I'm reading up on basic care of a Chinese Elm, but I'd love some opinions and advice. This was given to me and came from Williams Sonoma. I understand that perhaps that isn't a great start, but I'd love to improve things. It's kept indoors.

The plant has generally seemed weak for a long time (I've had this about 1.5 years). Less growth, light green/yellow leaves which fall off, and often plagued with mites. No other plants of mine have mites, and we have no outdoor pets. I'm wondering, would this plant benefit from altogether new soil? No idea what they pack, sell, and ship these with but I can't imagine it's quality. If I put it in new soil, what should I get and should any roots be cut back or anything?

I just want to give this thing a good starting point as I continue to learn.

Thank you!
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Hello and welcome.
The only thing that your plant needs now is food, which is sunlight. Place it outdoors where it belongs and all the problems will go away. Do not repot or fertillize untill it is back to is full health.

I'm in an apartment with no available "outside" area. This does sit consistently at a south-facing window though. Does it need direct sunlight? Do I need to be taking it outside often?
Thanks!

The entire tree screams not enough light and ventilation. Long leggy shoots, spider mites, pale leaves. If you cant place it outside it will die. There is no such thing as an indoor tree. Our living rooms are waaaay to dry, too hot, no direct sunlight, no ventilation.

Great to know. That being said, does this need to be outdoors full time? Is having it in this apartment at all a death sentence?

Do you know of one tree in the entire world that lives naturally indoors?
By the looks of it it will die if it stays where it is now.

Of course not. It's why your comments make sense and I'm grateful you have shared them. But it's also why I am also asking if this can be solved by taking it outside occasionally, or if I need to give it to someone with a yard.

What you could do is place it in an unheated room , windows open all the time, and place it in the opened window.
It could work, but of course your room will be cold/hot depending on seasons.

Thank you for your help. I will have to see what options I have here to make this work!
Reed

About the spider mites.
Give you plant a shower every few days. In the bathroom. And flush undersite and upperside of the leaves with clean water.
You can put a plastic bag around the pot, to avoid to much water in the substrate.
Spidermites can lay eggs after a few days, egg hatch in 3days.
So keep flushing them away.