Sapling sprouted alongside my tree

[mdac]

Disclaimer: I'm totally new to bonsai trees - this is my first tree.

I was gifted a bonsai tree (tag just said elm, but I'm not sure whether that's accurate) a few months ago, which I've been taking care of. Since I'm very new to this sort of thing, I was wondering whether anyone might be able to please answer two of my questions?

Recently a smaller version of my tree sprouted alongside it. My bonsai is about 30cm tall; this lil one is about 4cm (see attached images). Is it part of my main tree and should I leave it there to grow? Or is it drawing nutrients from my bonsai, and I should uproot and repot the sapling elsewhere?

My other question is whether my tree is actually an elm? I'm sorry for the terrible quality pictures, but is anyone able to make out the type of leaves on the saplings and tell me whether it's an elm (and maybe what type of elm)? And if it is an elm, will it lose its leaves this coming autumn? How will I know if it's losing its leaves because it's deciduous, and not because it's sick?

Thank you so much for the help! I'm loving this little tree and hope it flourishes.

PS There used to be moss around the base of the tree, but I suspect birds ate it. Nevertheless, my tree seems to have fared fine without it.

 

[0soyoung]

Leaves look the same ... don't they?

Are you aware that several species are prone to 'suckering'?

 

[sorce]

Looks a new seed.

Nice.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[mdac]

Leaves look the same ... don't they?

Are you aware that several species are prone to 'suckering'?

No, I wasn't, but I am now - thank you!

Looks a new seed.

Nice.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

And thank you also!

 

[M. Frary]

o 'suckering'?

I've never seen it in elms.

That's a baby elm for sure though. At next repot I would separate it come the roots of the big one if you want to keep it
If you don't want to keep it,jerk it out. If you cut it there's a good chance it will sprout from what's left.
It isnt hurting the other tree at all.

 

[leatherback]

I thought I had answered already. Then I realized.. You posted exactly the same in multiple fora!

 

[TN_Jim]

When would you repot it? Also, what would fatten the base of that trunk with the first repotting, if anything?

 

[Tieball]

I get those “New Trees” every time I trim back roots and leave a severed root in the ground. The roots will take hold and send out a new tree start. Perhaps the tree was root pruned recently and a cut root was not removed. Elms....American Elms for me....do this all the time while in the ground. I shovel dig around a tree and mid to late season, and sometimes the next season, I have a flurry of new shoots starting up at the circular shovel pattern.

 

[Tieball]

When would you repot it? Also, what would fatten the base of that trunk with the first repotting, if anything?

Planting in the ground is fastest. I doubt it will thicken in that pot....for many, many years.

You don’t say where you’re located. Can you ground grow it? Okay.....maybe not what you wanted to hear. But you did want it to thicken up. In my experience...It won’t in a pot.

 

[Tieball]

When would you repot it? Also, what would fatten the base of that trunk with the first repotting, if anything?

Planting in the ground is fastest. I doubt it will thicken in that pot....for many, many years.

You don’t say where you’re located. Can you ground grow it? Okay.....maybe not what you wanted to hear. But you did want it to thicken up. In my experience...It won’t in a pot.

 

[Tieball]

When would you repot it? Also, what would fatten the base of that trunk with the first repotting, if anything?

Planting in the ground is fastest. I doubt it will thicken in that pot....for many, many years.

You don’t say where you’re located. Can you ground grow it? Okay.....maybe not what you wanted to hear. But you did want it to thicken up. In my experience...It won’t in a pot.

 

[Tieball]

Oh my.....three times the post. I guess the result of impatient fingers, a low signal and not seeing the posting hit. Sorry about that. But there’s not delete function....perhaps Admin will eliminate a couple of these posts.

 

[mdac]

I thought I had answered already. Then I realized.. You posted exactly the same in multiple fora!

Yes, I posted here then looked at how recently things were posted last, and thought this place had been deserted - obviously not

When would you repot it? Also, what would fatten the base of that trunk with the first repotting, if anything?

Oh, I'm totally new to bonsai, so I wasn't aware that I had to repot it or even fatten up the trunk. If anyone was able to offer or link to instructions on how to properly raise my tree (aside from watering and fertilising), that would be much appreciated! I've been trimming off branches that came off the lower part of the trunk, but that's about it in terms of pruning.

Planting in the ground is fastest. I doubt it will thicken in that pot....for many, many years.

You don’t say where you’re located. Can you ground grow it? Okay.....maybe not what you wanted to hear. But you did want it to thicken up. In my experience...It won’t in a pot.

I'm located in Victoria, Australia. Unfortunately at the moment I don't have a proper plot of soil for my bonsai to live, so I don't think that's an option for me. Also, our weather is a little erratic here so I worry about times when we have flash flooding and I can't move the tree out of danger, or during our hot summer days when he would BAKE! Or maybe bonsai trees are hardier than that, I don't actually know.

Would it be a problem if my tree didn't thicken up, though? I could try a much larger pot.

 

[mdac]

I've never seen it in elms.

That's a baby elm for sure though. At next repot I would separate it come the roots of the big one if you want to keep it
If you don't want to keep it,jerk it out. If you cut it there's a good chance it will sprout from what's left.
It isnt hurting the other tree at all.

Great, thank you for the confirmation on species! I didn't know you had to repot the tree several times, but once I found out more I'll be sure to take your advice and separate the little one. And thank you for telling me about how it will most likely just sprout again if I cut it, I didn't know that.