So I just bought a bonsai today and this is what i have done so far.

1. Put the tree in a tray of water, (this is what the guy told me to do).

2. Bought slow releasing fertilizer pods on amazon that I will put in the water.

What type of tree is it and what am I doing wrong?

BonsaiNewb wrote: So I just bought a bonsai today

ACtually, you bought a young juniper. This is not a bonsai.

1. Put the tree in a tray of water, (this is what the guy told me to do).

The guy obviously did not know what he was talking about. Not a good idea.

What type of tree is it and what am I doing wrong?

It's a juniper. It must be kept outside and it must not be in a bowl of water.

According to this, it is a bonsai www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/juniper

BonsaiNewb wrote: According to this, it is a bonsai www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/juniper

No, according to that link it is a juniper.

While junipers are used to create bonsai, not all junipers are bonsai. Bonsai is not a tree type, it is a set of techniques to create a tree, resembling a mature and impressive tree in nature.

Your plant does not have any bonsai characteristics.

Should I put it outside right now?

BonsaiNewb wrote: Should I put it outside right now?

Depends on a couple of things. If it has been inside for a long time, and it is (very) cold outside now, you might not want to do that.

I have been reading that the juniper can survive about 25 degrees fahrenheit and under. It is about 38 where I live now and I just put it outside. I might just keep it out there for the night so it can get used to the temperature.

Welcome to the forum.

It is good to see that you read on different locations.

Junipers can survive even lower temperatures. HOwever, their frosthardiness is, as with all plants, dependend on preparation. You say it is not cold right now, so now problem. Just keep it in mind for the future; Just putting a plant outside in the cold because they should be able to withstand the temperature is a sure way to killl itin the long run. Getting a plant used to the cold is done by putting it outside when it is not freezing.

Do not bring the juniper indoors again. They need to be outside.

Slow release fertilizer pods go in the soil, not in the water. (THat kinda defeats the whole slow release thingy)

Avoid overwatering. You can not easily kill a juniper with tooo little water. The opposite is true too. you can very easily kill a juniper with too much water.. Remove the stones on the surface of the soilin order to be able to learn how to water your young plant.

A second point of attention: If you see someone with over a decade of experience, and over a thousands posts, make a statement on something, it would be nice to not respond with a "I think you are wrong because of this website".

I will take off the rocks soon. Is it also true that the Juniper likes periods of droughts in between waterings? If so, how long should this drought be?

just make sure the core of the rootball never completely dries out. The top of the soil can get completely dry between watering.