Japanese Maple Seedling - Maybe?

Hi All,

I am new to maples and bonsai's. I have a coral bark maple in my front yard which I planted almost two years ago.

A few days ago, I was doing some weeding in the front yard and noticed a pinkish "weed" growing near my maple. It had the same pink stem and green leaves as my maple so I hoped it might be a seedling so I left it there just in case. Then I read somewhere on the internet that maples do not produce seeds until they are 50 years old?? So I lost hope.

Then I was just looking at an old thread on this forum and saw a photo of someone's young seedlings and it looked exactly like mine! So I'm very excited again!
I just ran outside to have a another look and I had a closer look at the parent tree. I can see two pods of seeds on it!

So my question is.. what do I do?!? Should I let it grow in the front yard, or should I put it in a small pot with a seedling soil mix?
Also - what do I do with the seeds on the tree? It is the last month of summer here in Melbourne, when would be the best time to pick the seeds off the tree?

So exciting!

Pictures attached - excuse the sunburnt leaves, we had some 40 degree days last month.


https://imgur.com/a/e0Yfp


https://imgur.com/a/liTfl


https://imgur.com/a/qJ82K

Let it grow for one season where it is. Clear out any weeds or growth that block its light, but if it looks likely to suffer from leaf burn provide it with shade in summer.

If it lives for a year then you can lift it in the dormant season and start preparing the roots , but it is a looooong term project. Don't lift it now.

You must leave the seeds on the tree all summer, into the fall to allow them to mature.  If you collect the seeds too soon the embryo inside of the seeds will not be completely mature and the seeds will not be viable The rule of thumb is to leave the seed pods on the trees until they start to turn brown and can be removed from the tree fairly easily with little resistance collect the seed in late fall and put them in sealed plastic bag moist the bag and the seeds with water close the bag put it in refrigerator for
germinate " cold stratification " it need temperature between 1-5 Celsius and after 3-4 month take the bag out and plant the seeds in potting soil and in one week you will see the seedling during that process check the bag every week to make sure it is moist always also it is better
before you put them in bag you can soak the seeds in water for 24 hours then put them in bag and refrigerator
now about the other question "Should I let it grow in the front yard, or should I put it in a small pot" well that depend how much you want
your bonsai trunk thick to be if you like the present thickness of the trunk you can take it from the ground but sure not at this time of the year
you are entering into the fall and the tree are preparing for dormancy do not disturb the roots or the tree always repot in spring so next spring
when you see the buds start swell not open take it out from the ground and cut the roots and put it in the pot you need i think spring in Australia start in October while October here where i live is fall

You could always air layer a branch from the landscape tree. It's done in spring after leaves harden. I don't know about the coral bark variety but many types of Japanese maples will layer easily. (Maybe someone can tell us about coral bark variety?)

If your landscape tree is too small wait a couple years but air layering is an easy way to get a nice pre-bonsai.