Auk wrote:

TMax wrote:

I was aiming to get it to look like this

If you want to create a bonsai, it is not a good idea to take a mallsai as example.
It's not a good idea either to prune a tree if you don't know why, how and when.

Auk, I know mallsai is bad but I appreciate the shape. It was the closest looking tree to the one I imagined in my head. As for trimming, I know why I trimmed it. I didn’t want it to die off because of overgrowth and it is easier to focus on these main branches that I can grow out over my lifetime. Also the growth was so tight that I couldn’t apply wire. I am going to get wire right now.

If you want a bonsai like the one in the example, you really need to be willing to learn.
So far, I don't think you are.

I predict your tree will not live long.

Why do you say that? I did not mean to be rude, I want to learn. I’m sorry if I frustrated or annoyed you.

TMax wrote:

Why do you say that?

Because that is what countless examples on this forum have proven.
You don't know how to grow a juniper and that they must be outdoors. You pruned it, without knowing what you were doing. You already want to wire it.
It 'll be dead in a few months. It'll be dead even sooner if you also plan on repotting it.

Learn patience. Learn about growing junipers. Understand why trees do not do well indoors. Learn these basics, then start learning about bonsai. Join a club, get advise from experienced members. Get proper material to work with. Be patient.

I actually was trimming it for a reason. I was making it into the shape I want it to grow out into. I am not going to repot for another two or three years depending on the growth. We have a nice plant nursery in the area, but no bonsai club. I joined this site hoping this would serve the purpose of having people help. I am currently finding a good spot for the plant with about 6 hours of sun. The wire I want to get will take three weeks to get here and I plan on wiring in the summer after I have new growth to work with. I want you to know I do care. My passion and interest lies in plants and has alway since a young age.

TMax wrote:

I was making it into the shape I want it to grow out into.

You didn't do it right. Bonsai is a very long term plan. You need to understand that you need growth. You cannot cut it now into the shape you want it to be in in the far future. You need to plan ahead. You have now cut of parts that you would need to get the trunk and branches bigger.

What you have accomplished is a plant that will stay small and have growth in the wrong places.

In this small pot, it wouldn't grow into the size of tree you have in mind anyway.

.

But let me give a more useful answer:

Your question is about thickening the trunk. Your actions have delayed that development for a few years. Look up how to thicken a trunk:

www.google.nl/search?q=develop+trunk+bonsai

I am not going to do much with the tree mich like trimming. I’m just going to let it grow in the right conditions for the next few years.

TMax wrote:

We live in California, not by the coast where junipers actually grow but like in the most annoyingly dry part of California.

where in California are you located if you dont mind me asking?

We are in Auburn, California. We have a storm cell moving in if you look a the weather but its dry here 99% of the time.