Hello everyone,

Today I was lucky enough to become the proud owner of a Japanese Juniper tree, I think!
My lovely girlfriend and I just got back from our local nursery a few hours ago and as I got home, I immediately opened up my "Beginners Guide to Bonsai" book and started searching online for care techniques. Then I found this forum.
Pictured below is my tree. It is very young and I would love to train it into a Bonsai. I have read a lot about every-day care and understand the importance of sunlight, watering, and soil composition. However, I do have a few questions.
So... for those of you who are more experienced with this art than I am:

Am I correct in believing that this is a Japanese Juniper?
Is this tree too young to be re-potted? I'd like to get a different soil composition for the tree ASAP. (When I brought it home, I checked the soil and decided it needed watering. As I watered it, it took quite some time to see the water seep through the drainage holes. The slow absorption, I assume, was partly due to the fact that small pebbles cover the topsoil.)


I have no problems in researching feeding/watering/pruning techniques for myself, but if anyone has any advice or tips that I wouldn't find online, those would be greatly appreciated as well! And yes, the tree is outside. I just brought it inside for pictures.
Thanks everyone!

It is a juniper, probably a J. chinensis. Which type exactyly.. hard to tell.

Are the pebbles loose or glued together? What is underneath them?

it is not a good time to repot, unless you are in the southern hemisphere. If you are in winter you should just leave it be.

you do realize they live outside? Did you purchase it from an inside or ourside environment? Do NOT bring trees that were in a warm store straight into the frost. Do however bring them in a just frost-free, bright place for it to experience winter.

Thanks for the response!
The pebbles loosely rest above the soil.
I am located in Southern California so I don't have to worry about frost. The lowest it gets at night is around 45 degrees fahrenheit, and that shouldn't be a problem from what I've read. My main concern was whether or not it's too young of a tree or the wrong time of the year to replant it. I was reading another post on here where someone had suggested that repotting should be done during the spring-time. I'm planning on doing that unless I hear otherwise.

You need to repot, etc., when the tree thinks it is spring, which may not be when the calendar thinks it is spring.

In SoCal there are plenty of bonsai societies.Get with one of them and find out when their trees think it is spring.