advice on collected siberian elm

mat

On a recent trip to the shore of Lake Michigan I realized that the trees that grow like weeds everywhere are Siberian elms, cousins of Chinese elms. So I thought I'd dig this one out of the back of a garden bed and take it home.

I am new to bonsai, and living in an apartment in New York City. I need some advice on 1. keeping the tree alive and 2. turning it into a bonsai.

So far the tree seems to have suffered no ill effects from having been put in a pot. I transfered it with its native soil which is mostly sand with some decomposing plant matter mixed in. Now I had planned to leave it in this container at least till spring.

Questions:

Should I change the soil or is it OK for now?

Can I leave it on the fire escape over the winter or should I bring it inside at some point?

I see no visible bugs, but some of the leaves had been eaten by something, should I treat the plant for pests or leave it alone for now?

The plant had already been chopped close to the base when I collected it and I clipped back some of the branches to make it a manageable size for car travel. When and how should I continue pruning it?

Any advice appreciated.

Attached Images

	leaf detail.jpg (66.4 KB, 16 views)
	siberianelm.jpg (29.7 KB, 38 views)

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