Also, yesterday I talked to my horticulture teacher. I'd taken a picture of my tree's lower portion when I went home last weekend, and showed it to him.
As I'd expected, he advised tearing out the suckers - those thick red "weeds" - as soon as possible to keep my tree healthy, along with any other grassy weeds growing around it. Since I won't be coming home for another month and a half, maybe my family will do that for me?
