My latest experiment

[Ryszil]

Hey guys,

Here we go again, hopefully as I go my posts get less and less cringe worthy
I have previously posted about some of the succulents I have growing in the backyard from before I moved in. While I realise this is kind of cheating in that I haven't trained them in the ground I have been enjoying experimenting with what is there. The picture below is a cutting I took and played around with... for hours.

180927 Jade.jpg

It isn't finished of course, I was after a bit of advice, initially I was planning on a dense canopy across the top but now am wondering if I should go for individual pads. I realise one of the branches sticking up on the left has to go but I am unsure as to which. I'm thinking that fat part at the top of the back branch needs to go too. As for the lack of flare at the bottom, I have a wooden disc buried underneath around the trunk in the hopes of creating some nebari and fattening the bottom a bit, it's an experiment after all. I was also considering creating a jin or something with the stump off the middle which I cut off quite a while ago (so I guess I did something while it was in the ground even if it was an accident ) but don't want it to get too busy or take on too much seeing as I am still very new to this.

Please guys, have at it and again thank you to the ausbonsai community for all the previous feedback and help.

Oh and my son insisted on the lego figure but I guess it gives it some sense of scale

[shibui]

You should feel comfortable creating the type of tree you are happy to look at. The traditional Japanese styles are just there to give us some guidelines about what looks good. They all grade into each other and overlap a bit anyway so really, anything goes.
The upright trunk and shape of the main branches suggests 'Broom style' to me. That means an umbrella canopy rather than individual flat foliage pads. You'll need to give it some time to start growing but after that the thicker branches should be cut back a bit so new, smaller shoots will grow and they will form the canopy. That means the thicker branches will need to be cut a bit shorter than the final shape so that the new shoots can grow out to the desired size/shape.
Jade can be wired to alter the shape and placement of branches if it is needed.
You will probably find that bonsai takes time. We need to work with the plant's growth cycles and think in years rather than days/weeks. No need to try to force a completed bonsai right now.

While I realise this is kind of cheating in that I haven't trained them in the ground

many of the best bonsai in the world have been made from wild plants that have had no human interference before being collected. training can start early but often begins after the tree goes into a pot.

[Keep Calm and Ramify]

I was also considering creating a jin or something with the stump off the middle which I cut off quite a while ago

Ryszil,
Being a succulent I think you may struggle with retaining jin on jade. Perhaps just cut (flush) the middle stump extension off completely?
Continue to have fun developing this with your son.