Bonsai help (Carmona microphylla)

[Ruka]

Hi, I hope we have some bonsai enthusiasts here.
I’ve got this tree some time ago and i’m wondering if it’s in good shape. I am heavily watering once the ground is dry, so about once in 3 days. Also i’m not sure about pruning the branches, which ones and how much will it help the tree grow. Also, should i fill out the holes from watering with some more ground?
Thank you for any help!

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Beautiful plant

I've never done a carmona but I've done a lot of bonsai

Is your soil some kind of potting mix, because I'd generally not recommend bark/organic heavy mixes because the point isn't to get the tree to grow fast, it's to get it to grow forever and as the organic matter breaks down it'll settle more than a more inorganic mix

It's a cool effect for the roots to get exposed on the surface over time, so some erosion is good, but if it's happening to fast, you'll need to correct it, a lot of times we'd plant moss at the base

You obviously have been doing something right, it doesn't need any pruning at the moment

The trick is to mimic a large tree, small plants have a tendency to grow bushy but if you look at pictures of white pines, there is, as the man who taught me would say, "room for the birds to fly"

So when pruning your sculpting the tree to take the form of a large tree, taking out branches kind of in the middle. It's art so no right way. I like that little branch at the base of the trunk, let that sucker grow, otherwise it will be "top heavy" in my opinion.

You also want to keep the tree proportional, so size of top should match size of roots and vice versa. If you prune the top heavy it can actually help to prune the roots some. Don't get carried away with root pruning though.

Looks great, bonsai are very satisfying with time

 

[Ruka]

Thank you for the reply and information!
Im not sure about the soil, I got the tree as a gift and it came in that pot and all, it probably isn't anything special. I read somewhere that a bonsai should be repotted every 2 years so i will be keeping that advice for some time