Today, my father bought me a jack pine (I believe ) bonsai tree. I have wanted a bonsai for ages. It's beautiful. I love it! However, I need some advice. I would appreciate a rundown on watering, pruning, etc. from someone who is familiar with this species. The man who sold the tree to my father told him that it should be pruned once a year and watered everyday. The tree is in a plastic container. Should I re-pot? What about fertilization? What fertilizer is appropriate? Should I take my bonsai outside everyday for sunlight? How long should I leave it outside during the summer? What about cleaning the leaves with a few drops of dish soap and water in a spray bottle? Is this harmful? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!
Congratulations on your first bonsai and welcome to the forum. Please slow down a little you will, hopefully, have this tree for years so you don't need to do at all at once. Specifically, unless you have a compelling reason to re-pot I would be inclined to leave it alone for this year.
Yes it will need fertilizer, which can be pretty much anything you would fertilize other potted plants with. Bonsai are not really different in that regard than other plants. There is no need for bonsai specific fertilizer as some might imply. Even that is not your most pressing issue right now though.
Pines growers have a rather unusual pruning system and a lot of this depends upon the state of development the tree is at right now and the species in question. So go slow and do some more research first.
Before you worry about fertilization, re-potting or pruning you need to learn to manage the tree on a day to day basis. By this I mostly mean location and watering. Your pine belongs outside, not inside. I would never bring most species of Pines indoors. Since I have never heard of a mass retailer selling this species I am going to assume that it came from a bonsai nursery. This implies, to me at least, that this tree was kept outside in good sun.
I would definitely put it outside. Leave it out in the sun, wind and rain. During winter, since it is in a pot, some protection may be required but you need not worry about this right now. If you are concerned about it getting too much sun too soon then give it a transition period of part sun but get it outside.
Perhaps you could post some pictures. Look [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724]here[/url] for instructions on posting photos.
) bonsai tree. I have wanted a bonsai for ages. It's beautiful. I love it! However, I need some advice. I would appreciate a rundown on watering, pruning, etc. from someone who is familiar with this species. The man who sold the tree to my father told him that it should be pruned once a year and watered everyday. The tree is in a plastic container. Should I re-pot? What about fertilization? What fertilizer is appropriate? Should I take my bonsai outside everyday for sunlight? How long should I leave it outside during the summer? What about cleaning the leaves with a few drops of dish soap and water in a spray bottle? Is this harmful? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you! 
