Hey y’all, my two scheffleras aren’t quite ready to bonsai- I’m hoping to thicken up the trunk a bit. They are getting some woody stems which is nice but I feel like I should be doing something to help with trunk growth.

Should I give them a little fertilizer? Or prune the lower leaves?

They probably should be pruned (especially the non-variegated) but I was hoping that by leaving them alone they would thicken up a bit more.

Thanks in advance!