u/Btg1236

This is one of my earlier Flame trees from a bonsai kit grown from seed. I’ve learned some hard lessons with it: mainly putting it into way-too-small training pots twice early on, which slowed trunk thickening and overall development. I’ve been stepping it up gradually to larger pots ever since.

I like the slight trunk taper and movement I’ve got so far in this upright style, but I’m debating whether to commit to it or make a bigger shift.

Thinking about cutting back two of the branches, leaving one as a sacrifice to encourage lower growth and more trunk thickness lower down, then wiring and bending any back budding into an informal upright with a nice spreading umbrella canopy.

What do y’all think?

Will this eventually be a lost cause? Aka is it on a path to death already?

This is a flame tree cutting that I randomly stuck in a pot, not really thinking it would actually take. Turns out it did, and it’s almost been growing now for a year (just survived its first winter).

Should I stop wasting time on it? What are people’s thoughts on cracked trunks?