sacrafice loose the bottom branch and develope the others it looks much more promising with the new styling;) black pine looks to be going for a windswept style ,imagine a cliff with strong seaward winds.will need to do some bud selection in spring to get some ramification
the JM's are little but nice the 2nd and 3rd have nicely started trunks for shohin i like the 2nd the best.a defoliation will help with these along with bud selection in the springtime.
the ginko i have no idea and there is no pic of the american pine which id like to see. great start best of luck

i just double checked and i should have listed it as a american elm not pine, the elm is by far the smallest of the lot but has some interesting features

Juniper:
so you think it would be beneficial to remove the bottom branch? any suggestion on how i would style, i am so new to this so i don't really know how i want it to look or what it should look like, i just know its very dense in some places to i think it would benefit from a wiring but i just don't know what overall look i want for it...any suggestion

Black Pine:
do you think it looks good to grow the way it is now? continue to just let hang over or should put more upright with a slanting look?

Maples:
to defoliate the maples just take all the leaves off? or should some be left?

Ginkgo...just gonna let grow and see what happens


main concern is to wire juniper and defoliate the maples if ok to still do so this late in summer, FYI i live in NY...Albany area

It's just about summer here in Maine. If your going to defoliate them, do it soon. Leave the leaf stem attached to the tree.
You should realize that defoliating is pretty rough on some trees. I'd make sure it's healthy first. If it is,and you do it...post pictures on it's progress until fall. I have never defoliated a tree and would love to see how it responds.
....and how new are you ? You seem to have a pretty decent start for someone that's new to all of this.

I got my 1st bonsai (the juniper) in April, and had that by alone until about 3 weeks ago when i met this guy off craigslist who gave me an incredible deal and that is how i got all the others...

so i went from researching everything about junipers only to researching 5 different kinds trying to learn some of what to do. I'm prob most familiar with the juniper just because of length I've had it and how long I've been looking things up

also i did defoliate the smallest maple earlier about 2 weeks ago just not a full defoliation just the larger leaves that were making it look unbalanced and they came back a much better size

i did just fertilize is that a good time to defoliate? might try defoliating one and see how it goes in relation to the others

any idea what i should do with the shape of the juniper,just not a fan of the whole horizontal semi cascade look, not really sure what else could produce with this

thanks :dry:

i reread the comments and ive read up alot recently and curious, if i remove the lower branch that would promote more growth up top but also would make the trunk slower to thicken correct?

either way i think it needs to go, i just want the foliage to be not only on one side of the tree, poss will need to change the position in pot to get a new front because there are virtually no branches on the one side, but if turned its a whole new story

thoughts?