under par wrote:
Hello all,

This is my 1st post on this forum so please no newbie bullying.

I've been given a relatively mature Bay tree (approx 1.25m high) by a
kind customer of mine. She has had it from seed but in recent years
has
let her garden including the Bay go due to ill health.

Its in a rather large pot but the roots are protruding through the top
of the soil. I plan to re-pot it in a larger pot adding more soil that
will hopefully introduce more nutrition to the root structure. Is this
the right thing to do and am I going about it the right way?

Which soil would suit a Bay tree? What should I avoid and avoid doing?

I am not an expert on trees. I looked up bay trees on wikipedia those
trees can get to be 18 meters tall. Putting the tree in a larger pot
will cause the tree to get larger, if that is what you want. One can
limit the size of a tree by keeping the root ball small. If you like
the size of the tree now, trim the rootball to fit the existing pot. But
beware, trimming off too much of the root ball could make things worse.
The soil should be replaced with fresh soil every year. Potting soil
should work. Using a heavier garden soil does not do as well for indoor
pots. Could plant the tree outside in the ground if your region is in
the mediterranean.

Others here may want to know what size of pot is in it now and how big
of a pot you were planning to put it in? Is the plant outside or
inside? In the shade or sun?
The tree according to wikipedia, the tree is native to the
Mediterranean, are you from that region or a much colder climate?

I am sure others here may provide additional advice that I may have
missed or needs to be corrected.

--
Enjoy Life... Dan L (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)