Another image to show the size..

They look very nice and not too elongated. I would tend to wait until you see them really start pushing out new growth in spring. If you prune half way down or where ever you want the future main laterals/branches to create a frame work for later years.
Rick

Hi Paul! I live in Fort Myers and have pruned this time of year but haven't seen any growth from the pruned branches until spring. This was adults plants. I agree with Rick though, best to wait until spring even here, I imagine especially with seedlings.

-Heather

Thanks for the input Rick and Heather.

The seeds for most of my plants are from a ebay seller in thailand. I purchased an assorted seed pack so I'm excited to see what colors they bloom. It would be nice if they bloom before I start pruning them.

Paul

The more foliage you leave on the plant, the faster the caudex will enlarge, and winter is generally a bad time to be removing the solar panels (leaves) that are the sole source of the plant's food (photosynthate).

You can cut a healthy plant back as far as you want, but the best time to do that (for you), would probably be between Memorial Day and Father's Day. The plant will be growing strong and will recover faster then than at any other point in the growth cycle.

Al

httppaul my advice would be not to prune until 2-3 yrs of its age until u r planning to graft it
let it grow dont fiddle let it thrive for another year that is why al said more folliage - bigger caudex

besides your plant dosen't require a pruning

never prune for the sake of prunning
prune with a certain game plan as to what u want to achive out of ur pruning

just a thought

anurag

"Never prune for the sake of pruning" is very good advice.

Growth is measured as an increase in mass. Often, branches might be extending, but the plant really isn't growing because the plant might be shedding parts at the same rate it's adding new growth. When you remove photosynthesizing surface (leaves and young green branches) you reduce the growth rate; so it's better to leave branches and foliage on as long as possible, removing them when your plant has grown to a satisfactory size and you want to start refining it's shape. Once you get to that phase and start pruning, you can expect growth to slow considerably - true of all plants.

In bonsai, we often have what you might consider to be 2 plants in 1. We have selected and are training branches in strategic locations on the tree, while other branches might be sticking out at odd angles and be bent into strange positions to allow light to the important branches. We use the branches that will later be used to fatten certain parts of the tree and to pull energy away from the branches we WILL be using so the leaves grow smaller and internodes shorter.

Understanding how to manipulate plants and bend them to your will, adds a whole new dimension to caring for plants, so much so that I no longer have interest in growing anything for the simple sake of just growing it. If a plant doesn't lend itself to being manipulated into something that is different and appealing to the eye, it holds little interest for me; and whenever I prune you can bet I'm looking at the plant as it will be well into the future. IOW, I always have a plan.

What I said was offered only as food for thought, and to reinforce the idea that there can be much more to growing than just watching plants grow.

Al