This is my first bonsai. It's a juniper - I am unsure of the exact cultivar/variety. I bought it in April 2023 from a nursery (it was containerized and had a full canopy). I repotted, pruned, and wired it in late April - early May. I live in Louisiana where we have pretty hot and humid summers (July/August will reach 100 degrees and have 85%+ humidity almost constantly). I water it as needed (almost daily at this point) and I fertilize every 3-5 days (liquid 7-9-5). It gets probably 60% sun and 40% shade during the day.

My question is this - at this point, what is the best way to increase trunk diameter and ramification? I fully understand that I may have put a little too much stress on the tree by doing all that I did, but it seems to be handling everything just fine. Patience is key and all that, i get it, i get it...this was my first tree and there was an overwhelming desire to bonsai the hell out of it lol

To increase ramification you need to prune. To increase trunk diameter you need to let it grow freely without pruning. That is the balance we all need to take into concideration. You just cannot do both at the same time.

For now recovery is your goal. So basically none of the other goals apply at the moment.

Or as you put it yourself. Patience is the key

About ramification and trunk size, Tropfrog made it quite simple as it is. =)

I like that material, you can make it windswept for the left side, growing that branch on the right to make a jin later, if you don't want that, you might put that branch on the right more horizontal.

But yea, for now just let it be.

As you said, patience is key. Trunk development takes time of course, so let your juniper grow and establish a strong root system before focusing on thickening the trunk. So yeah just let the tree develop at its own pace for now.

You might consider using a balanced fertilizer with a lower nitrogen content. Nitrogen promotes foliage growth, but for trunk development, you can prioritize phosphorus and potassium, to support root and overall plant development.

Like others already said, pruning is crucial for promoting ramification.