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Hello! I am completely new to bonsai, and I have been gifting a young Juniper bonsai. I have many concerns that I would like to address in this post.

This tree was gifted to me two days ago. Prior to that, I believe it was kept indoors at a temperature around 70F for about two weeks. I do not know how it was watered but I believe there was some watering. I live in hardiness zone 7a, with the average high temp currently being around 38F and nights reaching down to 21F for this time of year. Also I believe the average humidity for this time of year as around 60%.

The soil appears to be peaty with small bits of bark and has some fertilizer pellets. I removed the pebbles that were placed on top of the soil and put them in a dish under the pot to act as a humidity tray. (Yes, the pot has two large drainage holes covered with mesh). There is no wiring currently on the tree, but it looks like it has been partially trained and pruned.

My biggest concerns are watering and transitioning it to outdoors. Since it has been living inside at very warm temps for this time of year, I am worried bringing it outdoors suddenly will shock it. and temps at night are getting below freezing. What I have done is put a thermometer in the soil and I have put it next to an open window, where the thermometer is currently reading 50-55F. I plan on slowly moving it to colder positions over the next weeks, and would like to get it to be able to be outside fully within 3 weeks. Is this plan okay? Or should I do something quicker/slower?

As for the watering, since it is in soil and not substrate, I am very concerned with overwatering especially since it is winter. However, the tree has been inside for about two weeks at a very warm temperature, So I am not sure how to go about watering it as I transition it to the outdoors. Yesterday, I gave it a very liberal "misting" with my spray bottle, which soaked the top of the soil completely, I don't believe it penetrated the bottom of the soil however. I also filled the "humidity tray" up with water last night and when I felt the bottom of the pot through the drainage holes, the metal mesh felt very damp (the water is not touching the pot).

I am unsure of how to feel the soil for dampness, as the top of the soil still is very crumbly and dry, but its hard to tell when I feel deeper. I am currently using the "chopstick method" and will report back as soon as I pull it out.

Does the tree need a good soaking? Should I continue to use the humidity tray or should I stop? I do not want to cause root rot. I'm not worried about frost yet because it is not fully outside and not experiencing freezing temps, but once its outside, how should freezing temps affect how I water it?

When it becomes spring, I would like to switch it from soil to a substrate, I think a mix of akadema, pummice, and lava rock. My understanding is that this soil will drain very quickly, so overwatering is almost impossible, however more frequent waterings may be required. Am I okay to change the soil this soon? Does this technically count as repotting and thus could shock the tree? Since so many changes are being made to this tree in such a short time, I do not plan on training or pruning it for about a year. Is this reasonable?

I've attached a photo of the Juniper (I am also unsure exactly what species it is so if anybody could ID that would be nice!)
Many Thanks!

Watering is the same in winter as in summer. Once the soil is moist, but not dry. Water heavily until a steady stream flowing out of the drainage holes.

Keep it alive first for a year or so, then do a repot. Bring it outside asap or it will be dead before you can say bonsai

"Watering is the same in winter as in summer" - Thanks! Was unsure.
"Water heavily until a steady stream flowing out of the drainage holes." - Great! I will do this now.

"Keep it alive first for a year or so, then do a repot." - Okay, I guess it makes sense that if I can keep it alive until spring with its current soil, I should be able to keep it alive for a year anyways.
"Bring it outside asap" - This is the goal! Should I not be concerned about gradually exposing it to lower temps? (I read it takes two weeks for it to reach dormancy, which increases its hardiness to freezing temps... ? ) I'd have no problem putting it outside right now. Since the pot is currently saturated with water is there any concern for freezing temps at night(28F?). I saw on another forum post that an ideal temperature range for junipers should be -20C - 45C, which is well within that range. Sorry for being pedantic, but also thanks for the help!