Evening All,
I have purchased a small Maple tree with the intention of developing this into a Bonsai in the future.
My intention will be to repot this in to the pot you can see in the background of the photos. I will probably look to grow this for 4 years or so in pots before I start to 'style' the as a Bonsai.
What advice do people have for growing the size of the trunk and canopy?
Also, in terms of pruning the tree over the next few years, how should I do this keeping in mind that the ultimate goal will be to Bonsai this tree?
I'm planning to make compost (75%) / pearlite (25%) mix for the new pot, any other suggestions?
Thanks for taking a look.

Looks healthy.
Good plan, let it grow and thicken the trunk.
Maibe a pond basket or an Anderson flat will help building a flat nebari, instead of the deep pot?

I would probably plant it in the garden if you aim to get it thicker.

In any case, do the repotting soon, and make sure you spread the roots. Keep in mind that a trunk gets thicker BELOW a branch, and not above. So to get taper, you want lots of low branches (But never more than 1 side-branch at any given location).

Thanks, I re-potted this evening. I considered planting in the garden but I don't think it would have been wise as my garden can become waterlogged very easy.
Yes, I looked for a shallower pot but couldn't find one so I went with the one I have. Maybe I will look to repot this next spring in a more suitable pot.
I attempted to rake the roots in to a radial pattern, it was more difficult than I expected. I also gave it a light root prune and removed any downward facing roots.
Anyways, I'll keep and eye on it over the next few months, hopefully it will survive.
Any tips on pruning over this first growing season? I am thinking of allowing it to grow unrestrained until the late autumn so that it has a chance to recover... Any thoughts on this?
Thanks