AdamS

Hi all. Being extremely new still to the wonderful world of bonsai, I have ran into a bit of trouble when it comes to pruning. My chinese elm is growing very fast and has literally hundreds of new shoots and branches appearing all the time. Problem is I am unsure of when and how the best way to prune it is. Do I just cut off new shoots as soon as they get to the length that I want them or do I leave them outgrow the tree and then cut them back so they will be thicker? Also I notice when looking at other pics of bonsai that virtually all branches are either facing upwards or away from the branch they are growing off. Now with mine it has a lot of new branches growing back towards the trunkline rather than away from it. Do I just cut these off at the base as soon as they appear or is there another way to get around this?
Please help as my tree is beginning to look a little shabby !!!!
Regards
Adam

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