Branch development on a young JBP?

I bought this tree 2 years ago with the intention of letting it grow for about 5 years. I'd love to do an informal upright with as little movement as possible with this tree. I would like to create the illusion of an old longleaf pine that grow everywhere in my area. I'm just wondering about branching development and if I should be doing anything at this point, or just continuing to let it do it's own thing. Any thoughts?

Hi subnet-RX,
I looks your pine is grafted, if so, some work to smoothen this is maybe necessary.
How are the roots going, have they a nice spreading?
The lower branches are important to fatten the trunk, if you need them in the future design
some wiring on these would be good now.
You decided on the style of the tree but one should now also decide on the future hight of your tree.
I do not know the pines your area,
but if you say -with as little movement as possible- i feel some wiring with very subtle movement
would improve the sight, otherwise you really got places like a straight stick.
Good idea to give him another 5 years, feed him well.
regards , Sunip

Hi sunip,

The roots aren't going great in my opinion, but I also haven't stopped to dig down and look at them either. The only thing I have done with this tree is move it to the pot that it's in now by slip potting.

A straight stick wouldn't be terrible to me, because that is what old pines here look like. I'm trying to invoke impressions in the visitors to my garden of old trees, not necessarily bonsai artists who may have a more trained eye.

The third pine here really reminds me of local pines and would be a direction that I would like to go in: http://bonsaing.blogspot.com/2010/06/bonsai-tree-three-bonsai-masterpieces.html

Hi Subnet-RX
That JWP is a real impressive Chokkan.
With such trees the nerbari is very important, it is one of the things that gives a tree an old expression.
As your pine is a young JBP things are more easy, and since you just slipt the tree over in an other pot,
i would recommend you , to bare root the tree and position the roots now.
Now it will be relatively easy to do, it gives you also the chance to change the soil to a good draining one.
(Do not forget the miccorhizzum fungus)
When one stands at the foot of such pine and one looks along the trunk up to the apex,
one sees that most straight trees have a gentle flow caused by long gone branches.
It can make a difference. Of course one should not pass the boundary to a Moyogi since you want to style a chokkan.
So maybe you need a stick to attach to the trunk to secure the straight line.
Specially on a Chokkan i would pay attention to the graft.
But another issue would be to keep the lower branches vigorously and the needles close to the trunk.
Good luck.
regards, Sunip