Hi everyone,

Approximately three months ago now, I bought a bonsai-not-bonsai; one of those shrubs you find in a nursery where the top has just been lopped off to keep it small. I almost killed it, brought it back from the brink of death, learned it wasn't really a bonsai at all, and acted upon some advice on this forum to plant it in a larger pot to grow a thicker trunk and start "bonsai-ifying" it. This plant is already three years old, but it looks like a sapling. Unfortunately, it grows very slowly! I despair of it ever growing a thicker trunk, as it's still growing back many of the leaves it lost. Should this be a slow process, or should it happen quickly? Will it speed up as more leaves and branches grow back?

The plant is a Chinese Elm. It's planted in a pot probably about 3 or 4 litres (about 8 pints, I think) with pretty good drainage, and in direct sunlight for about three hours a day. My placement options are limited as I'm in uni accommodation, so that's the best I can do. I fertilised it last month and keep the soil moist, but never soaked.

Do you have any suggestions to make it grow faster? Should it be growing faster?

Many thanks,
azara

You already got some things right: in order to grow faster, it needs to grow leaves - which supply the energy for further growth.
So, your main concern will always be the plant's health.

Still, it will be a slow process. The fastest growth will happen if the plant grows in its natural environment, in full soil.

Light is the engine of the plant. That, combined with the space the roots have, control the growth of the plant in pots, assuming the are well-fertilized. Do keep in mind it is winter (assuming northen hemisphere?) and the difference between summer and winter growth is like, er, summer and winter.

Indoors it will not growth thick fast.

Which makes me question, are there any growth boosters for trees, like the steroids humans take for muscles?

No. There are multiple products that claim they do, but what you need is proper care - proper watering, fertilizing, position, environment.